Security analysis of linearly filtered NLFSRs

Non-linear feedback shift register (NLFSR) ciphers are cryptographic tools of choice of the industry especially for mobile communication. Their attractive feature is a high efficiency when implemented in hardware or software. However, the main problem of NLFSR ciphers is that their security is still not well investigated. The paper makes a progress in the study of the security of NLFSR ciphers. In particular, we show a distinguishing attack on linearly filtered NLFSR (or LF-NLFSR) ciphers. We extend the attack to a linear combination of LF-NLFSRs. We investigate the security of a modified version of the Grain stream cipher and show its vulnerability to both key recovery and distinguishing attacks.

Security evaluation of Rakaposhi Stream Cipher

Rakaposhi is a synchronous stream cipher, which uses three main components: a non-linear feedback shift register (NLFSR), a dynamic linear feedback shift register (DLFSR) and a non-linear filtering function (NLF). NLFSR consists of 128 bits and is initialised by the secret key K. DLFSR holds 192 bits and is initialised by an initial vector (IV). NLF takes 8-bit inputs and returns a single output bit. The work identifies weaknesses and properties of the cipher. The main observation is that the initialisation procedure has the so-called sliding property. The property can be used to launch distinguishing and key recovery attacks. The distinguisher needs four observations of the related (K,IV) pairs. The key recovery algorithm allows to discover the secret key K after observing 29 pairs of (K,IV). Based on the proposed related-key attack, the number of related (K,IV) pairs is 2(128 + 192)/4 pairs. Further the cipher is studied when the registers enter short cycles. When NLFSR is set to all ones, then the cipher degenerates to a linear feedback shift register with a non-linear filter. Consequently, the initial state (and Secret Key and IV) can be recovered with complexity 263.87. If DLFSR is set to all zeros, then NLF reduces to a low non-linearity filter function. As the result, the cipher is insecure allowing the adversary to distinguish it from a random cipher after 217 observations of keystream bits. There is also the key recovery algorithm that allows to find the secret key with complexity 2 54.

Crossword puzzle attack on NLS

NLS is one of the stream ciphers submitted to the eSTREAM project. We present a distinguishing attack on NLS by Crossword Puzzle (CP) attack method which is introduced in this paper. We build the distinguisher by using linear approximations of both the non-linear feedback shift register (NFSR) and the nonlinear filter function (NLF). Since the bias of the distinguisher depends on the Konst value, which is a key-dependent word, we present the graph showing how the bias of distinguisher vary with Konst. In result, we estimate the bias of the distinguisher to be around O(2^−30). Therefore, we claim that NLS is distinguishable from truly random cipher after observing O(2^60) keystream words. The experiments also show that our distinguishing attack is successful on 90.3% of Konst among 2^32 possible values. We extend the CP attack to NLSv2 which is a tweaked version of NLS. In result, we build a distinguisher which has the bias of around 2− 48. Even though this attack is below the eSTREAM criteria (2^−40), the security margin of NLSv2 seems to be too low.

Cross-correlation-aided transport in stochastically driven accretion flows

The origin of linear instability resulting in rotating sheared accretion flows has remained a controversial subject for a long time. While some explanations of such non-normal transient growth of disturbances in the Rayleigh stable limit were available for magnetized accretion flows, similar instabilities in the absence of magnetic perturbations remained unexplained. This dichotomy was resolved in two recent publications by Chattopadhyay and co-workers Mukhopadhyay and Chattopadhyay, J. Phys. A 46, 035501 (2013); Nath et al., Phys. Rev. E 88, 013010 (2013)] where it was shown that such instabilities, especially for nonmagnetized accretion flows, were introduced through interaction of the inherent stochastic noise in the system (even a ``cold'' accretion flow at 3000Kis too ``hot'' in the statistical parlance and is capable of inducing strong thermal modes) with the underlying Taylor-Couette flow profiles. Both studies, however, excluded the additional energy influx (or efflux) that could result from nonzero cross correlation of a noise perturbing the velocity flow, say, with the noise that is driving the vorticity flow (or equivalently the magnetic field and magnetic vorticity flow dynamics). Through the introduction of such a time symmetry violating effect, in this article we show that nonzero noise cross correlations essentially renormalize the strength of temporal correlations. Apart from an overall boost in the energy rate (both for spatial and temporal correlations, and hence in the ensemble averaged energy spectra), this results in mutual competition in growth rates of affected variables often resulting in suppression of oscillating Alfven waves at small times while leading to faster saturations at relatively longer time scales. The effects are seen to be more pronounced with magnetic field fluxes where the noise cross correlation magnifies the strength of the field concerned. Another remarkable feature noted specifically for the autocorrelation functions is the removal of energy degeneracy in the temporal profiles of fast growing non-normal modes leading to faster saturation with minimum oscillations. These results, including those presented in the previous two publications, now convincingly explain subcritical transition to turbulence in the linear limit for all possible situations that could now serve as the benchmark for nonlinear stability studies in Keplerian accretion disks.

