Stream cipher based on quasigroup string transformations in $Z_p^*$

Abstract

In this paper we design a stream cipher that uses the algebraic structure of the multiplicative group $\bbbz_p^*$ (where p is a big prime number used in ElGamal algorithm), by defining a quasigroup of order $p-1$ and by doing quasigroup string transformations. The cryptographical strength of the proposed stream cipher is based on the fact that breaking it would be at least as hard as solving systems of multivariate polynomial equations modulo big prime number $p$ which is NP-hard problem and there are no known fast randomized or deterministic algorithms for solving it. Unlikely the speed of known ciphers that work in $\bbbz_p^*$ for big prime numbers $p$, the speed of this stream cipher both in encryption and decryption phase is comparable with the fastest symmetric-key stream ciphers.