A simple algebraic representation of Rijndael

Niels Ferguson, Richard Schroeppel, and Doug Whiting

In Selected Areas in Cryptography, Proc. SAC 2001, Lecture Notes in Computer Science #2259, pp. 103–111, Springer Verlag, 2001.

Abstract

We show that there is a very straightforward closed algebraic formula for the Rijndael block cipher. This formula is highly structured and far simpler then algebraic formulations of any other block cipher we know. The security of Rijndael depends on a new and untested hardness assumption: it is computationally infeasible to solve equations of this type. The lack of research on this new assumption raises concerns over the wisdom of using Rijndael for security-critical applications.

Download

Zipped PostScript (53 kB)
PDF (142 kB)

Home

About

Publications

Practical Cryptography