Re: [PATCH 1/4] lib/crypto: Add ML-DSA verification support

From: David Howells

Date: Thu Nov 20 2025 - 08:55:32 EST


Eric Biggers <ebiggers@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> + /* Compute d = (c mod 2^32) * (q^-1 mod 2^32). */
> + s32 d = (s32)c * QINV_MOD_R;

Hmmm... is "(s32)c" actually "(c mod 2^32)"? Should that be:

u32 d = (u32)c * QINV_MOD_R;

This is followed up by casting 'd' to "s64". I don't think that should
sign-extend it, but...

> + for (int m = 0, len = 128; len >= 1; len /= 2) {

Can you put "int m = 0" outside of the for-statement? I know putting it
inside saves a line or two, but 'm' is not the loop counter - which it seems
like it should be by virtue of being listed first.

> + for (int m = 256, len = 1; len < 256; len *= 2) {

Ditto.

> +static const u8 *decode_t1_elem(struct mldsa_ring_elem *out,
> + const u8 *t1_encoded)

I think this is (more or less) pkDecode()? Can you put something like:

* Decode the vector 't1' from the public key.
* Reference: FIPS 204 Algorithm 23, sigDecode.

in the comment before it?

> +/*
> + * Use @seed to generate a ring element @c with coefficients in {-1, 0, 1},
> + * exactly @tau of them nonzero. Reference: FIPS 204 Algorithm 29, SampleInBall
> + */
> +static void sample_in_ball(struct mldsa_ring_elem *c, const u8 *seed,
> + size_t seed_len, int tau, struct shake_ctx *shake)

Should "seed" actually be labelled "rho"? I know a seed is what it is, but
the algo description has a different label - and the caller passes it ctilde,
not rho:-/.

> + u8 (*h)[N]; /* The signer's hint vector, length k */
> + h = (u8 (*)[N])&ws->z[l];

C is weird sometimes.

> + /* Reduce to [0, q), then tmp = w'_1 = UseHint(h, w'_Approx) */

Bracket mismatch. "[0, q]"

> + /* w1Encode(w'_1) */
> + w1_pos = 0;
> ...

Given you put the decode functions into helpers, don't you want to do that
with this?

> + if (memcmp(ws->ctildeprime, ctilde, params->ctilde_len) != 0)
> + return -EBADMSG;

Actually, this should return -EKEYREJECTED, not -EBADMSG.

I guess you don't need to use crypto_memneq() as timing doesn't matter.

The maths look okay, I think. You can add:

Reviewed-by: David Howells <dhowells@xxxxxxxxxx>

David