Section: Overall Objectives

Presentation

Cryptographic algorithms are the equivalent of locks, seals, security stamps and identification documents on the Internet. They are essential to protect our on-line bank transactions, credit cards, medical and personal information and to support e-commerce and e-government. They come in different flavors. Encryption algorithms are essential to protect sensitive information such as medical data, financial information and Personal Identification Numbers (PINs) from prying eyes. Digital signature algorithms (in combination with hash functions) replace hand-written signatures in electronic transactions. A similar role can be played by MAC algorithms. Identification protocols allow to securely verify the identity of the party at the other end of the line. Therefore, cryptology is a research area with a high strategic impact for industries, individuals, and for the society as a whole. The research activity of the project-team CASCADE addresses the following topics, which cover almost all the domains that are currently active in the international cryptographic community:

1. Implementation of cryptographic and applied cryptography

2. Design and provable security, for

   • signature schemes

   • public-key encryption schemes

   • identity-based encryption schemes

   • key agreement protocols

   • group-oriented protocols

3. Attacks, using

   • side-channels

   • algebraic techniques

4. Design and analysis of symmetric schemes