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liboqs

liboqs is an open source C library for quantum-safe cryptographic algorithms.

• Overview
• Status
  • Supported algorithms
  • Limitations and Security
• Quickstart
  • Linux / macOS
  • Windows
  • Others
• Documentation
• Contributing
• License
• Acknowledgements

Overview

liboqs provides:

• a collection of open source implementations of quantum-safe key encapsulation mechanism (KEM) and digital signature algorithms; the full list can be found below
• a common API for these algorithms
• a test harness and benchmarking routines

liboqs is part of the Open Quantum Safe (OQS) project led by Douglas Stebila and Michele Mosca, which aims to develop and integrate into applications quantum-safe cryptography to facilitate deployment and testing in real world contexts. In particular, OQS provides prototype integrations of liboqs into TLS and SSH, through OpenSSL and OpenSSH.

More information on OQS can be found here and in the associated whitepapers.

Status

Supported Algorithms

Key encapsulation mechanisms

• BIKE: BIKE1-L1-CPA, BIKE1-L3-CPA, BIKE1-L1-FO, BIKE1-L3-FO
• FrodoKEM: FrodoKEM-640-AES, FrodoKEM-640-SHAKE, FrodoKEM-976-AES, FrodoKEM-976-SHAKE, FrodoKEM-1344-AES, FrodoKEM-1344-SHAKE
• Kyber: Kyber512, Kyber768, Kyber1024, Kyber512-90s, Kyber768-90s, Kyber1024-90s
• LEDAcrypt: LEDAcryptKEM-LT12, LEDAcryptKEM-LT32, LEDAcryptKEM-LT52
• NewHope: NewHope-512-CCA, NewHope-1024-CCA
• NTRU: NTRU-HPS-2048-509, NTRU-HPS-2048-677, NTRU-HPS-4096-821, NTRU-HRSS-701
• SABER: LightSaber-KEM, Saber-KEM, FireSaber-KEM
• SIKE: SIDH-p434, SIDH-p503, SIDH-p610, SIDH-p751, SIKE-p434, SIKE-p503, SIKE-p610, SIKE-p751, SIDH-p434-compressed, SIDH-p503-compressed, SIDH-p610-compressed, SIDH-p751-compressed, SIKE-p434-compressed, SIKE-p503-compressed, SIKE-p610-compressed, SIKE-p751-compressed
• ThreeBears: BabyBearEphem, BabyBear, MamaBearEphem, MamaBear, PapaBearEphem, PapaBear

Signature schemes

• Dilithium: Dilithium2, Dilithium3, Dilithium4
• MQDSS: MQDSS-31-48, MQDSS-31-64
• Picnic: Picnic-L1-FS, Picnic-L1-UR, Picnic-L3-FS, Picnic-L3-UR, Picnic-L5-FS, Picnic-L5-UR, Picnic2-L1-FS, Picnic2-L3-FS, Picnic2-L5-FS
• qTesla: qTesla-p-I, qTesla-p-III
• SPHINCS+-Haraka: SPHINCS+-Haraka-128f-robust, SPHINCS+-Haraka-128f-simple, SPHINCS+-Haraka-128s-robust, SPHINCS+-Haraka-128s-simple, SPHINCS+-Haraka-192f-robust, SPHINCS+-Haraka-192f-simple, SPHINCS+-Haraka-192s-robust, SPHINCS+-Haraka-192s-simple, SPHINCS+-Haraka-256f-robust, SPHINCS+-Haraka-256f-simple, SPHINCS+-Haraka-256s-robust, SPHINCS+-Haraka-256s-simple
• SPHINCS+-SHA256: SPHINCS+-SHA256-128f-robust, SPHINCS+-SHA256-128f-simple, SPHINCS+-SHA256-128s-robust, SPHINCS+-SHA256-128s-simple, SPHINCS+-SHA256-192f-robust, SPHINCS+-SHA256-192f-simple, SPHINCS+-SHA256-192s-robust, SPHINCS+-SHA256-192s-simple, SPHINCS+-SHA256-256f-robust, SPHINCS+-SHA256-256f-simple, SPHINCS+-SHA256-256s-robust, SPHINCS+-SHA256-256s-simple
• SPHINCS+-SHAKE256: SPHINCS+-SHAKE256-128f-robust, SPHINCS+-SHAKE256-128f-simple, SPHINCS+-SHAKE256-128s-robust, SPHINCS+-SHAKE256-128s-simple, SPHINCS+-SHAKE256-192f-robust, SPHINCS+-SHAKE256-192f-simple, SPHINCS+-SHAKE256-192s-robust, SPHINCS+-SHAKE256-192s-simple, SPHINCS+-SHAKE256-256f-robust, SPHINCS+-SHAKE256-256f-simple, SPHINCS+-SHAKE256-256s-robust, SPHINCS+-SHAKE256-256s-simple

Limitations and Security

As research advances, the supported algorithms may see rapid changes in their security, and may even prove insecure against both classical and quantum computers.

liboqs does not intend to "pick winners": algorithm support is informed by the NIST Post-Quantum Cryptography Standardization project. We strongly recommend that applications and protocols rely on the outcomes of ths effort when deploying post-quantum cryptography.

