Applied Cryptography: Protocols, Algorithms and Source Code in C, 20th Anniversary Edition

CHAPTER 22

Key-Exchange Algorithms

22.1 DIFFIE-HELLMAN

Diffie-Hellman was the first public-key algorithm ever invented, way back in 1976 [496]. It gets its security from the difficulty of calculating discrete logarithms in a finite field, as compared with the ease of calculating exponentiation in the same field. Diffie-Hellman can be used for key distribution—Alice and Bob can use this algorithm to generate a secret key—but it cannot be used to encrypt and decrypt messages.

The math is simple. First, Alice and Bob agree on a large prime, n and g, such that g is primitive mod n. These two integers don't have to be secret; Alice and Bob can agree to them over some insecure channel. They can even be common among a group of users. It doesn't matter.

Then, the protocol goes as follows:

• (1) Alice chooses a random large integer x and sends Bob

  X = g^x mod n

• (2) Bob chooses a random large integer y and sends Alice

  Y = g^y mod n

• (3) Alice computes

  k = Y^x mod n

• (4) Bob computes

  k′ = X^y mod n

Both k and k′ are equal to g^xy mod n. No one listening on the channel can compute that value; they only know n, g, X, and Y. Unless they can compute the discrete logarithm and recover x or y, they do not solve the problem. So, k is the secret key that both Alice and Bob computed independently.

The choice of g and n can have a substantial impact on the security of this system. The number (n − 1)/2 should also be a prime [1253]. And most important, n should be large: The security of the system ...