Secret Cryptographic Key Sharing Through the Integer Partition Function

Secret key exchange is a necessary function for modern cryptography. The integer partition function is a mathematical function that arises from number theory. New methods for computing the integer partition function were developed and evaluated in the context of this paper, as well as new methods for using the integer partition function in a secret key exchange. The methods were categorized into single-variable and multiple-variable methods. The single-variable methods were found to be insecure. The multiple-variable methods were shown to be vulnerable to attacks that solve a linear system. These methods were implemented in microcontrollers using the C++ programming language. Experiments were conducted to evaluate the security of the developed methods in a wireless key exchange scenario. It was concluded that the security provided by the key exchange of the developed methods was low.