We study the nonlinearity of the exponential Welch Costas functions, using the Fourier transform on Z _m. These functions have been proposed for use in nonbinary cryptosystems. High nonlinearity is required to ensure resistance to linear cryptanalysis. We prove some properties of the nonlinearity of these functions, and we suggest a plausible connection of the nonlinearity to the class number of a quadratic field.

Output sequences of the cryptographic pseudo-random number generator, known as the generalized self-shrinking generator, are obtained self-decimating Pseudo-Noise (PN)-sequences with shifted versions of themselves. In this paper, we present three different representations of this family of sequences. Two of them, the p and G-representations, are based on the parameters p and G corresponding to shifts and binary vectors, respectively, used to compute the shifted versions of the original PN-sequence. In addition, such sequences can be also computed as the binary sum of diagonals of the Sierpinski’s triangle. This is called the B-representation. Characteristics and generalities of the three representations are analyzed in detail. Under such representations, we determine some properties of these cryptographic sequences. Furthermore, these sequences form a family that has a group structure with the bit-wise XOR operation.

In cryptography, the property of randomness in pseudo-random generators is very important to avoid any pattern in output sequences, to provide security against attacks, privacy and anonymity. In this article, the randomness of the family of sequences obtained from the generalized self-shrinking generator is analyzed. Moreover, the characteristics, generalities and relationship between the t-modified self-shrinking generator and the generalized self-shrinking generator are presented. We find that the t-modified self-shrunken sequences can be generated from a generalized self-shrinking generator. Then, an in-depth analysis of randomness focused on the generalized sequences by means of complete and powerful batteries of statistical tests and graphical tools is done, providing a useful vision of the behaviour of these sequences and proving that they are suitable to be used in cryptography.

Binary sequences are algebraic structures currently used as security elements in Internet of Things devices, sensor networks, e-commerce, and cryptography. In this work, a contribution to the evaluation of such sequences is introduced. In fact, we present a novel algorithm to compute a fundamental parameter for this kind of structure: the linear complexity, which is related to the predictability (or non-predictability) of the binary sequences. Our algorithm reduced the computation of the linear complexity to just the addition modulo two (XOR logic operation) of distinct terms of the sequence. The performance of this procedure was better than that of other algorithms found in the literature. In addition, the amount of required sequence to perform this computation was more realistic than in the rest of the algorithms analysed. Tables, figures, and numerical results complete the work.

The output sequence of the shrinking generator can be considered as an interleaving of determined shifted versions of a single PN -sequence. In this paper, we present a study of the interleaving of a PN-sequence and shifted versions of itself. We analyze some important cryptographic properties as the period and the linear complexity in terms of the shifts. Furthermore, we determine the total number of the interleaving sequences that achieve each possible value of the linear complexity.