Array-Based Statistical Analysis of the MK-3 Authenticated Encryption Scheme

Authenticated encryption (AE) schemes are symmetric key cryptographic methods that support confidentiality, integrity and source authentication. There are many AE algorithms in existence today, in part thanks to the CAESAR competition for authenticated encryption, which is in its final stage. In our previous work we introduced a novel AE algorithm MK-3 (not part of the CAESAR competition), which is based on the duplex sponge construction and it is using novel large 16×16 AES-like S-boxes. Unlike most AE schemes, MK-3 scheme provides additional customization features for users who desire unique solutions. This makes it well suited for government and military applications. In this paper, we develop a new array-based statistical analysis approach to evaluate randomness of cryptographic primitives and show its effectiveness in the analysis of MK-3. One of the strengths of this method is that it focuses on the randomness of cryptographic primitive function rather than only on the randomness of the output.