US Government Using PS3s To Break Encryption

Entropy98 writes "It seems that the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement Cyber Crimes Center, known as C3, has replaced its '$8,000 Tableau/Dell server combination' with more efficient and much cheaper $300 PS3s. Each PS3 is capable of 4 million passwords per second, and C3 currently has 20 PS3s with plans to buy 40 more. Naturally this is only being used to break encryption on computers seized with a warrant and suspected of harboring child pornography."

Re:What

[edittard]

Perhaps they're just hitting people [xkcd.com] with them?

Re:Trust me.

[turing_m]

That is the only thing they use them for... Wink, wink, nudge, nudge, Know what I mean?

Look... are you insinuating something?

Re:What

[MRe_nl]

And that is why my password is"Pleasestophittingmeononotthewaterboardblipdoolpoolp"

LOL

[davidwr]

If the smart crooks are using any version of Windows

ROTFLOL Oh you slay me with your humor and wit!!!

Re:Nit-picking the article

[PitaBred]

Bang them over the head? I'd go for the kneecaps and extremities. Hitting someone over the head to get knowledge out of said head seems a little foolish...

Re:Wow, 4 million passwords per second...

[noidentity]

So, with a brute force attack, I've only got 36,030,233,524,592,808,479,552,335 years before they will reach mine!

Thanks, we'll just skip ahead to the password we would have be trying 36,030,233,524,592,808,479,552,335 years from now, and crack your encryption today!

Re:What

[Anonymous Coward]

Year-after-year makes sense. You would probably spend one year in jail, then spend the next year in prison.

Re:What

[Beardo the Bearded]

"Look, we'll give you a PS3 if you tell us your password.

"We'll even throw in the HDMI cable. We'll get it eventually; this way you and I can both go home before lunchtime."

Riiiight....

[Stanislav_J]

Naturally this is only being used to break encryption on computers seized with a warrant and suspected of harboring child pornography.

Naturally. (*wink-wink* *nudge-nudge* say no more...)

Re:What

[theaveng]

+1 funny.

What's your password?
"Please stop hitting me."

What's your password?
"Please stop hitting me!"

What's your password?
"I TOLD you my password!"

(smack). No you didn't! You're acting like a child. Stop playing these games. Tell us your password!
"pleasetophittingme"!!!!!

(smack). Oh great. He's unconscious.

Re:What

[Chrisq]

Could be worse, imagine if it was "fuck you, stupid customs official"

Re:What

[Spazztastic]

Could be worse, imagine if it was "fuck you, stupid customs official"

My secret answer for a gaming account was "Your moms box." When I called them up and had to change my information, the guy asked me and I immediately realized what it was. Good thing he had a sense of humor, otherwise he might have thought my childhood superhero was his mom's box.

Re:What

[PerfectionLost]

Interrogator: "Look, we'll give you a PS3 if you tell us your password.

"We'll even throw in the HDMI cable. We'll get it eventually; this way you and I can both go home before lunchtime."

Prisoner: "There are no games for the PS3, couldn't you give me a Wii with 4 controllers?"

Interrogator: "That's why this is torture."

Close...

[DarthVain]

My current one is something like "StupidITPassWordPolicy#23"

I can't wait til I somehow get locked out or something and have to call IT help desk to look it up...

Notice length, upper and lower, special chara, numbers..... and know that that number is required to change frequently...

The one concession they made was it used to also compare the only and the new and if ANY part of it was identical it wouldn't accept it (like Password3 and Password4, etc...)

I am sure that not brings down the percentage of people that write their password each week on a sticky note and stick it to their monitor from 95% to 80%... Well done IT genius, well done. Truly we are all more secure for your wonderfully well through out ideas.

    -Bitter.