The hottest Encryption Substack posts right now

The pairing protocol may be vulnerable to man-in-the-middle attacks due to how codes are exchanged.
The unlocking process is weak as it uses the same challenge each time, making it easier for attackers to intercept and relay responses.
Improving the protocol involves ensuring bidirectional unique challenges and considering time limits for exchanges to enhance security.

Devices in the Internet of Things (IoT) do not have easy-to-remember identifiers like domain names, affecting traditional authentication methods.
Weaknesses in IoT protocol designs include lack of cryptographically bound data and forward secrecy, and susceptibility to known attacks like Bleichenbacher attack.
Public key encryption used for authentication in IoT can be exploited through various attacks, highlighting the need for stronger security measures.

Google Allo offers both regular and incognito chat modes, encrypting messages when in transit or at rest to ensure security.
The most important privacy feature in Allo is the disappearing messages, as shown by user studies focusing on physical device security and message deletion.
For normal users, the priority is safeguarding their data from people around them, like family and friends, rather than more advanced threats like government surveillance.

The Dual EC backdoor involves knowing a specific value $d$ to create $P$ and $Q$.
The extended Euclidean algorithm played a role in finding $d$ to enable creating the backdoor.
Consider the power of the extended Euclidean algorithm and the Chinese Remainder Theorem in cryptanalysis when designing or analyzing systems.

Cryptographers have demonstrated attacks against supposedly secure encryption algorithms, highlighting the importance of continuously testing security measures.
Public key recovery attacks, exploiting even small vulnerabilities, can still be effective against implementations years after the initial vulnerabilities are discovered.
Challenges and criticisms of cryptographic implementations often lead to the discovery of key and plaintext recovery vulnerabilities, emphasizing the need for rigorous security testing and scrutiny.

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Curve25519 public keys should be validated to prevent potential vulnerabilities in protocols that require contributory behavior.
Protocols like TLS <= 1.2 may be vulnerable to attacks if Curve25519 public keys are not validated.
An important solution is to check the shared value and raise exceptions if it is zero when working with Curve25519 public keys.

The creation of the End-To-End email encryption program involved significant effort and collaboration, highlighting the importance of teamwork in large software projects.
Working on projects like encryption libraries can lead to gaining a wealth of new knowledge and skills through the experience.
Understanding mathematical concepts like elliptic curve cryptography and number theory is crucial for creating secure encryption systems.

Knowing intermediate values in the Chinese Remainder algorithm can help recover the private key.
Search for leaked memory for specific intermediate values to exploit and recover the private key.
Pre-calculated CRT parameters like d_p and d_q should also be protected to prevent private key recovery.

Padding Oracle Attacks can turn strong cryptography attacks into dangerous web attacks.
Using encryption without authentication/integrity protection can lead to vulnerabilities.
POET is a powerful tool that exploits a common mistake in how websites encrypt sensitive data.

Prioritize encryption to protect your privacy and ensure security. Make use of tools like Tor to anonymize internet traffic and defend against network surveillance.
Securely deleting data is critical. Traditional methods like formatting a hard drive or overwriting data may not be effective. Consider encryption to ensure data destruction without physically tampering with drives.
Implement a layered approach to security, including encryption of various files and using different passwords for different websites. Be cautious and understand that true safety comes from avoiding illegal activities.

When working with sensitive data, having a strong security story and implementing attribute-level encryption is crucial.
For extremely sensitive data, transparent encryption may not be sufficient, and application-level encryption adds an extra layer of security.
Implementing attribute-level encryption for Amazon DynamoDB with KMS in Python can be achieved through a pattern using Lambda as the runtime, with the architecture built and managed using AWS CDK.