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Journals / Chaos Theory and Applications / 2026 / Volume: 8 Issue: 2

When Chaos Is Not Secure: Revealing Hidden Vulnerabilities in Chaotic Cryptography

Kaos Güvenli Olmadığında: Kaotik Kriptografideki Gizli Güvenlik Açıklarını Ortaya Çıkarmak

Fatih Özkaynak(FIRAT UNIVERSITY)0000-0003-1292-8490
Pages
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Publication Date
2026-07-30
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AI Summary & Key Takeaways

AI Insight
⚡ TL;DR(Too Long; Didn't Read)

The obtained results indicate that algorithmic unpredictability alone does not ensure resistance against physical leakage.

📌 3 Key Takeaways

🎯
Objective & Hypothesis:Chaos-based cryptographic schemes have been widely investigated as lightweight solutions for image and multimedia security, owing to their nonlinear dynamics and high sensitivity to initial conditions.
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Key Findings & Data:Distinct power signatures were observed for XOR and XNOR operations, allowing secret selection bits to be inferred with an average classification accuracy of 86.1%.
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Conclusion & Impact:The obtained results indicate that algorithmic unpredictability alone does not ensure resistance against physical leakage.
🔬Design:Modeling & Simulation
📍Scope:Comprehensive Sample
⚙️Variables:Chaos-based cryptography · Side-channel leakage · Implementationlevel vulnerability

Abstract

Chaos-based cryptographic schemes have been widely investigated as lightweight solutions for image and multimedia security, owing to their nonlinear dynamics and high sensitivity to initial conditions. Despite these attractive theoretical properties, many such systems have been found to be susceptible to implementation-level vulnerabilities that remain undetected through purely mathematical analysis. In this study, a chaotic image-coding algorithm employing conditional XOR and XNOR operations was examined from a side-channel perspective. A profiling-based power simulation framework was developed to model the dynamic switching behavior of these gates, which are logically complementary but physically asymmetric. Distinct power signatures were observed for XOR and XNOR operations, allowing secret selection bits to be inferred with an average classification accuracy of 86.1%. The obtained results indicate that algorithmic unpredictability alone does not ensure resistance against physical leakage. It is therefore suggested that the design and validation of chaos-based cryptosystems should incorporate side-channel evaluation as an integral stage of development. The presented simulation framework can serve as a diagnostic tool for identifying gate-level asymmetries before hardware implementation. Future research is recommended to include hardware-level measurements, balanced logic synthesis, and automated leakage auditing in order to establish physically robust and cryptographically secure chaotic architectures.

Özet

Kaos tabanlı kriptografik şemalar, doğrusal olmayan dinamikleri ve başlangıç ​​koşullarına karşı yüksek hassasiyetleri nedeniyle görüntü ve multimedya güvenliği için hafif çözümler olarak yaygın şekilde araştırılmıştır. Bu cazip teorik özelliklerine rağmen, bu tür birçok sistemin salt matematiksel analizle tespit edilemeyen uygulama düzeyindeki güvenlik açıklarına karşı hassas olduğu bulunmuştur. Bu çalışmada, koşullu XOR ve XNOR işlemlerini kullanan kaotik bir görüntü kodlama algoritması yan kanal perspektifinden incelenmiştir. Mantıksal olarak tamamlayıcı ancak fiziksel olarak asimetrik olan bu kapıların dinamik anahtarlama davranışını modellemek için profil tabanlı bir güç simülasyon çerçevesi geliştirilmiştir. XOR ve XNOR işlemleri için farklı güç imzaları gözlemlenmiş ve bu da gizli seçim bitlerinin ortalama %86,1 sınıflandırma doğruluğu ile çıkarılmasına olanak sağlamıştır. Elde edilen sonuçlar, algoritmik öngörülemezliğin tek başına fiziksel sızıntıya karşı direnci garanti etmediğini göstermektedir. Bu nedenle, kaos tabanlı kripto sistemlerinin tasarımı ve doğrulamasının, yan kanal değerlendirmesini geliştirmenin ayrılmaz bir aşaması olarak içermesi önerilmektedir. Sunulan simülasyon çerçevesi, donanım uygulamasından önce kapı düzeyindeki asimetrileri tespit etmek için bir teşhis aracı olarak kullanılabilir. Fiziksel olarak sağlam ve kriptografik olarak güvenli kaotik mimariler oluşturmak için gelecekteki araştırmaların donanım düzeyinde ölçümler, dengeli mantık sentezi ve otomatik sızıntı denetimini içermesi önerilmektedir.

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Cite This Article

Özkaynak, F. (2026). When Chaos Is Not Secure: Revealing Hidden Vulnerabilities in Chaotic Cryptography. Chaos Theory and Applications, Volume: 8 Issue: 2. https://doi.org/10.51537/chaos.1805979

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