Monika Trimoska
I am currently a postdoc in the Digital Security Group at Radboud University, working with Simona Samardjiska. Formerly, I was a PhD student in MIS Laboratory, under the supervision of Gilles Dequen and Sorina Ionica. After my thesis, I was a Teaching and Research Assistant at the University of Picardie Jules Verne.
Currently, my primary research interest is cryptanalysis of post-quantum cryptosystems. During my thesis, I was investigating the use of SAT solvers in cryptographic attacks on public-key cryptosystems. Specifically, I was focused on the index calculus attack on elliptic curves defined over prime-degree extension fields in characteristic 2.
Research interests keywords
algebraic cryptanalysis; public-key cryptography; elliptic curve discrete logarithm problem; index calculus; logical cryptanalysis (SAT); authentication; combinatorics; multivariate quadratic polynomial problem; computational supersingular isogeny problem;

PhD defense - 14th January 2021
Combinatorics in Algebraic and Logical Cryptanalysis
[manuscript][slides][video]CV
Contact | ![]() |
Education and qualifications | ![]() |
Qualification for a position as an assistant professor at a French University (Qualifié aux fonctions de maître de conférences),
by the French National Council of Universities
Section: Computer Science (27)
February 2021
PhD in Cryptography
University of Picardie Jules Verne, France
October 2017 – January 2021
Master’s Degree in Information Systems and Network Security
University of Picardie Jules Verne, France
September 2015 – August 2017
Licence (BSc equivalent) in Computer Science
University of Picardie Jules Verne, France
September 2012 – August 2015
Research | ![]() |
Publications | ![]() |
Journal papers
Time-Memory Analysis for Parallel Collision Search Algorithms,
with Sorina Ionica and Gilles Dequen
TCHES, Volume 2021, Issue 2
[link][slides][video]
Book chapters
HappyKidz: Privacy Preserving Phone Usage Tracking,
with Benjamin M. Case and Marcella Hastings and Siam Hussain
Protecting Privacy through Homomorphic Encryption
[link]
International Conferences
Hardness estimates of the Code Equivalence Problem in the Rank Metric,
with Krijn Reijnders and Simona Samardjiska
WCC 2022 (extended abstract)
[author's version]
A Simple Deterministic Algorithm for Systems of Quadratic Polynomials over $\mathbb{F}_2$,
with Charles Bouillaguet and Claire Delaplace
SOSA 2022
[author's version][implementation by C. Bouillaguet]
Logical cryptanalysis with WDSat,
with Gilles Dequen and Sorina Ionica
SAT 2021
[author's version][slides][video]
Parity (XOR) Reasoning for the Index Calculus Attack,
with Sorina Ionica and Gilles Dequen
CP 2020
[author's version][slides][video]
A SAT - Based Approach for Index Calculus on Binary Elliptic Curves,
with Sorina Ionica and Gilles Dequen
Africacrypt 2020
[author's version][slides]
Artifacts
Parallel Collision Search implementation,
with Sorina Ionica and Gilles Dequen
TCHES 2021
[link]
Talks | ![]() |
Virtual Summer School
The Matrix Code Equivalence Problem and Applications, at the Contemporary algebraic and geometric techniques in coding theory and cryptography [abstract][slides]
21 July 2022
online (Università degli Studi della Campania Luigi Vanvitelli)
CrossFyre 2021
A Simple Deterministic Algorithm for Systems of Quadratic Polynomials over $\mathbb{F}_2$, at the 10th International Workshop on Cryptography, Robustness, and Provably Secure Schemes for Female Young Researchers [slides]
2 December 2021
online
CHES 2021
Time-Memory Analysis for Parallel Collision Search Algorithms, at the annual Conference on Cryptographic Hardware and Embedded Systems [slides][pre-recording][live session]
13 September 2021
online
AGC2T
A SAT-based approach for index calculus on binary elliptic curves, at the Arithmetic, Geometry, Cryptography and Coding Theory Conference [slides][video]
1 June 2021
online (CIRM, Marseille Luminy, France)
SAT 2021
Logical cryptanalysis with WDSat, at the 24th International Conference on Theory and Applications of Satisfiability Testing [slides]
12 March 2021
online (Barcelona, Spain)
Caramba Seminar
Cryptanalyse logique du problème du logarithme discret sur courbes elliptiques, at Séminaire de l'équipe Caramba (Inria Nancy) [slides]
12 March 2021
online (INRIA Nancy)
ATI Seminar
Calcul d'index pour des courbes elliptiques définies sur des extensions de corps finis, at Séminaire Arithmétique et Théorie de l’Information [slides]
18 February 2021
online (Université Aix-Maseille)
CP 2020
Parity (XOR) Reasoning for the Index Calculus Attack, at the 26th International Conference on Principles and Practice of Constraint Programming [slides][video]
9 September 2020
online (Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium)
