Information Technology: Faculty Publications

Probabilistic modeling of decryption-failure bounds in CRYSTALS-Kyber under the post-quantum threat model

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2-1-2026

Publication Title

Machine Learning: Science and Technology

DOI

10.1088/2632-2153/ae3f75

Abstract

We present a probabilistic modeling framework for quantifying decryption-failure probability (DFP) in CRYSTALS–Kyber, the lattice-based key encapsulation mechanism standardized by National Institute of Standards and Technology as module-lattice-based key-encapsulation mechanism. Our method combines exact tail computation of Kyber’s centered-binomial noise distribution using FFT-based convolution with principled comparisons to classical concentration inequalities such as Hoeffding and Bernstein. This hybrid analytical-computational approach yields implementation-independent upper bounds on DFP that are exponentially small in the security parameter. Specifically, we compute two-sided tails for aggregated noise variables, translate those into per-ciphertext failure probabilities through a transparent union bound, and determine the minimal reconciliation margins required to ensure DFP ⩽ 2−λ for λ ∈ { 128, 192, 256 }. Across Kyber-like parameter regimes, Bernstein-type inequalities consistently overestimate risk compared to the exact probabilistic tails, which are several orders of magnitude smaller. The resulting gap highlights the conservatism of inequality-based analyses and clarifies the quantitative safety margins inherent to Kyber’s design. These findings contribute to the broader effort of modeling reliability in post-quantum cryptographic primitives using probabilistic and computational methodologies.

Comments

Georgia Southern University faculty members, Lei Chen and Christopher Kadlec co-authored "Probabilistic modeling of decryption-failure bounds in CRYSTALS-Kyber under the post-quantum threat model".

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