Modified Alternating Step Generators

Abstract. Irregular clocking of feedback shift registers is a popular technique to improve parameters of keystream generators in stream ciphers. Another technique is to implement nonlinear functions. We join these techniques and propose Modified Alternating Step Generators built with linear and nonlinear feedback shift registers. Adequate nonlinear Boolean functions are used as feedbacks or as filtering functions of shift registers in order to increase complexity of sequences produced by individual registers and the whole generator. We investigate basic parameters of proposed keystream generators, such as period, linear complexity and randomness. Key words: stream ciphers, alternating step generator, feedback shift registers, period and linear complexity, randomness. 1