Fluorescence cross-correlation spectroscopy to study hemodynamics

[EN] In the recent years a series of optical correlation techniques have been developed in order to be able to measure flow velocity with high spatial resolution while being non-invasive in order to be employed in-vivo on biological organisms. The technique employed in my thesis work, scanning laser image correlation (SLIC), is a powerful approach for the detection of flow motions because it overcomes some limitations of the classical spectroscopy techniques. SLIC method consists in repeated laser scans over a linear pattern and on the cross correlation of the signal emitted by the excited fluorophores in different positions along the scan line. Therefore, the resulting measurements for flow velocity are really accurate.

Cross-correlation-aided transport in stochastically driven accretion flows

The origin of linear instability resulting in rotating sheared accretion flows has remained a controversial subject for a long time. While some explanations of such non-normal transient growth of disturbances in the Rayleigh stable limit were available for magnetized accretion flows, similar instabilities in the absence of magnetic perturbations remained unexplained. This dichotomy was resolved in two recent publications by Chattopadhyay and co-workers [Mukhopadhyay and Chattopadhyay, J. Phys. A 46, 035501 (2013)1751-811310.1088/1751-8113/46/3/035501; Nath, Phys. Rev. E 88, 013010 (2013)PLEEE81539-375510.1103/PhysRevE.88.013010] where it was shown that such instabilities, especially for nonmagnetized accretion flows, were introduced through interaction of the inherent stochastic noise in the system (even a "cold" accretion flow at 3000 K is too "hot" in the statistical parlance and is capable of inducing strong thermal modes) with the underlying Taylor-Couette flow profiles. Both studies, however, excluded the additional energy influx (or efflux) that could result from nonzero cross correlation of a noise perturbing the velocity flow, say, with the noise that is driving the vorticity flow (or equivalently the magnetic field and magnetic vorticity flow dynamics). Through the introduction of such a time symmetry violating effect, in this article we show that nonzero noise cross correlations essentially renormalize the strength of temporal correlations. Apart from an overall boost in the energy rate (both for spatial and temporal correlations, and hence in the ensemble averaged energy spectra), this results in mutual competition in growth rates of affected variables often resulting in suppression of oscillating Alfven waves at small times while leading to faster saturations at relatively longer time scales. The effects are seen to be more pronounced with magnetic field fluxes where the noise cross correlation magnifies the strength of the field concerned. Another remarkable feature noted specifically for the autocorrelation functions is the removal of energy degeneracy in the temporal profiles of fast growing non-normal modes leading to faster saturation with minimum oscillations. These results, including those presented in the previous two publications, now convincingly explain subcritical transition to turbulence in the linear limit for all possible situations that could now serve as the benchmark for nonlinear stability studies in Keplerian accretion disks.

Testing of Interposer-Based 2.5D Integrated Circuits

The unprecedented and relentless growth in the electronics industry is feeding the demand for integrated circuits (ICs) with increasing functionality and performance at minimum cost and power consumption. As predicted by Moore's law, ICs are being aggressively scaled to meet this demand. While the continuous scaling of process technology is reducing gate delays, the performance of ICs is being increasingly dominated by interconnect delays. In an effort to improve submicrometer interconnect performance, to increase packing density, and to reduce chip area and power consumption, the semiconductor industry is focusing on three-dimensional (3D) integration. However, volume production and commercial exploitation of 3D integration are not feasible yet due to significant technical hurdles.

At the present time, interposer-based 2.5D integration is emerging as a precursor to stacked 3D integration. All the dies and the interposer in a 2.5D IC must be adequately tested for product qualification. However, since the structure of 2.5D ICs is different from the traditional 2D ICs, new challenges have emerged: (1) pre-bond interposer testing, (2) lack of test access, (3) limited ability for at-speed testing, (4) high density I/O ports and interconnects, (5) reduced number of test pins, and (6) high power consumption. This research targets the above challenges and effective solutions have been developed to test both dies and the interposer.

