The proposed project belongs to the area of mathematical methods for information processing, and it includes research activities in the following two directions of a well known importance for the information technologies: cryptographic methods for the information security, and the methods for modelling of information (mathematical methods for the information representation and certain methods for the digital processing). The considered methods for cryptographic security include methods for cryptanalysis and constructions of certain cryptographic primitives. The considered methods for the information modelling include methods for the representation and source coding of the image and speech signals, as well as modelling of certain complex systems.
Research activities related to cryptographic security of the information include the following topics:
Accordingly, the proposed project include research activities towards cryptographic primitives for the secrecy, integrity and authenticity, with a special focus towards the methods for cryptanalysis and constructions of cryptographic pseudorandom number generators (keystream generators for stream ciphers) based on the elementary finite state machines (linear feedback shift registers, cellular automata and similar structures) and nonlinear functions including the time-varying ones.
Research activities related to the information modelling include the following topics.
Images:
Speech:
Discrete-time and time-varying linear systems:
Complex systems:
The project scope addresses and combines the following two aspects of developing the security and efficiency for the information technologies: analysis and constructions of the cryptographic primitives, and modeling of the information processes.
Originality of the proposed research is a direct consequence of the fact that the project goals are advanced and novel methods for the cryptographic security and modeling of information.
The main research goals include developing of the improved and novel methods for:
The research activities motivated by the information security are among the "hot topics" related to the information technologies. Cryptographic methods are a basis for developing the security, and modeling of information is a basis for the information processing. Wide spread of Internet, multimedia and e-commerce are a stimulating framework for further research activities within the scopes cryptographic security and modeling of information. World-wide research activity on the proposed project track can be observed by a huge number of the achievements reported as the papers in the leading international scientific publications.
An illustration of the current research activities related to the cryptographic methods are NESSIE project (New European Scheme for Signature Integrity and Encryption) of the Program for Information Technologies of European Commission for the years 2000-2002, and a corresponding CRYPTREC Project in Japan. Both of the project follows the interest demonstrated by recently finished AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) project organized by NIST, USA. Also, an interesting illustration of the proposed project scope attractivity is a fact that the projects related to cryptographic methods and methods for information modeling were and are within the research topics of NSA, USA.
Finally, we point out that a large number of still open problems show a possibility for achieving the results of an international interest within the research framework of the proposed project. Particularly, according to our best knowledge, all the goals of the proposed project are still open problems of an international interest.
Research projects in the area of mathematical methods for information processing have more than ten years long domestic tradition. Mainly these research activities were coordinated by Mathematical Institute of Serbian Academy of Science and Arts, and a number of the involved researchers have achieved the internationally recognized results according to the published papers and theirs citation in the international publications. The proposed project originates from the realized research projects where more than 50 papers has been published in the following high quality international publications: IEEE Trans. Inform. Theory, IEEE Trans. Com., IEEE Trans. Pattern Anal. and Mac. Intel., IEEE Trans. Signal Process., IEICE Trans. Fundamentals, Lect. Not. in Comput. Sci, Jour. of Crypt., Electron. Lett., IEE Proc., Signal Process., Inform. Process. Letters and SIAM Jour. Discrete Math. Also, the published results have reached more than 200 citations in the international publications. The proposed project also joint all the researchers who are authors of the mentioned high quality papers.
Planned project results that may have applicability in other scientific fields as scientific base for new technologies (products, processes or services) include the following: (a) methods for analysis and constructions of the cryptographic primitives; (b)methods for the image and speech modeling; (c) methods for modeling of virtual training-education and consulting systems. Main area of the applications are the information technologies and related products and services.
The planned results related to the methods for analysis and constructions of the cryptographic primitives includes analysis and constructions of cryptographic pseudorandom number generators and other cryptographic primitives are of applicable interest for developing improved and novel technologies, products and services of the information security. As the additional illustration we point out these results can be a base for developing of the following products: products for data secrecy protection in digital communications; secrecy and authenticity of e-mail; secrecy of hard-discs and files; systems for e-commerce; secrecy and authenticity of medical records.
The planned results related to the methods for the image and speech modeling could be of applicable interest for developing improved and novel technologies and products for transmission and storage of the information in multimedia systems when minimization of the employed capacities is required as well as the security.
The planned results related to the methods for modeling of virtual training-education and consulting systems could be of applicable interest for developing improved and novel technologies and products for the virtual systems.
Possible users who could carry out further development of the results include: software vendors and institutions for development of special telecommunication equipments.
Planned project results that may have direct applicability in other fields (manufacturing, services, ...) mainly includes cryptographic algorithms and methods. Main area of the applications are the information technologies and related products and services.
Accordingly, the following are products and services in the field of information security which may have direct employment of the project results:
Certain algorithms and methods for the modeling of image and speech could be employed for the software development which perform data compression of the image and speech signals. These algorithms could be employed in systems for secure image and speech transmission and storage.
Possible users who could carry out further development of the results related to the cryptographic methods include: software vendors and institutions for development of telecommunication equipments.