English

Integrity-protecting block cipher modes -- Untangling a tangled web

Cryptography and Security 2024-06-18 v2

Abstract

This paper re-examines the security of three related block cipher modes of operation designed to provide authenticated encryption. These modes, known as PES-PCBC, IOBC and EPBC, were all proposed in the mid-1990s. However, analyses of security of the latter two modes were published more recently. In each case one or more papers describing security issues with the schemes were eventually published, although a flaw in one of these analyses (of EPBC) was subsequently discovered - this means that until now EPBC had no known major issues. This paper establishes that, despite this, all three schemes possess defects which should prevent their use - especially as there are a number of efficient alternative schemes possessing proofs of security.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.2403.03654,
  title  = {Integrity-protecting block cipher modes -- Untangling a tangled web},
  author = {Chris J Mitchell},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2403.03654},
  year   = {2024}
}

Comments

Minor typos fixed

R2 v1 2026-06-28T15:10:53.563Z