Algebraic Methods in Design and Analysis of Stream Ciphers. The project investigates the problem of communication security in the mobile environment where both confidentiality and authenticity are of prime concern. Stream ciphers are a very natural choice in mobile environment as they provide an efficient cryptographic protection using a limited computing resources. We model stream cipher as a system of multivariate equations. In this approach, security of stream ciphers can be measured as the c ....Algebraic Methods in Design and Analysis of Stream Ciphers. The project investigates the problem of communication security in the mobile environment where both confidentiality and authenticity are of prime concern. Stream ciphers are a very natural choice in mobile environment as they provide an efficient cryptographic protection using a limited computing resources. We model stream cipher as a system of multivariate equations. In this approach, security of stream ciphers can be measured as the complexity of an algorithm that solves the appropriate system of equations. This project leads to new techniques for the design and analysis of stream ciphers.Read moreRead less
Algebraic Models of Stream Ciphers. The project investigates communication security in the mobile environment where both confidentiality and authenticity are of a prime concern. Stream ciphers are a natural choice in mobile environments as they provide an efficient cryptographic protection using a limited computing resources. We treat stream ciphers as algebraic objects whose properties fully determine their cryptographic strength. We first analyse existing stream ciphers showing their algebraic ....Algebraic Models of Stream Ciphers. The project investigates communication security in the mobile environment where both confidentiality and authenticity are of a prime concern. Stream ciphers are a natural choice in mobile environments as they provide an efficient cryptographic protection using a limited computing resources. We treat stream ciphers as algebraic objects whose properties fully determine their cryptographic strength. We first analyse existing stream ciphers showing their algebraic properties and later we derive a design methodology for provably secure stream ciphers. The project leads to new secure and efficient designs for stream ciphers that are the preferred cryptographic tools used in Australian industry.Read moreRead less
Algebraic Analysis of Cryptosystems. This project studies an (new) algebraic approach to cryptanalysis of modern block ciphers. The approach works for all cryptosystems that use either small S-boxes, or their algebraic structure can be described by a system of overdefined quadratic equations. The cryptosystems that are potentially breakable using this approach are Rijndael and Serpent - the two top finalists of the Advanced Encryption Standard contest. The project also explores how this approach ....Algebraic Analysis of Cryptosystems. This project studies an (new) algebraic approach to cryptanalysis of modern block ciphers. The approach works for all cryptosystems that use either small S-boxes, or their algebraic structure can be described by a system of overdefined quadratic equations. The cryptosystems that are potentially breakable using this approach are Rijndael and Serpent - the two top finalists of the Advanced Encryption Standard contest. The project also explores how this approach can be applied to design new and more powerful factoring algorithms. The project has an explosive potential to redefine the theory and practice of modern cryptography.Read moreRead less
Use of Interval Arithmetic and GRID Computing in Computational Molecular Science: Bounding Errors and Locating Global Minima. Catastrophic failure of the Ariane 5 rocket in 1996 and the inability of Patriot missile systems to reach their targets during the 1991 Gulf war were both attributed to numerical computing errors. Less dramatic, but in a similar vein, this project aims to study the numerical stability of contemporary computational molecular science applications. The focus will be on linea ....Use of Interval Arithmetic and GRID Computing in Computational Molecular Science: Bounding Errors and Locating Global Minima. Catastrophic failure of the Ariane 5 rocket in 1996 and the inability of Patriot missile systems to reach their targets during the 1991 Gulf war were both attributed to numerical computing errors. Less dramatic, but in a similar vein, this project aims to study the numerical stability of contemporary computational molecular science applications. The focus will be on linear scaling electronic structure codes, methods that are critical to the study of nano- and bio-materials, and are therefore of great importance to our economic future and medical well being. The project will build expertise within Australia in the area of interval arithmetic, an area that is currently poorly represented.Read moreRead less
Efficient pooling of cross-section and time series data using Bayesian machine learning with two econometric applications. In this project, we adapt a Bayesian modelling strategy, namely the minimum message length principle, to the problem of efficient partitioning of economic units, such as firms or countries, into groups whose behavioural patterns are similar within each group but distinct across groups. This methodology can incorporate the requirements of economic theory. The resulting softwa ....Efficient pooling of cross-section and time series data using Bayesian machine learning with two econometric applications. In this project, we adapt a Bayesian modelling strategy, namely the minimum message length principle, to the problem of efficient partitioning of economic units, such as firms or countries, into groups whose behavioural patterns are similar within each group but distinct across groups. This methodology can incorporate the requirements of economic theory. The resulting software will be developed for the Web. We consider two specific applications, namely modelling gasoline demand in OECD countries, and finding the foreign factor with the most predictive power for the growth rate of the Australian economy. The second application is of considerable national interest.Read moreRead less
