The 12th Asian-workshop on Symmetric Key Cryptography ASK 2026

ASK 2026 — Singapore

19–22 March 2026 · Nanyang Technological University, Singapore

Main program: 19–21 March · Optional discussion rooms: morning of 22 March

The workshop is held just after the Spring School on Symmetric Cryptography (16–18 March 2026) and before FSE/ToSC 2026 (23–27 March 2026, Singapore).

ⓘ Last content update: 6pm 20 March 2026

ASK has been held to promote research on symmetric-key cryptography in Asia since 2011. ASK 2026 provides an international platform for exchanging ideas, advancing frontier research, and fostering collaboration in symmetric cryptography.

Format

  • Invited talks in the mornings
  • Working groups in the afternoons
  • Optional group discussions on Sunday morning

Who should attend?

Researchers and students working on symmetric-key cryptography.

Co-located events

  • Spring School on Symmetric Cryptography (16–18 March 2026).
  • FSE/ToSC 2026 (23–27 March 2026).

Workshop scopes

  • Cryptanalysis of cryptographic primitives: block ciphers, stream ciphers, hash functions, permutations, MACs, authenticated encryption, etc.
  • Cryptographic primitive design: quantum-resistant large-state ciphers, low-latency designs, and designs friendly to privacy-preserving computation.
  • Provable security: modes of operation, including authenticated encryption and MACs.
  • Quantum and AI-assisted cryptanalysis: quantum algorithms; deep learning/reinforcement learning distinguishers and key recovery.
  • Implementations and side-channel analysis: high-performance software/hardware, power/EM analysis, and countermeasures.

For more details, see the pages on the draft program and working groups.