The dissertation first introduces the basic concepts of 3D ICs and 2.5D ICs. Prior work on testing of 2.5D ICs is studied. An efficient method is presented to locate defects in a passive interposer before stacking. The proposed test architecture uses e-fuses that can be programmed to connect or disconnect functional paths inside the interposer. The concept of a die footprint is utilized for interconnect testing, and the overall assembly and test flow is described. Moreover, the concept of weighted critical area is defined and utilized to reduce test time. In order to fully determine the location of each e-fuse and the order of functional interconnects in a test path, we also present a test-path design algorithm. The proposed algorithm can generate all test paths for interconnect testing.

In order to test for opens, shorts, and interconnect delay defects in the interposer, a test architecture is proposed that is fully compatible with the IEEE 1149.1 standard and relies on an enhancement of the standard test access port (TAP) controller. To reduce test cost, a test-path design and scheduling technique is also presented that minimizes a composite cost function based on test time and the design-for-test (DfT) overhead in terms of additional through silicon vias (TSVs) and micro-bumps needed for test access. The locations of the dies on the interposer are taken into consideration in order to determine the order of dies in a test path.

To address the scenario of high density of I/O ports and interconnects, an efficient built-in self-test (BIST) technique is presented that targets the dies and the interposer interconnects. The proposed BIST architecture can be enabled by the standard TAP controller in the IEEE 1149.1 standard. The area overhead introduced by this BIST architecture is negligible; it includes two simple BIST controllers, a linear-feedback-shift-register (LFSR), a multiple-input-signature-register (MISR), and some extensions to the boundary-scan cells in the dies on the interposer. With these extensions, all boundary-scan cells can be used for self-configuration and self-diagnosis during interconnect testing. To reduce the overall test cost, a test scheduling and optimization technique under power constraints is described.

In order to accomplish testing with a small number test pins, the dissertation presents two efficient ExTest scheduling strategies that implements interconnect testing between tiles inside an system on chip (SoC) die on the interposer while satisfying the practical constraint that the number of required test pins cannot exceed the number of available pins at the chip level. The tiles in the SoC are divided into groups based on the manner in which they are interconnected. In order to minimize the test time, two optimization solutions are introduced. The first solution minimizes the number of input test pins, and the second solution minimizes the number output test pins. In addition, two subgroup configuration methods are further proposed to generate subgroups inside each test group.

Finally, the dissertation presents a programmable method for shift-clock stagger assignment to reduce power supply noise during SoC die testing in 2.5D ICs. An SoC die in the 2.5D IC is typically composed of several blocks and two neighboring blocks that share the same power rails should not be toggled at the same time during shift. Therefore, the proposed programmable method does not assign the same stagger value to neighboring blocks. The positions of all blocks are first analyzed and the shared boundary length between blocks is then calculated. Based on the position relationships between the blocks, a mathematical model is presented to derive optimal result for small-to-medium sized problems. For larger designs, a heuristic algorithm is proposed and evaluated.

In summary, the dissertation targets important design and optimization problems related to testing of interposer-based 2.5D ICs. The proposed research has led to theoretical insights, experiment results, and a set of test and design-for-test methods to make testing effective and feasible from a cost perspective.

Dipolar cross-correlation effects in the nuclear overhauser experiments of weakly and strongly coupled spins

The effect of dipolar cross correlation in 1H---1H nuclear Overhauser effect experiments is investigated by detailed calculation in an ABX spin system. It is found that in weakly coupled spin systems, the cross-correlation effects are limited to single-quantum transition probabilities and decrease in magnitude as ωτc increases. Strong coupling, however, mixes the states and the cross correlations affect the zero-quantum and double-quantum transition probabilities as well. The effect of cross correlation in steady-state and transient NOE experiments is studied as a function of strong coupling and ωτc. The results for steady-state NOE experiments are calculated analytically and those for transient NOE experiments are calculated numerically. The NOE values for the A and B spins have been calculated by assuming nonselective perturbation of all the transitions of the X spin. A significant effect of cross correlation is found in transient NOE experiments of weakly as well as strongly coupled spins when the multiplets are resolved. Cross correlation manifests itself largely as a multiplet effect in the transient NOE of weakly coupled spins for nonselective perturbation of all X transitions. This effect disappears for a measuring pulse of 90° or when the multiplets are not resolved. For steady-state experiments, the effect of cross correlation is analytically zero for weakly coupled spins and small for strongly coupled spins.