IMACC 2019
A SAT-based approach for index calculus on binary elliptic curves, at the 17th IMA International Conference on Cryptography and Coding [slides]
17 December 2019
St Anne’s College, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
MSR Seminar
A SAT-based approach for index calculus on binary elliptic curves, at a seminar at the Microsoft Reasearch Lab [slides]
5 December 2019
Microsoft Research, Redmond, Washington, USA
Private AI Bootcamp
HappyKidz: Privacy Preserving Phone Usage Tracking, at Private AI Bootcamp Competition 2019 [video]
4 December 2019
Microsoft, Redmond, Washington, USA
JJCMIS 2019
Analyse de la difficulté des Cryptosystèmes à l’Aide du Problème du Transversal Minimum, at Journée des Jeunes Chercheurs du MIS 2019 [slides]
5 July 2019
Amiens, France
GT BAC
A SAT-based approach for index calculus on binary elliptic curves, at Groupe de Travail "Butte aux Cailles" [slides]
16 May 2019
l'ENST (Télécom ParisTech), Paris, France
JC2 2018
Time-Memory Trade-offs for Parallel Collision Search Algorithms, at Journées Codage & Cryptographie 2018 [slides]
11 October 2018
Centre Paul-Langevin – CAES du CNRS, Aussois, France
JJCMIS 2018
Cryptanalyse logique du problème du logarithme discret, at Journée des Jeunes Chercheurs du MIS 2018 [slides]
29 May 2018
Amiens, France
JRES 2017
A propos d'un schéma d'authentification OTP, at Journées Réseaux de l’Enseignement et de la Recherche 2017 [video]
15 November 2017
Nantes, France
JJCMIS 2017
Protocole d’authentification CrypTonAuth, at Journée des Jeunes Chercheurs du MIS 2017 [slides]
30 May 2017
Amiens, France
Other outreach materials
Alice & Eve 2021 Poster [event]
Diffie-Hellman key exchange with colors
Presented at a laboratory visit for students who have participated in the Alkindi cryptography competition.
Time-Memory Trade-offs for PCS Algorithms - poster in French
Le protocole d’authentification CrypTonAuth
Newsletter of MIS Laboratory, September 2017
Software | ![]() |
WDSat
A SAT solver dedicated to solving instances derived from a Weil descent.
[github]
PCS - Published as TCHES 2021 Artifact
Implementation of a Parallel Collision Search algorithm for solving the ECDLP.
[github]
Weil descent
A Weil descent implementation for binary elliptic curves over prime-degree extension fields.
[github]
CrypTonAuth
A C library for implementing the CrypTonAuth authentication method, prepared for ANSSI standardisation.
[proprietary]
CrypTonID
A C library for implementing the CrypTonID hashed data retrieval technology , prepared for ANSSI standardisation.
[proprietary]
Prizes and distinctions | ![]() |
I was part of the winning team of the Private AI Bootcamp organised by Microsoft Research (December 2019, Seattle, US).
Teaching | ![]() |
Courses | ![]() |
Object-oriented programming 2 and Reactive programming
Third year - lectures, tutorials and laboratory work (cours, TD, TP).
Advanced algorithms
Second year - tutorials and laboratory work (TD, TP).
C programming
Second year - laboratory work (TP).
Elements of formal logic and mathematical reasoning
First year - tutorials (TD).
Algorithms and programming
First year - tutorials and laboratory work (TD, TP).
Propositional logic
First year - tutorials and laboratory work (TD, TP).
Introduction to databases
First year - tutorials and laboratory work (TD, TP).
Introduction to programming
First year - tutorials and laboratory work (TD, TP).
Internet and web
First year - tutorials and laboratory work (TD, TP).
Mentoring | ![]() |
Master's Internship
I co-supervised, with Sorina Ionica, a student in their second year of Master's studies on the topic of computing multiple elliptic curve discrete logarithms using the Parallel collision search algorithm by van Oorschot and Wiener.
Undergraduate internship
I co-supervised, with Gilles Dequen, a student in their third year of Undergraduate studies in CS. The student was working on a commercial presentation (website, explanatory animations) of the CrypTonAuth authentication technology and on storage solutions.
Miscellaneous | ![]() |
- CHES 2022 Artifact Review
- Asiacrypt 2022
- Crypto 2022
- WCC 2022
- Journal of Cybersecurity
- Latincrypt 2021
- SAT 2021
- Crypto 2019
- Summer School on real-world crypto and privacy 2022
- RWC 2022
- Eurocrypt 2021
- Journée des Jeunes Chercheurs du MIS 2019 (Young Researchers of MIS Day 2019)
- JFPC/JIAF 2018 (National Constraint Programming Days in France / National Artificial Intelligence Days in France)
- Student member of the Research Committee of the University of Picardie Jules Verne from April 2018 to March 2020
- Animated, with Sorina Ionica, a laboratory visit for primary school students who have participated in the Alkindi cryptography competition
Other interests | ![]() |
Icon credit (CC)