Authenticated Encryption: Toward Next-Generation Algorithms

Abstract

Wondering whether researchers have a cryptographic tool able to provide both confidentiality (privacy) and integrity (authenticity) of a message? They do: authenticated encryption (AE), a symmetric-key mechanism that transforms a message into a ciphertext. This article discusses standard AE algorithms, classic security models' shortcomings for AE algorithms, and related attacks. Motivated by these attacks, the crypto community started CAESAR (Competition for Authenticated Encryption: Security, Applicability, and Robustness) to promote the development of next-generation AE algorithms.