Influence of cross-correlation between dipolar and chemical shift anisotropy relaxation mechanisms upon the transverse relaxation rates of 15N in macromolecules

Heteronuclear multiple-quantum coherence relaxation rate are calculated for the individual transitions of the S spin in an AIS nuclear spin system assuming that the heteronucleus (S spin) has relaxation contributions from both intramolecular dipole-dipole and chemical shift anisotropy relaxation. The individual multiplet components of the heteronuclear zero- and double-quantum coherences are shown to have different transverse relaxation rates. The cross-correlation between the two relaxation mechanisms is shown to be the dominant cause of the calculated differential line broadening. Experimental data are presented using as an example a uniformly 15N labelled sample of human epidermal growth factor.

Cross-correlation of excitation functions for different fragments and different scattering angles in Al-27(F-19, x)y reactions

Excitation functions have been measured for different projectile-like fragments produced in Al-27(F-19,x)y reactions at incident energies from 110.25 to 118.75 MeV in 250 keV steps. Strong cross section fluctuations of the excitation functions are observed. The cross- correlation coefficients of the excitation functions for different atomic number Z and for different scattering angle theta(cm) have been deduced. These coefficients are much larger than the statistical theoretical calculated ones. This indicates that there are strong correlations between different exit channels in the dissipative heavy ion Collision of Al-27(F-19,x)y.

Cross-correlation between WMAP and 2MASS: non-Gaussianity induced by the SZ effect

We study the non-Gaussianity induced by the Sunyaev-Zel'dovich (SZ) effect in cosmic microwave background (CMB) fluctuation maps. If a CMB map is contaminated by the SZ effect of galaxies or galaxy clusters, the CMB maps should have similar non-Gaussian features to the galaxy and cluster fields. Using the WMAP data and 2MASS galaxy catalogue, we show that the non-Gaussianity of the 2MASS galaxies is imprinted on WMAP maps. The signature of non-Gaussianity can be seen with the fourth-order cross-correlation between the wavelet variables of the WMAP maps and 2MASS clusters. The intensity of the fourth-order non-Gaussian features is found to be consistent with the contamination of the SZ effect of 2MASS galaxies. We also show that this non-Gaussianity can not be seen by the high-order autocorrelation of the WMAP. This is because the SZ signals in the autocorrelations of the WMAP data generally are weaker than the WMAP-2MASS cross-correlations by a factor f(2), which is the ratio between the powers of the SZ-effect map and the CMB fluctuations on the scale considered. Therefore, the ratio of high-order autocorrelations of CMB maps to cross-correlations of the CMB maps and galaxy field would be effective to constrain the powers of the SZ effect on various scales.

Cross-correlation frequency resolved optical gating analysis of broadband continuum generation in photonic crystal fiber: Simulations and experiments

Numerical simulations are used to study the temporal and spectral characteristics of broadband supercontinua generated in photonic crystal fiber. In particular, the simulations are used to follow the evolution with propagation distance of the temporal intensity, the spectrum, and the cross-correlation frequency resolved optical gating (XFROG) trace. The simulations allow several important physical processes responsible for supercontinuum generation to be identified and, moreover, illustrate how the XFROG trace provides an intuitive means of interpreting correlated temporal and spectral features of the supercontinuum. Good qualitative agreement with preliminary XFROG measurements is observed. © 2002 Optical Society of America.

Solid phase velocity measurements utilising electrostatic sensors and cross correlation signal processing

Gas-solids two phase systems are widely employed within process plant in the form of pneumatic conveyors, dust extraction systems and solid fuel injection systems. The measurement of solids phase velocity therefore has wide potential application in flow monitoring and, in conjunction with density measurement instrumentation, solids mass flow rate measurement. Historically, a number of authors have detailed possible measurement techniques, and some have published limited test results. It is, however, apparent that none of these technologies have found wide application in industry. Solids phase velocity measurements were undertaken using real time cross correlation of signals from two electrostatic sensors spaced axially along a pipeline conveying pulverised coal (PF). Details of the measurement equipment, the pilot scale test rig and the test results are presented.