Publications

A full list is also available on DBLP and Google Scholar.

✉ Corresponding author.

Preprints

Cryptanalytic Extraction of Recurrent Neural Network Models

Longxiang Wei, Hao Lei, Xiaokang Qi, Xiaohan Sun, Lei Gao, Kai Hu, Wei Wang, Meiqin Wang.
Cryptology ePrint Archive 2026/168.

pdf eprint

Exploring Core Monomial Prediction Further: Weak-Key Superpoly Recovery for 852-Round Trivium

Jiahui He, Kai Hu^✉, Guowei Liu.
Cryptology ePrint Archive 2025/1330.

pdf eprint

2026

Cryptanalytic Properties of Mealy Machines

Zhongfeng Niu, Tim Beyne, Kai Hu^✉, Meiqin Wang.
CRYPTO 2026.

pdf

Permutation-Based Hash from Non-Idealized Assumptions: Adding Feed-Forward to Sponge

Chun Guo, Kai Hu, Shuntian Jiang, Yanhong Fan, Yong Fu, Bart Preneel, Meiqin Wang.
CRYPTO 2026.

pdf eprint

uKNIT: Breaking Round-alignment for Cipher Design — Featuring uKNIT-BC, an Ultra Low-Latency Block Cipher

Kai Hu, Mustafa Khairallah, Thomas Peyrin, Quan Quan Tan.
IACR Trans. Symmetric Cryptol. (ToSC) 2026 (2) / FSE 2027.

pdf eprint

Round-Based Approximation of (Higher-Order) Differential-Linear Correlation

Kai Hu, Zhongfeng Niu, Meiqin Wang.
EUROCRYPT 2026.

pdf eprint

Cryptanalysis of Two Alternating Moduli Weak PRFs

Kai Hu, Gregor Leander, Håvard Raddum, Arne Sandrib, Aleksei Udovenko.
IACR Trans. Symmetric Cryptol. (ToSC) 2026 (1) / FSE 2026.

pdf eprint

Cube and Integral Attacks on ChiLow-32

Shuo Peng^✉, Akram Khalesi^✉, Zahra Ahmadian^✉, Hosein Hadipour^✉, Jiahui He^✉, Kai Hu^✉, Zhongfeng Niu^✉, Shahram Rasoolzadeh^✉, Meiqin Wang^✉.
IACR Trans. Symmetric Cryptol. (ToSC) 2026 (1) / FSE 2026.

pdf eprint

Cryptanalytic Extraction of Convolutional Neural Networks

Xiaohan Sun, Hao Lei, Longxiang Wei, Xiaokang Qi, Kai Hu, Meiqin Wang, Wei Wang.
ACISP 2026.

pdf eprint

Delving Deep into Security Guarantees against Integral Distinguishers with Applications to PRESENT, TWINE and LBLOCK

Shuo Peng, Jiahui He, Kai Hu^✉, Meiqin Wang.
Designs, Codes and Cryptography, 2026.

pdf eprint

2025

Unlocking Mix-Basis Potential: Geometric Approach for Combined Attacks

Kai Hu, Chi Zhang, Chengcheng Chang, Jiashu Zhang, Meiqin Wang, Thomas Peyrin.
CRYPTO 2025.

pdf eprint

Mix-Basis Geometric Approach to Boomerang Distinguishers

Chengcheng Chang, Hosein Hadipour, Kai Hu^✉, Muzhou Li, Meiqin Wang.
IACR Trans. Symmetric Cryptol. (ToSC) 2025 (3) / FSE 2026.

pdf eprint

Addendum to How Small Can S-boxes Be?

Yu Sun, Lixuan Wu, Chenhao Jia, Tingting Cui, Kai Hu^✉, Meiqin Wang.
IACR Trans. Symmetric Cryptol. (ToSC) 2025 (2) / FSE 2026.

pdf eprint

Quasidifferential Saves Infeasible Differential: Improved Weak-Key Key-Recovery Attacks on Round-Reduced GIFT

Chengcheng Chang, Meiqin Wang, Wei Wang, Kai Hu^✉.
CT-RSA 2025.

pdf eprint

Improved Key Recovery Attacks of Ascon

Shuo Peng, Kai Hu^✉, Jiahui He, Meiqin Wang.
CT-RSA 2025.

pdf eprint

How Small Can S-boxes Be?

