Cryptography

VOCAL provides a wide range of cryptography solutions to ensure security of telecommunications including authentication, privacy, integrity, and non-repudiation. Our encryption, authentication, key handling and other cryptography algorithms are optimized for performance on leading DSPs and processors. Our software may be  licensed as source code or binary with custom solutions available to meet user application requirements.

Cryptography is the science and art of concealing the meaning of a message so that only authorized individuals can read it. When communicating over any untrusted medium the encoding or encryption of information is crucial to the security of that communication.

Cryptography can generally be divided into two broad categories: private key and public key cryptography. In private key cryptography, users share a secret key which is used to encrypt and decrypt messages. In contrast, public key cryptography involves the use of a public and private key pair. A user may freely distribute the public key but must always keep the private key secret.

Cryptography, if implemented correctly within security protocols, can provide some very basic security including:

• Authentication – The proof of ones identity.
• Privacy/Confidentiality – Providing mechanisms that prevent anyone, except the intended recipient, from reading the message.
• Integrity – Insuring that the message is in the original sent form and has not been altered.
• Non-repudiation – Proof that the message was sent by the sender.

Cryptographic algorithms can be divided into four basic groups of functions:

1. Encryption Provides the message privacy/confidentiality.
   • AES Advanced Encryption Standard (128-bit Block Cipher)
   • Camellia 128-bit Block Cipher
   • CAST-128 – 64-bit Block Cipher
   • CAST-256 – 128-bit Block Cipher
   • CCM – Counter with Cipher Block Chaining Message Authentication Code
   • DES – Data Encryption Standard (64-bit Block Cipher)
   • GCM- Galois/Counter Mode
   • Rabin- Rabin Stream Cipher
   • RC4 ArcFour Stream Cipher
   • RSA RSA Public Key Schemes
   • SEED – 128-bit Block Cipher
   • SNOW2 – SNOW version 2 Stream Cipher
   • TDEA, 3DES, TDES – Triple Data Encryption Standard/Algorithm
2. Authentication – Provides authentication, integrity and non-repudiation.
   • CBC-MAC – Cipher Block Chaining Message Authentication Code
   • CCM – Counter with Cipher Block Chaining Message Authentication Code
   • CFB-MAC – Cipher Feedback Message Authentication Code
   • DSA – Digital Signature Algorithm
   • ECDSA – Elliptical Curve Digital Signature Algorithm
   • GCM – Galois/Counter Mode
   • GMAC – Galois Message Authentication Code
   • HMAC – Hash Message Authentication Code
   • Rabin – Rabin Digital Signature
   • RSA – RSA Digital Signature
3. Key Handling – Facilitates privacy/confidentiality by keeping the private keys secret.
   • AESKW – AES Key Wrap Algorithm
   • AKW1 – Alternative Key Wrap Algorithm 1
   • AKW2 – Alternative Key Wrap Algorithm 2
   • PSEC-KEM – Provably Secure Elliptical Curve Key Encapsulation Mechanism
   • RSA-KEM – RSA Key Encapsulation Mechanism
   • TDKW – TDES Key Wrap Algorithm
4. Others – These are hash functions, pseudo random number generators and any other helper functions.
   • MD5 – Message Digest Algorithm 5
   • RIPEMD – RACE Integrity Primitives Evaluation Message Digest
   • SHA-1 – Secure Hash Algorithm 1
   • SHA-2 – Secure Hash Algorithm 2
   • Whirlpool – Whirlpool Hash Algorithm