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Diffie Hellman Algorithm Riley

The document discusses the Diffie-Hellman key exchange algorithm which allows two parties to establish a shared secret over an insecure communication channel. It was developed by Whitfield Diffie and Martin Hellman and is based on the difficulty of computing discrete logarithms. The document provides an overview of the algorithm, describes how it works, and gives an example of how Alice and Bob can use it to securely communicate.

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47 views

Diffie Hellman Algorithm Riley

The document discusses the Diffie-Hellman key exchange algorithm which allows two parties to establish a shared secret over an insecure communication channel. It was developed by Whitfield Diffie and Martin Hellman and is based on the difficulty of computing discrete logarithms. The document provides an overview of the algorithm, describes how it works, and gives an example of how Alice and Bob can use it to securely communicate.

Uploaded by

SRC Exam
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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The Diffie-Hellman Algorithm

Riley Lochridge
April 11, 2003
Overview

• Introduction

• Implementation

• Example

• Applications

• Conclusion
Introduction

• Discovered by Whitfield Diffie and Martin Hellman


– “New Directions in Cryptography”

• Diffie-Hellman key agreement protocol


– Exponential key agreement
– Allows two users to exchange a secret key
– Requires no prior secrets
– Real-time over an untrusted network
Introduction

• Security of transmission is critical for many


network and Internet applications
• Requires users to share information in a way that
others can’t decipher the flow of information

“It is insufficient to protect ourselves with laws; we


need to protect ourselves with mathematics.”

-Bruce Schneier
Introduction

• Based on the difficulty of computing discrete


logarithms of large numbers.

• No known successful attack strategies*

• Requires two large numbers, one prime (P), and


(G), a primitive root of P
Implementation

• P and G are both publicly available numbers


– P is at least 512 bits
• Users pick private values a and b
• Compute public values
– x = ga mod p
– y = gb mod p
• Public values x and y are exchanged
Implementation

Copyright, 2001 by NetIP, Inc. and Keith Palmgren, CISSP.


Implementation

• Compute shared, private key


– ka = ya mod p
– kb = xb mod p

• Algebraically it can be shown that ka = kb


– Users now have a symmetric secret key to
encrypt
Implementation

Copyright, 2001 by NetIP, Inc. and Keith Palmgren, CISSP.


Example

• Two Internet users, Alice and Bob wish to


have a secure conversation.
– They decide to use the Diffie-Hellman protocol
Example

• Bob and Alice are unable to talk on the


untrusted network.
–Who knows who’s listening?
Example

• Alice and Bob get public numbers


– P = 23, G = 9

• Alice and Bob compute public values


– X = 94 mod 23 = 6561 mod 23 = 6
– Y = 93 mod 23 = 729 mod 23 = 16

• Alice and Bob exchange public numbers


Example

• Alice and Bob compute symmetric keys


– ka = ya mod p = 164 mod 23 = 9
– kb = xb mod p = 63 mod 23 = 9
• Alice and Bob now can talk securely!
Applications

• Diffie-Hellman is currently used in many


protocols, namely:
– Secure Sockets Layer (SSL)/Transport Layer
Security (TLS)
– Secure Shell (SSH)
– Internet Protocol Security (IPSec)
– Public Key Infrastructure (PKI)
Conclusion

• Authenticated Diffie-Hellman Key Agreement


(1992)
– Defeats middleperson attack
• Diffie-Hellman POP Algorithm
– Enhances IPSec layer
• Diffie-Hellman continues to play large role in
secure protocol creation
Additional Sources

• http://www.sans.org/rr
/encryption/algorithm.php

• http://www.hack.gr/users/dij
/crypto/overview/index.html

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