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Abstract

The present invention is an elliptic curve cryptosystem that uses elliptic curves defined over finite fields comprised of special classes of numbers. Special fast classes of numbers are used to optimize the modulo arithmetic required in the enciphering and deciphering process. The class of numbers used in the present invention is generally described by the form 2.sup.q -C where C is an odd number and is relatively small, for example, no longer than the length of a computer word (16-32 bits). When a number is of this form, modulo arithmetic can be accomplished using shifts and adds only, eliminating the need for costly divisions. One subset of this fast class of numbers is known as 'Mersenne' primes, and are of the form 2.sup.q -1. Another class of numbers that can be used with the present invention are known as 'Fermat' numbers of the form 2.sup.q +1. The present invention system whose level of security is tunable. q acts as an encryption bit depth parameter, such that larger values of q provide increased security. Inversion operations normally require an elliptic curve algebra can be avoided by selecting an inversionless parameterization of the elliptic curve. Fast Fourier transform for an FFT multiply mod operations optimized for efficient Mersenne arithmetic, allow the calculations of very large q to proceed more quickly than with other schemes.

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First Claim