A Pseudo DNA Cryptography Method (0903.2693v1)

Abstract: The DNA cryptography is a new and very promising direction in cryptography research. DNA can be used in cryptography for storing and transmitting the information, as well as for computation. Although in its primitive stage, DNA cryptography is shown to be very effective. Currently, several DNA computing algorithms are proposed for quite some cryptography, cryptanalysis and steganography problems, and they are very powerful in these areas. However, the use of the DNA as a means of cryptography has high tech lab requirements and computational limitations, as well as the labor intensive extrapolation means so far. These make the efficient use of DNA cryptography difficult in the security world now. Therefore, more theoretical analysis should be performed before its real applications. In this project, We do not intended to utilize real DNA to perform the cryptography process; rather, We will introduce a new cryptography method based on central dogma of molecular biology. Since this method simulates some critical processes in central dogma, it is a pseudo DNA cryptography method. The theoretical analysis and experiments show this method to be efficient in computation, storage and transmission; and it is very powerful against certain attacks. Thus, this method can be of many uses in cryptography, such as an enhancement insecurity and speed to the other cryptography methods. There are also extensions and variations to this method, which have enhanced security, effectiveness and applicability.

• The paper introduces a novel encryption scheme inspired by molecular biology's central dogma, simulating transcription, splicing, and translation.
• The method efficiently converts binary messages into DNA-like sequences, achieving linear-time performance and compact ciphertext.
• The approach offers resistance to brute force attacks while noting challenges such as partial data leakage and vulnerability to differential analysis.

An Overview of Pseudo DNA Cryptography

The paper presents a novel cryptographic approach termed "pseudo DNA cryptography," leveraging the central dogma of molecular biology as a theoretical framework. Unlike traditional DNA cryptography, which requires intricate laboratory setups, this method utilizes the conceptual mechanisms of transcription, splicing, and translation. The primary motivation is to circumvent the practical limitations of DNA-based encryption by simulating its processes, thereby offering a potentially effective computational method without needing real DNA sequences.

Theoretical Framework

The proposed method draws analogies from the central dogma of molecular biology, which elucidates the flow of genetic information from DNA to RNA to protein. In this pseudo DNA cryptography model, a binary message is first transformed into a DNA-like format, where sequences of bits are represented using nucleotides. The encryption process mimics biological transcription and translation, where non-coding intronic regions are removed, and the remaining sequences are translated to an amino acid-like structure to serve as the cipher text.

Methodology and Key Features

The paper outlines a detailed cryptographic scheme consisting of several stages akin to biological processes. The sender, Alice, discovers and excises 'introns'—partial segments represented in the binary information—utilizing specific starting and pattern codes. This results in a spliced mRNA-like representation, which undergoes further transformation into an amino acid-like sequence—acting as the encrypted message. The receiver, Bob, uses cryptographic keys encompassing intron-related codes and genetically inspired codon-amino acid mappings to decrypt and retrieve the original message structure.

Strengths of the method include:

• Efficient encryption and decryption with linear time complexity (O(n)) for both participants.
• Reduced data transmission size due to a compact cipher text format.
• Potential resistance to brute force attacks given the significant computational complexity introduced by layered encoding and substitution processes.

Challenges and Improvements

While the method demonstrates computational efficiency and resistance to certain attacks, it also exhibits vulnerabilities:

1. Partial Information Leakage: The method inherently discloses some information through its ciphertext. Multiple encryption rounds are proposed as a remedy, yet empirical verification is necessary.
2. Susceptibility to Differential Attacks: Given enough plaintext samples and computational resources, an attacker could employ differential analysis to infer certain keys.
3. Security vs. Complexity Trade-off: The more complex the cryptographic keys, the more involved the decryption process, potentially hindering usability.

Experimental Insights

Experimental results validate the method's computational efficiency and robustness across varied plaintexts:

• Storage efficiency is evidenced by ciphertext requiring less space compared to its plaintext equivalent.
• The processes demonstrate scalability, capable of handling data sizes ranging from 10 to 100,000 characters with manageable computation times.

Implications and Future Directions

The pseudo DNA cryptography method, though in its nascent stages, introduces intriguing prospects for cryptographic applications. Its integration as an enhancement to existing cryptographic frameworks could bolster algorithmic robustness against brute-force decryption attempts.

Potential future work includes:

• Refinement in key management and representation to diminish decryption complexity.
• Exploration of hardware implementations to capitalize on the simplistic computational foundations and potentially enable faster executions.
• Adapting the method for ancillary applications such as message authentication and image steganography, leveraging its framework for broader use-cases.

The paper sets a precedent for using biologically inspired principles within the cryptographic domain, advocating for further exploration of pseudo-biological methods to enhance information security and safeguard against evolving computational threats.