CryptoGraphics: Secret key cryptography using graphics cards

Abstract

We study the feasibility of using Graphics Processing Units (CPUs) for cryptographic processing, by exploiting the ability for CPUs to simultaneously process large quantities of pixels, to offload symmetric key encryption from the main processor. We demonstrate the use of CPUs for applying the key stream when using stream ciphers. We also investigate the use of GPUs for block ciphers, discuss operations that make certain ciphers unsuitable for use with a GPU, and compare the performance of an OpenGL-based implementation of AES with implementations utilizing general CPUs. While we conclude that existing symmetric key ciphers are not suitable for implementation within a GPU given present APIs, we discuss the applicability of moving encryption and decryption into the GPU to image processing, including the handling of displays in thin-client applications and streaming video, in scenarios in which it is desired to limit exposure of the plaintext to within the GPU on untrusted clients. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2005.