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An algebraic approach to the verification of a class of Diffie-Hellman protocols

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Abstract

We present a framework for reasoning about secrecy in a class of Diffie-Hellman protocols. The technique, which shares a conceptual origin with the idea of a rank function, uses the notion of a message-template to determine whether a given value is generable by an intruder in a protocol model. Traditionally, the rich algebraic structure of Diffie-Hellman messages has made it difficult to reason about such protocols using formal, rather than complexity-theoretic, techniques. We describe the approach in the context of the MTI protocols, and derive conditions under which each protocol in the suite can be considered secure.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Computing, University of Surrey, Guildford, Surrey, GU2 7XH, UK

    Rob Delicata & Steve Schneider

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  1. Rob Delicata
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  2. Steve Schneider
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Correspondence to Steve Schneider.

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Delicata, R., Schneider, S. An algebraic approach to the verification of a class of Diffie-Hellman protocols. Int. J. Inf. Secur. 6, 183–196 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10207-007-0013-2

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