Efficient Pre-Processing of Hard Problems: New Approaches, Basic Theory and Applications. Computers store even larger amounts of data about all aspects of human and industrial activity. However, they have not become significantly better at solving common problems in optimization and search. Traditional complexity theory indicates many of these problems require algorithms that are very unlikely to exist. The Parameterized Complexity approach allows us to obtain very efficient algorithms for a lar ....Efficient Pre-Processing of Hard Problems: New Approaches, Basic Theory and Applications. Computers store even larger amounts of data about all aspects of human and industrial activity. However, they have not become significantly better at solving common problems in optimization and search. Traditional complexity theory indicates many of these problems require algorithms that are very unlikely to exist. The Parameterized Complexity approach allows us to obtain very efficient algorithms for a large variety of problems, but the machinery required was diverse and complicated. This research will organize the machinery into a new approach that systematically finds good algorithms by applying simplifications around a parameter of the domain of the problem. As a result, efficient algorithms are obtained for many diverse areas.Read moreRead less
Analysis and classification of malicious code. Malicious software such as viruses and worms directly attacks the security, privacy and integrity of Australian e-commerce, large databases and communication channels. The recent uptake of malicious software by organised crime has made finding effective countermeasures more urgent. Around 80% of the malicious code in circulation is disguised in some way. This significantly increases the difficulty of automated detection and delays analysis. Automate ....Analysis and classification of malicious code. Malicious software such as viruses and worms directly attacks the security, privacy and integrity of Australian e-commerce, large databases and communication channels. The recent uptake of malicious software by organised crime has made finding effective countermeasures more urgent. Around 80% of the malicious code in circulation is disguised in some way. This significantly increases the difficulty of automated detection and delays analysis. Automated classification and de-obfuscation technologies are a precondition to applying more sophisticated detection heuristics. The project will be instrumental in safeguarding Australia by protecting critical infrastructure and defending us from online organised crime and information warfare.Read moreRead less
Algebraic Properties of Cryptographic Components and their Cryptanalysis. The outcomes will enhance information and communication security, which is absolutely crucial for the rapidly growing e-commerce and e-government services in Australia. International collaboration will be strengthened by reciprocal exchange of researchers and postgraduate students leading to more attractive and productive research environment. Our project will help to maintain a high profile of Australian researchers, to i ....Algebraic Properties of Cryptographic Components and their Cryptanalysis. The outcomes will enhance information and communication security, which is absolutely crucial for the rapidly growing e-commerce and e-government services in Australia. International collaboration will be strengthened by reciprocal exchange of researchers and postgraduate students leading to more attractive and productive research environment. Our project will help to maintain a high profile of Australian researchers, to increase the capacity for consultancy and contract work, and provide a cutting-edge information technology for the Australian telecommunications industry, business and government.Read moreRead less
Stochastic Modelling of Genetic Regulatory Networks: Subtitle - Genetic Regulation is a Noisy Business. The completion of the human genome marked the culmination of one hundred years of reductionist science in cell biology. Although further bioinformatics analysis will continue, the focus is shifting towards synthesis and understanding how the regulatory genetic components dynamically interact to form functional phenotypes. The key to this is the understanding of the roles of stochasticity in ....Stochastic Modelling of Genetic Regulatory Networks: Subtitle - Genetic Regulation is a Noisy Business. The completion of the human genome marked the culmination of one hundred years of reductionist science in cell biology. Although further bioinformatics analysis will continue, the focus is shifting towards synthesis and understanding how the regulatory genetic components dynamically interact to form functional phenotypes. The key to this is the understanding of the roles of stochasticity in cellular processes. This project will explore these roles and will develop an integrated complex systems modelling, simulation and visualisation framework. This will be used on an exemplar application for lineage commitment in haematopoiesis and for exploring and validating genetic regulatory models in general.Read moreRead less
New Mobile Interface Techniques for Accessing Desktop Applications from Mobile Devices. The mobile data industry is a multi-billion dollar industry and is growing at a rate of seventeen percent per year. The capability to access data and applications from handheld devices is becoming increasingly vital for businesses and transforming business practices. However, while there are a multitude of software applications available for use on desktop computers these typically can't be used from mobile d ....New Mobile Interface Techniques for Accessing Desktop Applications from Mobile Devices. The mobile data industry is a multi-billion dollar industry and is growing at a rate of seventeen percent per year. The capability to access data and applications from handheld devices is becoming increasingly vital for businesses and transforming business practices. However, while there are a multitude of software applications available for use on desktop computers these typically can't be used from mobile devices due to the small form factor. In this project we will develop new mobile interface techniques and methodologies that will allow unaltered desktop software applications to be used from small-form factor mobile devices, via transforming the application interfaces.Read moreRead less