Cryptographic engineering, finite field arithmetic, random number generators, homomorphic encryption and machine learning.

Cryptographic Engineering

Cryptography provides techniques, mechanisms, and tools for private and authenticated communication, and for performing secure and authenticated transactions over the Internet as well as other open networks. It is highly probable that each bit of information flowing through our networks will have to be either encrypted and decrypted or signed and authenticated in a few years from now. This infrastructure is needed to carry over the legal and contractual certainty from our paper-based offices to our virtual offices existing in the cyberspace. In such an environment, server and client computers as well as handheld, portable, and wireless devices will have to be capable of encrypting or decrypting and signing or verifying messages. That is to say, without exception, all networked computers and devices must have cryptographic layers implemented, and must be able to access to cryptographic functions in order to provide security features.

In this context, efficient (in terms of time, area, and power consumption) hardware structures will have to be designed, implemented, and deployed. Furthermore, general-purpose (platform-independent) as well as special-purpose software implementing cryptographic functions on embedded devices are needed. An additional challenge is that these implementations should be done in such a way to resist cryptanalytic attacks launched against them by adversaries having access to primary (communication) and secondary (timing, power, electromagnetic, acoustic) channels. We have coined the term "cryptographic engineering" to describe interdisciplinary research and development efforts leading to secure and efficient hardware and software realizations of cryptographic systems.

Since 1988, I have been developing cryptography and security technologies and products. Over the years, I contributed to more than 50 products in the marketplace. Particularly, I worked on some early and highly successful security toolkits and products such as RSAREF and BSAFE (RSA Security), CDSA (Intel), the Onion Routing (TOR) protocol, and the first few (non-commercial) versions of PGP secure email.

In order to do the consulting work more efficiently I founded CryptoCode company in collaboration with my PhD advisees. We specialize in cryptographic engineering research and development. CryptoCode develops cryptographic hardware and software, analyzes, evaluates and reports on cryptographic products, and also offers on-site or off-site training programs in cryptographic engineering. CryptoCode has experience and knowledge in security and cryptography, accumulated over two decades. CryptoCode has particular expertise in development of secure (resistant to side-channel attacks), highly-optimized, algorithm-rich and platform-specific cryptographic code in ASM, C, C++, Java, VHDL, and Verilog. Over the years, CryptoCode developed several hardware and embedded software IP cores, which are available for immediate delivery, and develops new IP cores, and performs customization services according to the specifications and requirements of its clients. Furthermore, CryptoCode also analyzes and reports on the content and scope of intellectual property, patents, and prior art in security and cryptography, and offers consulting and expert witness services. CryptoCode.com web site has more details on its activities, including legal services, code development and training.