We realize some parties may want to deploy quantum-safe cryptography prior to the conclusion of the NIST standardization project. We strongly recommend such attempts make use of so-called hybrid cryptography, in which quantum-safe public-key algorithms are used alongside traditional public key algorithms (like RSA or elliptic curves) so that the solution is at least no less secure than existing traditional cryptography.

Quickstart

Linux/macOS

1. Install dependencies:

   On Ubuntu:

     sudo apt install cmake gcc ninja-build libssl-dev python3-pytest python3-pytest-xdist unzip xsltproc doxygen graphviz
   

   On macOS, using a package manager of your choice (we've picked Homebrew):

    brew install cmake ninja [email protected] wget doxygen graphviz
    pip3 install pytest pytest-xdist
   

   Note that, if you want liboqs to use OpenSSL for various symmetric crypto algorithms (AES, SHA-2, etc.) then you must have OpenSSL version 1.1.1 or higher.

2. Get the source:

    git clone -b master https://github.com/open-quantum-safe/liboqs.git
    cd liboqs
   

   and build:

    mkdir build && cd build
    cmake -GNinja ..
    ninja
   

   Various options can be passed to cmake to disable algorithms, use different implementations, specify whether to use OpenSSL, etc.. All supported options are listed in the .CMake/alg-support.cmake file, and can be viewed by running cmake -LAH .. in the build directory`. All subsequent instructions assume we are in this directory.

If the build fails on macOS, you might have to run cmake -GNinja -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE="Debug .." before calling ninja.

3. The main build result is lib/liboqs.a, a static library. There are also a variety of programs built under the tests directory:

   • test_kem: Simple test harness for key encapsulation mechanisms
   • test_sig: Simple test harness for key signature schemes
   • kat_kem: Program that generates known answer test (KAT) values for key encapsulation mechanisms using the same procedure as the NIST submission requirements, for checking against submitted KAT values using tests/test_kat.py
   • kat_sig: Program that generates known answer test (KAT) values for signature schemes using the same procedure as the NIST submission requirements, for checking against submitted KAT values using tests/test_kat.py
   • speed_kem: Benchmarking program for key encapsulation mechanisms; see ./speed_kem --help for usage instructions
   • speed_sig: Benchmarking program for signature mechanisms; see ./speed_sig --help for usage instructions
   • example_kem: Minimal runnable example showing the usage of the KEM API
   • example_sig: Minimal runnable example showing the usage of the signature API
   • test_aes, test_sha3: Simple test harnesses for crypto sub-components

   The test suite can be run using

    ninja run_tests
   

4. To generate HTML documentation of the API, run:

    ninja gen_docs
   

   Then open build/docs/doxygen/html/index.html in your web browser.

Windows

Binaries can be generated using Visual Studio 2019 with the CMake Tools extension installed.

Documentation

Further information can be found in the wiki.

Contributing

Contributions that meet the acceptance criteria are gratefully welcomed. See our Contributing Guide for more details.

License

liboqs is licensed under the MIT License; see LICENSE.txt for details.

liboqs includes some third party libraries or modules that are licensed differently; the corresponding subfolder contains the license that applies in that case. In particular:

• .CMake/CMakeDependentOption.cmake: BSD 3-Clause License
• src/crypto/aes/aes_c.c: public domain
• src/crypto/sha2/sha2_c.c: public domain
• src/crypto/sha3/fips202.c: CC0 (public domain)
• src/crypto/sha3/keccak4x: CC0 (public domain), except brg_endian.h
• src/kem/bike/x86_64: Apache License v2.0
• src/kem/kyber/pqclean_*: public domain
• src/kem/newhope/pqclean_*: public domain
• src/kem/ntru/pqclean_*: public domain
• src/kem/saber/pqclean_*: public domain
• src/sig/dilithium/pqclean_*: public domain
• src/sig/mqdss/pqclean_*: CC0 (public domain)
• src/sig/picnic/external/sha3: CC0 (public domain)
• src/sig/rainbow/pqclean_*: CC0 (public domain)
• src/sig/sphincs/pqclean_*: CC0 (public domain)

Acknowledgements

Various companies, including Amazon Web Services, evolutionQ, Microsoft Research, and Cisco Systems, have dedicated programmer time to contribute source code to OQS. Various people have contributed source code to liboqs.

Financial support for the development of Open Quantum Safe has been provided by Amazon Web Services and the Tutte Institute for Mathematics and Computing. Research projects which developed specific components of OQS have been supported by various research grants, including funding from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC); see the source papers for funding acknowledgments.