Combined Data Encryption and Reliability Using McEliece's Public-key Cryptosystem
Mohssen Alabbadi, Stephen B. Wicker · International Symposium on Information Theory and its Applications · 1994
McEliece has proposed a public-key cryptosystem that derives its security from the intractibility of decoding a general linear error-correcting block code. In McEliece's system, a Goppa code is used to correct the errors introduced intentionally by the transmitter. In this paper, we explore a series of modification that also allows the code in McEliece's system to be used for the correction and/or detection of errors caused by noise on the communication channel. A tradeoff is thus established between security and reliability. The performance of the proposed systems is considered for an M-state discrete Markovian channel in which each state is associated with a binary symmetric channel with fixed bit error rate. The Goppa code is used in standard forward error correcting mode, as well as in a type-I hybrid-ARQ protocol and an adaptive hybrid-ARQ protocol. A detailed performance analysis is provided, with specific examples for codes of length 1024 bits.