Hybrid Encryption from McEliece Cryptosystem with Pseudo-random Error Vector

Issue title: Special issue of selected papers of 17th Central EuropeanConference on Cryptology

Guest editors: Mieczysław Kula, Damian Niwiński and Jacek Pomykała

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Zajac, Pavol

Affiliations: Institute of Computer Science and Mathematics, Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava, Slovakia. pavol.zajac@stuba.sk

Correspondence: [*] Address for correspondence: Institute of Computer Science and Mathematics, Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava, Ilkovičova 3, SK–812-19 Bratislava, Slovakia. Support by grant VEGA 1/0159/17 is acknowledged.

Abstract: We propose a new hybrid encryption scheme to use with McEliece cryptosystem. The hybrid scheme uses specific authenticated encryption scheme for the encryption of the plaintext. The symmetric key is embedded in reversible way into the error vector of the McEliece cryptosystem. CCA2 security is provided by the symmetric part of the scheme. The embedding is done in such a way, that the error vector cannot be distinguished from a randomly chosen one. An eXtensible Output Function can be used to enable variable length conversion from (pseudo-random) bit strings to error vectors. The encryption part can be implemented in a streamed way, so the sender does not have to store the whole message in the memory.

Keywords: post-quantum cryptography, McEliece, hybrid schemes, CCA2

DOI: 10.3233/FI-2019-1851

Journal: Fundamenta Informaticae, vol. 169, no. 4, pp. 345-360, 2019