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Cyber security is considered one of the most important aspects of our information technology based society. Key Exchange(KE) is a fundamental cryptographic primitive, and authenticated KE (AKE) is one of the most used cryptographic tools in secure communication protocols (e.g. SSL/TLS, IPSec, SSH) over the Internet. In light of the threat that quantum computers pose to cryptosystems such as RSA and ECC, this project is devoted to the development of secure and efficient AKE alternatives for the post-quantum computer world, which is now considered of a high priority by the US government. This project will help develop new AKEs that have the great potential in cyber security for our society. The success of the project will not only have very significant practical values, but also will have a broad impact on theoretical mathematics and computation. This project will have a significant impact on the collaboration we are developing with the Post-Quantum cryptography group at the National Institute of Standard of Technology, where a significant amount of efforts is devoted to the study of quantum resistant AKEs. The PI will teach and work with undergraduate and graduate students, and recruit students from under represented groups in science.
This project intends to develop AKE schemes but based on problems resistant to quantum computer attacks, in particular, we would like to develop efficient and secure implementations of AKE based on the learning with errors problems (LWE) and ring-LWE (RLWE) problems, as well as the selection of concrete parameters for applications with the goal developing secure and efficient systems for the post-quantum world. Such a system should enjoy the potential benefits of lattice-based constructions such as asymptotic efficiency, conceptual simplicity, worst-case hardness assumptions, and provable security, which makes it perfect for the post-quantum world. This key component of the project is based on several promising innovative ideas coming from preliminary experiments and theoretical results we have established, and this project also includes fundamental new ideas in addressing a diverse set of challenges in the design of AKEs. The results will lead to a better understanding of the fundamentals of the AKEs based on LWE and to methods on how to design more secure and efficient AKEs for practical applications. Our research approach is a synergistic combination of new mathematical ideas and systematic computer experiments.
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EAGER: Implementing Practical Provably Secure Authenticated Key Exchange for the Post-Quantum Worl