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Physical-attack-assisted cryptanalysis for error-correcting code-based schemes


Thesis topic details

General information

Organisation

The French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) is a key player in research, development and innovation in four main areas :
• defence and security,
• nuclear energy (fission and fusion),
• technological research for industry,
• fundamental research in the physical sciences and life sciences.

Drawing on its widely acknowledged expertise, and thanks to its 16000 technicians, engineers, researchers and staff, the CEA actively participates in collaborative projects with a large number of academic and industrial partners.

The CEA is established in ten centers spread throughout France
  

Reference

SL-DRT-26-0286  

Direction

DRT

Thesis topic details

Category

Technological challenges

Thesis topics

Physical-attack-assisted cryptanalysis for error-correcting code-based schemes

Contract

Thèse

Job description

The security assessment of post-quantum cryptography, from the perspective of physical attacks, has been extensively studied in the literature, particularly with regard to the ML-KEM and ML-DSA standards, which are based on Euclidean lattices. Furthermore, in March 2025, the HQC scheme, based on error-correcting codes, was standardized as an alternative key encapsulation mechanism to ML-KEM. Recently, Soft-Analytical Side-Channel Attacks (SASCA) have been used on a wide variety of algorithms to combine information related to intermediate variables in order to trace back to the secret, providing a form of “correction” to the uncertainty associated with profiled attacks. SASCA is based on probabilistic models called “factor graphs,” to which a “belief propagation” algorithm is applied. In the case of attacks on post-quantum cryptosystems, it is theoretically possible to use the underlying mathematical structure to process the output of a SASCA attack in the form of cryptanalysis. This has been demonstrated, for example, on ML-KEM. The objective of this thesis is to develop a methodology and the necessary tools for cryptanalysis and residual complexity calculation for cryptography based on error-correcting codes. These tools will need to take into account information (“hints”) obtained from a physical attack. A second part of the thesis will be to study the impact that this type of tool can have on the design of countermeasures.

University / doctoral school

Sciences et Ingénierie des Systèmes, Mathématiques, Informatique (SISMI)
Limoges

Thesis topic location

Site

Grenoble

Requester

Position start date

01/06/2026

Person to be contacted by the applicant

LOISEAU Antoine antoine.loiseau@cea.fr
CEA
DRT/DSYS/SSSEC/LSCO
Bat 40.22
CEA Grenoble,
17 Avenue des Martyrs, 38000 Grenoble
0438783105

Tutor / Responsible thesis director

GABORIT Philippe gaborit@unilim.fr
Université de Limoges
XLIM
33 rue François Mitterrand
BP 23204
87032 Limoges - France

En savoir plus


http://www.leti-cea.fr/cea-tech/leti/Pages/recherche-appliquee/infrastructures-de-recherche/plateforme-cybersecurite.aspx