CRYPTOGRAPHY

@ V E N E RV
AGENDA

Secret Key exchange problem

Diffie-Hellman method

2
SECRET KEY
EXCHANGE
PROBLEM
 Alice Internet
Bob
K K

M ℰ C
𝒟
M/
Adversary

: encryption algorithm (public) K : encryption / decryption key (secret)

: decryption algorithm (public)

4
 Alice Internet
Bob
Ke Kd

M ℰ C
𝒟
M/
Adversary

: encryption algorithm (public) Ke : encryption key (public)

: decryption algorithm (public) Kd : decryption key (secret)

5
SECRET KEY EXCHANGE PROBLEM

One of the main problems of symmetric key encryption is it requires

a secure & reliable channel for the shared key exchange.

The Diffie-Hellman Key Exchange protocol offers a way in which a

public channel can be used to create a confidential shared key.

6
DIFFIE-HELLMAN KEY EXCHANGE
•Discovered in the 1970's

•Allows two parties to establish a shared secret

without ever having met
Ralph Merkle Whitfield Diffie
Martin Hellman
•Diffie & Hellman paper also introduced:
•Public-key encryption
•Digital signatures

7
ALICE & BOB WITH EVE LISTENING WISH
TO MAKE A SECRET SHARED COLOR

8
STEP 1 - BOTH PUBLICLY AGREE TO A
SHARED COLOR

9
STEP 2 - EACH PICKS A SECRET COLOR

10
STEP 3 - EACH ADDS
THEIR SECRET COLOR
TO THE SHARED COLOR
STEP 4 - EACH SENDS
THE OTHER THEIR NEW
MIXED COLOR
EACH COMBINES THE SHARED COLOR FROM
THE OTHER WITH THEIR OWN SECRET COLOR
LET’S GET BACK TO MATH
We will rely on the formula below being an easy problem one direction
and hard in reverse.
s = g n mod p
Easy: given g, n, & p, solve for s
Hard: given s, g, & p, solve for n
And the property of
ga*b mod p = gb*a mod p

14
STEP 1 –PUBLICLY SHARED
INFORMATION
Alice & Bob publicly agree to a large prime number called the
modulus, or p.
Alice & Bob publicly agree to a number called the generator, or g,
which has a primitive root relationship with p.
In our example we’ll assume
p = 17
g=3
Eve is aware of the values of p or g.

15
STEP 2 – SELECT A SECRET KEY
Alice selects a secret key, which we will call a.
Bob selects a secret key, which we will call b.
For our example assume:
a = 54
b = 24
Eve is unaware of the values of a or b.
STEP 3 – COMBINE SECRET KEYS WITH
PUBLIC INFORMATION
Alice combines her secret key of a with the public information to
compute A.
A = ga mod p
A = 354 mod 17
A = 15

18
STEP 3 – COMBINE SECRET KEY WITH
PUBLIC INFORMATION
Bob combines his secret key of b with the public information to
compute B.
B = gb mod p
B = 354 mod 17
B = 16
STEP 4 – SHARE COMBINED VALUES
Alice shares her combined value, A, with Bob. Bob shares his
combined value, B, with Alice.
Sent to Bob
A = 15
Sent to Alice
B = 16
Eve is privy to this exchange and knows the values of A and B

20
STEP 5 – COMPUTE SHARED KEY

Alice computes the shared key.

s = (B mod p)a mod p
s = gb*a mod p
s = 354*24 mod 17
s=1
Bob computes the shared key.
s = (A mod p)a mod p
s = ga*b mod p
s = 324*54 mod 17
s=1
 Vulnerabilities of Diffie-Hellman key exchange

The most serious limitation of Diffie-Hellman in its basic form is the lack of
authentication. Communications using Diffie-Hellman by itself are vulnerable to
MitM. Ideally, Diffie-Hellman should be used in conjunction with a recognized
authentication method, such as digital signatures, to verify the identities of the
users over the public communications medium.

Diffie-Hellman key exchange is also vulnerable to logjam attacks, specifically

against the TLS protocol. Logjam attacks downgrade TLS connections to 512-bit
cryptography, enabling an attacker to read and modify data that's passed through
the connection. Diffie-Hellman key exchange can still be secure if implemented
correctly. For example, logjam attacks won't work with a 2,048-bit key.

22
MAN-IN-THE-MIDDLE ATTACK
One problem with Diffie-Hellman is that there is no authentication, and so the
protocol is subject to a man-in-the-middle attack:
• Alice generates g x and sends it to "Bob"
• Eve intercepts the message:
• Generates g v , and sends it to Bob in place of Alice's message
• Bob receives g v , generates g y , and sends it to "Alice"
• Eve intercepts the message:
• Generates g w , and sends it to Alice in place of Bob's message
• Alice computes k = (g w ) x
• Bob computes k' = (g v ) y
• Eve computes k = (g x ) w and k' = (g y ) v

23
LOGJAM ATTACK

24
25