Taming the Adversary

Abstract. While there is a great deal of sophistication in modern cryptology, simple (and simplistic) explanations of cryptography remain useful and perhaps necessary. Many of the explanations are informal; others are embodied in formal methods, particularly in formal methods for the analysis of security protocols. This note (intended to accompany a talk at the Crypto 2000 conference) describes some of those explanations. It focuses on simple models of attacks, pointing to partial justifications of these models. 1 Polite Adversaries Some of the simplest explanations of cryptography rely on analogies with physical objects, such as safes, locks, and sealed envelopes. These explanations are certainly simplistic. Nevertheless, and in spite of the sophistication of modern cryptology, these and other simplifications can be helpful when used appropriately. lifications range from informal metaphors to rigorous abstract models, and include frequent omissions of detail and conceptual conflat...

• Type: Conference
• Year: 2000
• Where: CRYPTO
• Authors: Martín Abadi
• Keywords: CRYPTO 2000, Cryptology, Formal Methods, Modern Cryptology, Security Protocols