New NSA-Approved Encryption Standard May Contain Backdoor

Hugh Pickens writes "Bruce Schneier has a story on Wired about the new official standard for random-number generators the NIST released this year that will likely be followed by software and hardware developers around the world. There are four different approved techniques (pdf), called DRBGs, or 'Deterministic Random Bit Generators' based on existing cryptographic primitives. One is based on hash functions, one on HMAC, one on block ciphers and one on elliptic curves. The generator based on elliptic curves called Dual_EC_DRBG has been championed by the NSA and contains a weakness that can only be described as a backdoor. In a presentation at the CRYPTO 2007 conference (pdf) in August, Dan Shumow and Niels Ferguson showed that there are constants in the standard used to define the algorithm's elliptic curve that have a relationship with a second, secret set of numbers that can act as a kind of skeleton key. If you know the secret numbers, you can completely break any instantiation of Dual_EC_DRBG."

T-shirts

[hoggoth]

secret numbers appearing on T-shirts in Finland in 3.. 2.. 1..

Re:What part of "NSA Approved" don't you understan

[arkane1234]

That would explain why SELinux isn't widely used.

Re:umm

[Anonymous Coward]

1 2 3 4

Re:Ummm, parent is right.

[cayenne8]

Nah....they had to put a backdoor here in hopes of getting it adopted.

Turns out Vista doesn't have the uptake they thought it would...so, they really can't exploit the windows backdoor any longer...

They gotta try something!!

:-D

Re:umm

[cayenne8]

"5! you forgot the 5!"

Still..........I'd better go change the combination on my luggage....

Re:The answering machine

[maxwell demon]

Anyone else reminded of the little Black Box from Sneakers?

It's a movie. A movie. Ya know, fiction.

That's what they tell you. :-)

Re:Trust the Spies

[caluml]

-----BEGIN PGP MESSAGE-----
Version: GnuPG v1.4.6 (GNU/Linux)

jA0EAwMCPPnmI+wr8DVgyRye1U/9KBxX5jcOp0oidm/5y9TesyWpjQbYvE3j
=pvFV
-----END PGP MESSAGE-----

This is secure. The password is foo. Let's have a symmetrically encrypted discussion using GPG. All passwords are foo.

Re:Ummm, parent is right.

[sgt_doom]

You (iknownuttin) are absolutely right, of course!

I recall years ago when I was a contracter at NSA and they were using the reverse-Polish security system, i.e., the passage monitors were keyed to one's security badge, therefore all one needed to do to go to a higher-level access area was to remove one's security badge.

Unfortunately, regardless of higher intelligence, anyone who subscribes to the bureacratic gods always behave stupidly.....

Re:umm

[Anonymous Coward]

Exactly. It's like Sauron having a hold over the Three Rings that he did not make or touch. He can directly influence only the Seven or the Nine.

Obligatory War Games Quote

[guttentag]

"Mr. Potato Head? Mr. Potato Head! Back doors are not secrets!"