Crab (cipher) - Wikipedia

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Crab
General
Designers	Burt Kaliski, Matt Robshaw
First published	1993
Derived from	MD5
Related to	SHACAL
Cipher detail
Key sizes	80 bits
Block sizes	8192 bits
Structure	Cryptographic hash function
Best public cryptanalysis
Proposed differential cryptanalysis using no more than 2¹⁶ chosen plaintexts

In cryptography, Crab is a block cipher proposed by Burt Kaliski and Matt Robshaw at the first Fast Software Encryption workshop in 1993. Not really intended for use, Crab was developed to demonstrate how ideas from hash functions could be used to create a fast cipher.

Crab has an unusually large block size of 8192 bits. Its creators suggested using an 80-bit key, but the cipher could use any key size. The authors didn't specify an actual key schedule, only that the key is used to generate two large sets of subkeys: a permutation of the numbers 0 through 255, and an array of 2048 32-bit numbers. The block is divided into 256 32-bit subblocks, which are permuted at the beginning. Then the algorithm makes four passes over the data, each time applying one of four transformations adapted from MD5.

A brief note on the cryptanalysis of Crab is included in Markku-Juhani Saarinen's paper on block ciphers based on SHA-1 and MD5, published at FSE 2003. The author demonstrates a weakness in Crab that permits a distinguisher using no more than a dozen chosen plaintexts, and speculates that this can be converted into a full key-recovery attack using no more than 2¹⁶ chosen plaintexts. Such an attack would depend on the key schedule used.

References

B.S. Kaliski and M.J.B. Robshaw (December 1993). Fast Block Cipher Proposal. Fast Software Encryption (FSE '93). Cambridge: Springer-Verlag. pp. 33–40.
U.S. patent 6,463,150 A patent on an encryption device that uses Crab.
Schneier, Bruce (1996). Applied Cryptography (2nd ed.). John Wiley & Sons. pp. 342–344. ISBN 0-471-11709-9.
Markku-Juhani Olavi Saarinen (February 2003). Cryptanalysis of Block Ciphers Based on SHA-1 and MD5 (PDF). FSE '03. Lund: Springer-Verlag. pp. 36–44. Retrieved 12 October 2007.

v t e Block ciphers (security summary)
Common algorithms	AES Blowfish DES (internal mechanics, Triple DES) Serpent SM4 Twofish
Less common algorithms	ARIA Camellia CAST-128 GOST IDEA LEA RC5 RC6 SEED Skipjack TEA XTEA
Other algorithms	3-Way Adiantum Akelarre Anubis Ascon BaseKing BassOmatic BATON BEAR and LION CAST-256 Chiasmus CIKS-1 CIPHERUNICORN-A CIPHERUNICORN-E CLEFIA CMEA Cobra COCONUT98 Crab Cryptomeria/C2 CRYPTON CS-Cipher DEAL DES-X DFC E2 FEAL FEA-M FROG G-DES Grand Cru Hasty Pudding cipher Hierocrypt ICE IDEA NXT Intel Cascade Cipher Iraqi Kalyna KASUMI KeeLoq KHAZAD Khufu and Khafre KN-Cipher Kuznyechik Ladder-DES LOKI (97, 89/91) Lucifer M6 M8 MacGuffin Madryga MAGENTA MARS Mercy MESH MISTY1 MMB MULTI2 MultiSwap New Data Seal NewDES Nimbus NOEKEON NUSH PRESENT Prince Q RC2 REDOC Red Pike S-1 SAFER SAVILLE SC2000 SHACAL SHARK Simon Speck Spectr-H64 Square SXAL/MBAL Threefish Treyfer UES xmx XXTEA Zodiac
Design	Feistel network Key schedule Lai–Massey scheme Product cipher S-box P-box SPN Confusion and diffusion Round Avalanche effect Block size Key size Key whitening (Whitening transformation)
Attack (cryptanalysis)	Brute-force (EFF DES cracker) MITM Biclique attack 3-subset MITM attack Linear (Piling-up lemma) Differential Impossible Truncated Higher-order Differential-linear Distinguishing (Known-key) Integral/Square Boomerang Mod n Related-key Slide Rotational Side-channel Timing Power-monitoring Electromagnetic Acoustic Differential-fault XSL Interpolation Partitioning Rubber-hose Black-bag Davies Rebound Weak key Tau Chi-square Time/memory/data tradeoff
Standardization	AES process CRYPTREC NESSIE NSA Suite B CNSA
Utilization	Initialization vector Mode of operation Padding

v t e Cryptography
General	History of cryptography Outline of cryptography Classical cipher Cryptographic protocol Authentication protocol Cryptographic primitive Cryptanalysis Cryptocurrency Cryptosystem Cryptographic nonce Cryptovirology Hash function Cryptographic hash function Key derivation function Secure Hash Algorithms Digital signature Kleptography Key (cryptography) Key exchange Key generator Key schedule Key stretching Keygen Machines Cryptojacking malware Ransomware Random number generation Cryptographically secure pseudorandom number generator (CSPRNG) Pseudorandom noise (PRN) Secure channel Insecure channel Subliminal channel Encryption Decryption End-to-end encryption Harvest now, decrypt later Information-theoretic security Plaintext Codetext Ciphertext Shared secret Trapdoor function Trusted timestamping Key-based routing Onion routing Garlic routing Kademlia Mix network
Mathematics	Cryptographic hash function Block cipher Stream cipher Symmetric-key algorithm Authenticated encryption Public-key cryptography Quantum key distribution Quantum cryptography Post-quantum cryptography Message authentication code Random numbers Steganography
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