Chenhao Jia, Tingting Cui, Qing Ling, Yan He, Kai Hu, Yu Sun, Meiqin Wang.
IACR Trans. Symmetric Cryptol. (ToSC) 2025 / FSE 2025.

pdf eprint

Symmetric Twin Column Parity Mixers and their Applications

Hao Lei, Raghvendra Rohit, Guoxiao Liu, Jiahui He, Mohamed Rachidi, Keting Jia, Kai Hu^✉, Meiqin Wang.
IACR Trans. Symmetric Cryptol. (ToSC) 2024 (4) / FSE 2025.

pdf eprint

Perfect Monomial Prediction for Modular Addition

Kai Hu^✉, Trevor Yap.
IACR Trans. Symmetric Cryptol. (ToSC) 2024 (4) / FSE 2025.

pdf eprint

Improved Conditional Cube Attacks on Ascon AEADs in Nonce-Respecting Settings with a Break-Fix Strategy

Kai Hu.
IACR Trans. Symmetric Cryptol. (ToSC) 2024 / FSE 2025.

pdf eprint

Cryptanalysis of Full-Round BipBip

Jinliang Wang, Christina Boura, Patrick Derbez, Kai Hu, Muzhou Li, Meiqin Wang.
IACR Trans. Symmetric Cryptol. (ToSC) 2024 / FSE 2025.

pdf eprint

Towards Better Integral Distinguishers over $\mathbb{F}_{p}$ Based on Exact Coefficients of Monomials

Muzhou Li, Jiamin Cui, Longzheng Cui, Kai Hu, Chao Niu, Meiqin Wang.
IEEE Transactions on Information Theory, 2025.

pdf eprint

Meet-in-the-Middle Attack on 4+4 Rounds of SCARF under Single-Tweak Setting

Siwei Chen^✉, Kai Hu^✉, Guozhen Liu^✉, Zhongfeng Niu^✉, Quan Quan Tan^✉, Shichang Wang^✉.
Designs, Codes and Cryptography, 2025.

pdf eprint

2024

Speeding Up Preimage and Key-Recovery Attacks with Highly Biased Differential-Linear Approximations

Zhongfeng Niu, Kai Hu, Siwei Sun, Zhiyu Zhang, Meiqin Wang.
CRYPTO 2024.

pdf eprint

Massive Superpoly Recovery with a Meet-in-the-Middle Framework — Improved Cube Attacks on Trivium and Kreyvium

Jiahui He, Kai Hu, Hao Lei, Meiqin Wang.
EUROCRYPT 2024.

pdf eprint

Integral Attack on the Full FUTURE Block Cipher

Zeyu Xu, Jiamin Cui, Kai Hu^✉, Meiqin Wang.
Tsinghua Science and Technology, 2024.

pdf eprint

AlgSAT — a SAT Method for Search and Verification of Differential Characteristics from Algebraic Perspective

Huina Li, Haochen Zhang, Guozhen Liu, Kai Hu^✉, Jian Guo^✉, Weidong Qiu^✉.
ACISP 2024.

pdf eprint

2023

More Balanced Polynomials: Cube Attacks on 810- and 825-Round Trivium with Practical Complexities

Hao Lei, Jiahui He, Kai Hu, Meiqin Wang.
SAC 2023.

pdf eprint

Revisiting Higher-Order Differential-Linear Attacks from an Algebraic Perspective

Kai Hu^✉, Thomas Peyrin, Quan Quan Tan, Trevor Yap.
ASIACRYPT 2023.

pdf eprint

2022

Finding All Impossible Differentials When Considering the DDT

Kai Hu, Thomas Peyrin, Meiqin Wang.
SAC 2022.

pdf eprint

Stretching Cube Attacks: Improved Methods to Recover Massive Superpolies

Jiahui He, Kai Hu, Bart Preneel, Meiqin Wang.
ASIACRYPT 2022.

pdf eprint

On the Field-Based Division Property: Applications to MiMC, Feistel MiMC and GMiMC

Jiamin Cui, Kai Hu, Meiqin Wang, Puwen Wei.
ASIACRYPT 2022.

pdf eprint

Integral Attacks on Pyjamask-96 and Round-Reduced Pyjamask-128

Jiamin Cui, Kai Hu, Qingju Wang, Meiqin Wang.
CT-RSA 2022.

pdf eprint

2021

Massive Superpoly Recovery with Nested Monomial Predictions

Kai Hu, Siwei Sun, Yosuke Todo, Meiqin Wang, Qingju Wang.
ASIACRYPT 2021.

pdf eprint

Misuse-Free Key-Recovery and Distinguishing Attacks on 7-Round Ascon

Raghvendra Rohit, Kai Hu, Sumanta Sarkar, Siwei Sun.
IACR Trans. Symmetric Cryptol. (ToSC) 2021 / FSE 2022.

pdf eprint

Pushing the Limits: Searching for Implementations with the Smallest Area for Lightweight S-Boxes

Zhenyu Lu, Weijia Wang, Kai Hu, Yanhong Fan, Lixuan Wu, Meiqin Wang.
INDOCRYPT 2021.

pdf eprint

A Secure IoT Firmware Update Scheme Against SCPA and DoS Attacks

Yan-Hong Fan, Mei-Qin Wang, Yan-Bin Li, Kai Hu, Muzhou Li.
Journal of Computer Science and Technology, 2021.

pdf

STP Models of Optimal Differential and Linear Trail for S-box Based Ciphers

Yu Liu, Huicong Liang, Muzhou Li, Luning Huang, Kai Hu, Chenhe Yang, Meiqin Wang.
Science China Information Sciences, 2021.

