The dynamics of the CBC Mode of Operation
This work addresses a foundational cryptographic problem for security researchers, but it appears incremental as it builds on previous research on chaotic behavior in CBC.
The paper tackles the problem of understanding the chaotic behavior of the Cipher Block Chaining (CBC) mode in cryptography by deepening its topological study, specifically evaluating properties like topological mixing and entropy, with quantitative evaluations performed.
In cryptography, the Cipher Block Chaining (CBC), one of the most commonly used mode in recent years, is a mode of operation that uses a block cipher to provide confidentiality or authenticity. In our previous research work, we have shown that this mode of operation exhibits, under some conditions, a chaotic behaviour. We have studied this behaviour by evaluating both its level of sensibility and expansivity. In this paper, we intend to deepen the topological study of the CBC mode of operation and evaluate its property of topological mixing. Additionally, other quantitative evaluations are performed, and the level of topological entropy has been evaluated too.