McEliece cryptosystem: simulation and security vulnerabilities

Abstract

While symmetric key cryptosystems utilise single private key at both ends for encryption and decryption purposes and this mentioned scenario gives advantages of better speed-up as compare to public key cryptosystems. Still, security is a challenge while performing compatibly efficient key distribution and secure private data transfer among entities in an untrusted environment. McEliece cryptosystem, designed in 1978, is a public key based cryptosystem whose security is based on some unknown natured error-correcting codes. This paper gives state-of-the-art detailed overview on this cryptosystem, its component-wise algorithmic description and implementation. Various attacks on McEliece cryptosystem are discussed separately. The experimental results employing Goppa codes are also presented in the paper where the simulations are performed on various extension degrees. Based on the simulations performed, we concluded the results along with the various issues faced while implementation.