Public key distribution in matrix rings

Abstract

An extension of the Diffie-Hellman public key distribution system to matrix rings is described. Using rings of non-singular matrices over Z/pZ and upper triangular matrices with invertible elements along the diagonal over Z/pZ, it is shown that the number of possible secret keys is much greater for a given prime p compared to the original system. An outline of a method to construct the base matrix used in the system is given.