pdf

2020

An Algebraic Formulation of the Division Property: Revisiting Degree Evaluations, Cube Attacks, and Key-Independent Sums

Kai Hu, Siwei Sun, Meiqin Wang, Qingju Wang.
ASIACRYPT 2020.

pdf eprint

MixColumns Coefficient Property and Security of the AES with a Secret S-Box

Xin An, Kai Hu, Meiqin Wang.
AFRICACRYPT 2020.

pdf eprint

Finding Bit-Based Division Property for Ciphers with Complex Linear Layers

Kai Hu, Qingju Wang, Meiqin Wang.
IACR Trans. Symmetric Cryptol. (ToSC) 2020 / FSE 2021.

pdf eprint

2019

Automatic Search for a Variant of Division Property Using Three Subsets

Kai Hu, Meiqin Wang.
CT-RSA 2019.

pdf eprint

Muzhou Li, Kai Hu, Meiqin Wang.
IACR Trans. Symmetric Cryptol. (ToSC) 2019 / FSE 2020.

pdf eprint

2018

Towards Key-Dependent Integral and Impossible Differential Distinguishers on 5-Round AES

Kai Hu, Tingting Cui, Chao Gao, Meiqin Wang.
SAC 2018.

pdf eprint

Kai Hu

Preprints

Cryptanalytic Extraction of Recurrent Neural Network Models

Exploring Core Monomial Prediction Further: Weak-Key Superpoly Recovery for 852-Round Trivium

2026

Cryptanalytic Properties of Mealy Machines

Permutation-Based Hash from Non-Idealized Assumptions: Adding Feed-Forward to Sponge

uKNIT: Breaking Round-alignment for Cipher Design — Featuring uKNIT-BC, an Ultra Low-Latency Block Cipher

Round-Based Approximation of (Higher-Order) Differential-Linear Correlation

Cryptanalysis of Two Alternating Moduli Weak PRFs

Cube and Integral Attacks on ChiLow-32

Cryptanalytic Extraction of Convolutional Neural Networks

Delving Deep into Security Guarantees against Integral Distinguishers with Applications to PRESENT, TWINE and LBLOCK

2025

Unlocking Mix-Basis Potential: Geometric Approach for Combined Attacks

Mix-Basis Geometric Approach to Boomerang Distinguishers

Addendum to How Small Can S-boxes Be?

Quasidifferential Saves Infeasible Differential: Improved Weak-Key Key-Recovery Attacks on Round-Reduced GIFT

Improved Key Recovery Attacks of Ascon

How Small Can S-boxes Be?

Symmetric Twin Column Parity Mixers and their Applications

Perfect Monomial Prediction for Modular Addition

Improved Conditional Cube Attacks on Ascon AEADs in Nonce-Respecting Settings with a Break-Fix Strategy

Cryptanalysis of Full-Round BipBip

Towards Better Integral Distinguishers over $\mathbb{F}_{p}$ Based on Exact Coefficients of Monomials

Meet-in-the-Middle Attack on 4+4 Rounds of SCARF under Single-Tweak Setting

2024

Speeding Up Preimage and Key-Recovery Attacks with Highly Biased Differential-Linear Approximations

Massive Superpoly Recovery with a Meet-in-the-Middle Framework — Improved Cube Attacks on Trivium and Kreyvium

Integral Attack on the Full FUTURE Block Cipher

AlgSAT — a SAT Method for Search and Verification of Differential Characteristics from Algebraic Perspective

2023

More Balanced Polynomials: Cube Attacks on 810- and 825-Round Trivium with Practical Complexities

Revisiting Higher-Order Differential-Linear Attacks from an Algebraic Perspective

2022

Finding All Impossible Differentials When Considering the DDT

Stretching Cube Attacks: Improved Methods to Recover Massive Superpolies

On the Field-Based Division Property: Applications to MiMC, Feistel MiMC and GMiMC

Integral Attacks on Pyjamask-96 and Round-Reduced Pyjamask-128

2021

Massive Superpoly Recovery with Nested Monomial Predictions

Misuse-Free Key-Recovery and Distinguishing Attacks on 7-Round Ascon

Pushing the Limits: Searching for Implementations with the Smallest Area for Lightweight S-Boxes

A Secure IoT Firmware Update Scheme Against SCPA and DoS Attacks

STP Models of Optimal Differential and Linear Trail for S-box Based Ciphers

2020

An Algebraic Formulation of the Division Property: Revisiting Degree Evaluations, Cube Attacks, and Key-Independent Sums

MixColumns Coefficient Property and Security of the AES with a Secret S-Box

Finding Bit-Based Division Property for Ciphers with Complex Linear Layers

2019

Automatic Search for a Variant of Division Property Using Three Subsets

Related-Tweak Statistical Saturation Cryptanalysis and Its Application on QARMA

2018

Towards Key-Dependent Integral and Impossible Differential Distinguishers on 5-Round AES