Utilizing Simulation-Based Security for the Modular Cryptographic Analysis of Real-World Key Exchange and Secure Channel Protocols

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Ralf Küsters
• Subject Area: Theoretical Computer Science
• Term: from 2013 to 2020
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 250008536

We depend on protocols for securely exchanging keys betweencommunication partners and establishing securecommunication channels, such as SSL/TLS, SSH, IPsec, IEEE802.11i, and many others, in our everyday life. As haslong been realized and as illustrated by numerous attacks,rigorous and comprehensive cryptographic analysis of such(real-world) protocols is indispensable. However, such ananalysis still poses a big challenge, with the complexityof the analysis being the main obstacle. To tame thiscomplexity and to make the analysis more manageable a highdegree of modularity of the analysis isimperative. The main goal of this project is therefore todevelop methods and techniques in order to push modularanalysis as much as possible. A particularly promisingapproach in this respect is the so-called simulation-basedapproach. While composability and modularity are thedriving forces of this approach, its high potential for therigorous and comprehensive modular analysis of real-worldkey exchange and secure channel protocols is largelyunexplored. In this project, we shall extend and refine thesimulation-based approach in order to provide acomprehensive framework for the modular, yet faithfulanalysis of real-world key exchange and secure channelprotocols. The developed framework shall be applied toselected real-world key exchange and secure channelprotocols in order to illustrate and evaluate the developedmethods and techniques.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants