Application of the Tabu Search Algorithm to Cryptography

Abstract

—Tabu search is a powerful algorithm that has been applied with great success to many difficult combinatorial problems. In this paper, we have designed and implemented a symmetrical encryption algorithm whose internal structure is mainly based on Tabu search algorithm. This heuristic performs multiple searches among different solutions and stores the best solutions in an adaptive memory. First of all, we coded the encryption problem by simulating a scheduling problem. Next, we have used an appropriate coding for our problem. Then we used the suitable evaluation function. Through the symmetric key generated by our algorithm, we have illustrated the principle of encryption and decryption. The experimentations of our approach are given at the end of this paper, from which we examined our new system strengths and the elements that could be improved.