Cryptanalysis In Block Ciphers: A Comprehensive Review and Future
Directions
Lama Al-Ghamdi1, Mawada Al-Sari1, Monir Abdullah 1∗, Ghassan Ahmed Ali2
1College of Computing and Information Technology, University of Bisha, P.O. Box 344, Bisha, 61922, Saudi
Arabia
2Faculty of Islamic Technology, Universiti Islam Sultan Sharif Ali, Brunei Darussalam
Emails: lamasaeedalghmadi95@hotmail.com; mawadaalsari97@gmail.com; mkaid@ub.edu.sa;
Ghassan.ali@unissa.edu.bn
Abstract
This paper examines the use of cryptography in block ciphers and assesses their security, with a focus on the
Advanced Encryption Standards (AES). The study reviews key cryptanalytic techniques, including differential
cryptanalysis (8.3%), linear cryptanalysis (4.2%), and integral cryptanalysis (4.2%). They give their share
(in percentage) regarding the relative frequency in the cryptanalysis research literature from 2015 to 2024 ac-
cording to their literature survey. Side-channel attacks showed the highest practical success rates, with some
studies showing up to 50.0% effectiveness. Additionally, the study examines more sophisticated attack tech-
niques such as meet-in-the-middle attacks, quantum-related threats, and biclique cryptanalysis (16.0%).The
entire round AES is resistant to a wide range of attack techniques thanks to its strong diffusion and confusion
mechanisms and reliable key schedule. The study concludes that cryptanalysis is essential for strengthening
encryption schemes against emerging threats, particularly those resulting from quantum computing.
Keywords: Side-Channel Attacks; Quantum Threats; Differential Cryptanalysis; Linear Cryptanalysis; Inte-
gral Cryptanalysis; Block Ciphers; Advanced Encryption Standard (AES)
1 Introduction