Computing discrete logarithms in the Jacobian of high-genus hyperelliptic curves over even characteristic finite fields
M. D. Velichka, Michael J. Jacobson, Andreas Stein · Mathematics of Computation · 2013
We describe improved versions of index-calculus algorithms for solving discrete logarithm problems in Jacobians of high-genus hyperelliptic curves defined over even characteristic fields. Our first improvement is to incorporate several ideas for the low-genus case by Gaudry and Thériault, including the large prime variant and using a smaller factor base, into the large-genus algorithm of Enge and Gaudry. We extend the analysis in a 2001 paper by Jacobson, Menzes, and Stein to our new algorithm, allowing us to predict accurately the number of random walk steps required to find all relations, and to select optimal degree bounds for the factor base. Our second improvement is the adaptation of sieving techniques from Flassenberg and Paulus, and Jacobson to our setting. The new algorithms are applied to concrete problem instances arising from the Weil descent attack methodology for solving the elliptic curve discrete logarithm problem, demonstrating significant improvements in practice.