Flawed encryption could be cracked in seconds
DOI: 10.1063/PT.5.027808
MIT Technology Review : According to the first in-depth study of the US encryption standard Dual_EC, it can be cracked in some instances in less than 16 seconds with a commercial computer. The reason is the existence of a back door, rumored to have been inserted by the US National Security Agency. The NSA’s influence over the encryption standards came to light in documents released last year by whistleblower Edward Snowden. The NSA is believed to have extremely powerful decryption machines that, armed with the proper key, could crack such codes very quickly. Dual_EC encryption has been widely used to secure internet data communicated via such technologies as Web browsing, email, and VoIP.
More about the authors
Paul Guinnessy, pguinnes@aip.org
