Bit-flipping attack

Bit-flipping attack

A bit-flipping attack is an attack on a cryptographic cipher in which the attacker can change the ciphertext in such a way as to result in a predictable change of the plaintext, although the attacker is not able to learn the plaintext itself. Note that this type of attack is not -- directly -- against the cipher itself (as cryptanalysis of it would be), but against a particular message or series of messages. In the extreme, this could become a Denial of service attack against all messages on a particular channel using that cipher.

The attack is especially dangerous when the attacker knows the format of the message. In such a situation, the attacker can turn it into a similar message but one in which some important information is altered. For example, a change in the destination address might alter the message route in a way that will force re-encryption with a weaker cipher, thus possibly making it easier for an attacker to decipher the message.

When applied to digital signatures, the attacker might be able to change a promissory note stating "I owe you $10.00" into one stating "I owe you $10000".

Stream ciphers, such as RC4, can be vulnerable to a bit-flipping attack. Ciphers with good diffusion properties are generally resistant to it.Fact|date=February 2007 Adding a message authentication code to the message is a standard way of increasing resistance of a cipher to a bit-flipping attack.

External links

* [http://www.cisco.com/en/US/netsol/ns339/ns395/ns176/ns178/networking_solutions_white_paper09186a00800b469f.shtml Wireless LAN Security White Paper]


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужен реферат?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Bit flipping — In computing, bit flipping may mean:* Bit manipulation, algorithmic manipulation of binary digits or bits * Bitwise operation NOT , performing logical negation to a single bit, or each of several bits, switching state 0 to 1, and vice versa *… …   Wikipedia

  • Panic Attack (robot) — The robot Panic Attack was a contestant on Robot Wars for six years from Series 2 7. It was best known for winning Series 2, and continuing to be a strong competitor in later competitions. It was a short, box shaped robot painted yellow (gold in… …   Wikipedia

  • IEEE P1619 — is an Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) standardization project for encryption of stored data, but more generically refers to the work of the IEEE P1619 Security in Storage Working Group (SISWG), which includes a family of… …   Wikipedia

  • McEliece — McEliece  криптосистема с открытыми ключами на основе теории алгебраического кодирования, разработанная в 1978 году Робертом Мак Элисом[1]. Это была первая схема, использующая рандомизацию в процессе шифрования. Алгоритм не получил широко… …   Википедия

  • Quantum Byzantine agreement — Byzantine fault tolerant protocols are algorithms that are robust to arbitrary types of failures in distributed algorithms. With the advent and popularity of the internet, there is a need to develop algorithms that do not require any centralized… …   Wikipedia

  • cryptology — cryptologist, n. cryptologic /krip tl oj ik/, cryptological, adj. /krip tol euh jee/, n. 1. cryptography. 2. the science and study of cryptanalysis and cryptography. [1635 45; < NL cryptologia. See CRYPTO , LOGY] * * * Introduction …   Universalium

  • Stream cipher — The operation of the keystream generator in A5/1, a LFSR based stream cipher used to encrypt mobile phone conversations. In cryptography, a stream cipher is a symmetric key cipher where plaintext digits are combined with a pseudorandom cipher… …   Wikipedia

  • literature — /lit euhr euh cheuhr, choor , li treuh /, n. 1. writings in which expression and form, in connection with ideas of permanent and universal interest, are characteristic or essential features, as poetry, novels, history, biography, and essays. 2.… …   Universalium

  • Table tennis — Ping Pong redirects here. For other uses, see Ping Pong (disambiguation). Table tennis Table tennis at the highest level Highest governing body ITTF Nickname(s) Ping pong …   Wikipedia

  • House robots — The house robots are a set of remote controlled robots used as obstacles in the television series Robot Wars as a means of added destruction. They take part in most matches, usually two at a time staying in their Corner Patrol Zones (CPZ), and… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”