NSA: Support of backdoored Dual_EC_DRBG was regrettable

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Pigeon
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NSA: Support of backdoored Dual_EC_DRBG was regrettable

Post by Pigeon » Fri Jan 16, 2015 1:44 pm

NSA official: Support of backdoored Dual_EC_DRBG was “regrettable”

Agency supported crypto function for years after "trap door" was disclosed.

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Re: NSA: Support of backdoored Dual_EC_DRBG was regrettable

Post by Pigeon » Fri Jan 16, 2015 1:48 pm

NSA officials shepherded Dual EC_DRBG through the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in 2006. A year later, researchers from Microsoft presented evidence that the number generator contained a type of backdoor known to cryptographers as a "trap door."

The weakness, the researchers said, allowed those who knew the specific NSA-generated points on the standard's elliptic curve to work backward to guess any crypto key created by the generator. Despite widespread coverage of the research and concern expressed by security experts, the NSA continued to support Dual EC_DRBG.

It wasn't until September 2013—six years after the research came to light—that RSA advised customers to stop using the NSA-influenced code.

The trouble is that on closer examination, the letter doesn't express regret for the inclusion of Dual EC DRBG in national standards. The transgression Dr. Wertheimer identifies is simply the fact that NSA continued to support the algorithm after major questions were raised. That's bizarre.

Even worse, Dr. Wertheimer reserves a substantial section of his letter for a defense of the decision to deploy Dual EC. It's those points that I'd like to address in this post.


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Re: NSA: Support of backdoored Dual_EC_DRBG was regrettable

Post by Pigeon » Sat May 16, 2015 2:51 am

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Re: NSA: Support of backdoored Dual_EC_DRBG was regrettable

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Re: NSA: Support of backdoored Dual_EC_DRBG was regrettable

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Re: NSA: Support of backdoored Dual_EC_DRBG was regrettable

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