AAECC (2008) 19:213–228 DOI 10.1007/s00200-008-0074-0 Error-correcting codes and cryptography Hideki Imai · Manabu Hagiwara Received: 20 October 2006 / Revised: 4 August 2007 / Published online: 2 April 2008 © Springer-Verlag 2008 Abstract In this paper, we give and explain some illustrative examples of research topics where error-correcting codes overlap with cryptography. In some of these examples, error-correcting codes employed in the implementation of secure cryptographic protocols. In the others, the codes are used in attacks against cryp- tographic schemes. Throughout this paper, we show the interrelation between error- correcting codes and cryptography, as well as point out the common features and the differences between these two fields. 1 Introduction Error-correcting codes provide detection or correction of the errors which occur in a communication scenario due to the noisy channel, hence the codes protect integrity of a message sent from a sender to a receiver. Cryptography is mainly employed to hide the content of a message from unauthorized parties and to provide the authenticity of a message source and the contents. Although the purpose of error-correcting codes and cryptography are different from each other, they have many common features including the following ones: H. Imai (B ) · M. Hagiwara Research Center for Information Security (RCIS), Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Akihabara-Daibiru Room 1102, 1-18-13 Sotokanda, Chiyoda, Tokyo 101-0021, Japan e-mail: h-imai@aist.go.jp H. Imai · M. Hagiwara Chuo University, 1-13-27 Kasuga, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan e-mail: hagiwara.hagiwara@aist.go.jp URL: http://www.rcis.jp/ 123