BAO Zhenzhen

Associated Professor

Email：zzbao@tsinghua.edu.cn

Personal Homepage: https://freedisciplina.github.io/

Ph.D. in Engineering (Information Security), University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, China, 2010-2016

B.Eng. in Information Security, University of Science and Technology of China, China, 2006-2010

Associated Professor, Ph.D. Supervisor, Tsinghua University, 2025–Present

Assistant Professor, Ph.D. Supervisor, Tsinghua University, 2022–2024

Postdoctoral Research Scientist, Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore, 2016-2022

Program Committee Member and Editorial Board Member for international cryptography conferences and journals, including CRYPTO (2025, 2024), ASIACRYPT (2025, 2024, 2023, 2021, 2020, 2019), IACR ToSC/FSE (2022/2023, 2021/2022, 2020/2021, 2019/2020), SAC (2025), Inscrypt (2021), and ACISP (2020, 2022)

symmetric cryptanalysis and design, including hash functions, block ciphers, authenticated encryption, cryptographic primitives, automated cryptanalysis tools, and the integration of machine learning with cryptography.

2020 Gopalakrishnan–NTU Presidential Postdoctoral Fellowship Award, Singapore

Selected Publications

[1] Zhenzhen Bao, Jinyu Lu, Yiran Yao, Liu Zhang. More Insight on Deep Learning-Aided Cryptanalysis. In ASIACRYPT, 2023.

[2] Yi Chen, Zhenzhen Bao, Hongbo Yu. Differential-Linear Approximation Semi-Unconstrained Searching and Partition Tree: Application to LEA and Speck. In ASIACRYPT, 2023.

[3] Zhenzhen Bao, Seongha Hwang, Akiko Inoue, ByeongHak Lee, Jooyoung Lee, Kazuhiko Minematsu. XOCB: Beyond-Birthday-Bound Secure Authenticated Encryption Mode with Rate-One Computation. In EUROCRYPT, 2023.

[4] Yi Chen, Zhenzhen Bao, Yantian Shen, Hongbo Yu. A Deep Learning aided Key Recovery Framework for Large-State Block Ciphers. Sci. China Inf. Sci. 2022

[5] Zhenzhen Bao, Jian Guo, Meicheng Liu, Li Ma, and Yi Tu. Enhancing Differential-Neural Cryptanalysis. In ASIACRYPT, 2022.

[6] Zhenzhen Bao, Jian Guo, Danping Shi, and Yi Tu. Superposition Meet-in-the-Middle Attacks: Updates on Fundamental Security of AES-like Hashing. In CRYPTO, 2022.

[7] Zhenzhen Bao, Xiaoyang Dong, Jian Guo, Zheng Li, Danping Shi, Siwei Sun, and Xiaoyun Wang. Automatic Search of Meet-in-the-Middle Preimage Attacks on AES-like Hashing. In EUROCRYPT, 2021.

[8] Zejun Xiang, Xiangyoung Zeng, Da Lin, Zhenzhen Bao, and Shasha Zhang. Optimizing Implementations of Linear Layers. ToSC/FSE, 2020(2):120–145, 2020.

[9] Subhadeep Banik, Zhenzhen Bao, Takanori Isobe, Hiroyasu Kubo, Kazuhiko Minematsu, Kosei Sakamoto, Nao Shibata, and Maki Shigeri. WARP: Revisiting GFN for Lightweight 128-bit Block Cipher. In SAC, 2020.

[10] Zhenzhen Bao, Itai Dinur, Jian Guo, Gaëtan Leurent, and Lei Wang. Generic Attacks on Hash Combiners. Journal of Cryptology, 33(3):742–823, 2020.

[11] Zhenzhen Bao, Chun Guo, Jian Guo, and Ling Song. TNT: How to Tweak a Block Cipher. In EUROCRYPT, 2020.

[12] Zhenzhen Bao, Jian Guo, and Eik List. Extended Truncated-Differential Distinguishers on Round-Reduced AES. In ToSC/FSE, 2020(3):197–261, 2020.

[13] Zhenzhen Bao, Lin Ding, Jian Guo, Haoyang Wang, and Wenying Zhang. Improved Meet-in-the-Middle Preimage Attacks against AES Hashing Modes. In ToSC/FSE, 2019(4), 2019.

[14] Zhenzhen Bao, Jian Guo, Tetsu Iwata, and Kazuhiko Minematsu. ZOCB and ZOTR: Tweakable Blockcipher Modes for Authenticated Encryption with Full Absorption. In ToSC/FSE, 2019(2):1–54, 2019.

[15] Zhenzhen Bao, Jian Guo, San Ling, and Yu Sasaki. PEIGEN - a Platform for Evaluation, Implementation, and Generation of S-boxes. In ToSC/FSE, 2019(1):330–394, 2019.

[16] Zhenzhen Bao, Jian Guo, and Lei Wang. Functional Graphs and Their Applications in Generic Attacks on Iterated Hash Constructions. In ToSC/FSE, 2018(1):201–253, 2018.

[17] Zhenzhen Bao, Lei Wang, Jian Guo, and Dawu Gu. Functional Graph Revisited: Updates on (Second) Preimage Attacks on Hash Combiners. In CRYPTO 2017.

[18] Zejun Xiang, Wentao Zhang, Zhenzhen Bao, and Dongdai Lin. Applying MILP Method to Searching Integral Distinguishers Based on Division Property for 6 Lightweight Block Ciphers. In ASIACRYPT 2016.

[19] Wenlun Pan, Zhenzhen Bao, Dongdai Lin, and Feng Liu. The Linear Complexity and 2-Error Linear Complexity Distribution of 2^n-Periodic Binary Sequences with Fixed Hamming Weight. In ICICS 2016.

[20] Wenlun Pan, Zhenzhen Bao, Dongdai Lin, and Feng Liu. The Distribution of 2^n-Periodic Binary Sequences with Fixed k-Error Linear Complexity. In ISPEC 2016.

[21] Zhenzhen Bao, Peng Luo, and Dongdai Lin. Bitsliced Implementations of the PRINCE, LED and RECTANGLE Block Ciphers on AVR 8-bit Microcontrollers. In ICICS 2015.

[22] Wentao Zhang, Zhenzhen Bao, Vincent Rijmen, and Meicheng Liu. A New Classification of 4-bit Optimal S-boxes and Its Application to PRESENT, RECTANGLE and SPONGENT. In FSE 2015.

[23] Wentao Zhang, Zhenzhen Bao, Dongdai Lin, Vincent Rijmen, Bohan Yang, and Ingrid Verbauwhede. RECTANGLE: a Bit-slice Lightweight Block Cipher Suitable for Multiple Platforms. SCIENCE CHINA Information Sciences, 58(12):1–15, 2015.

[24] Zhenzhen Bao, Wentao Zhang, and Dongdai Lin. Speeding Up the Search Algorithm for the Best Differential and Best Linear Trails. In Inscrypt 2014.