[Cryptography] Crypto best practices

[iang]

On 10/03/2017 18:21, John Denker wrote:

> It is remarkable that they consider such weaknesses to be super-
> highly classified.  As it says in reference [1], quoting none
> other than Frank Rowlett,
>
>        "in the long run it is more important to secure one's own
>         communications than to exploit those of the enemy."
>
> Alas the NSA and CIA seem to get this wrong again and again
> and again.

To the warrior, attack is so much more fun than defence.

> [1] Thomas R. Johnson
>      "American Cryptology during the Cold War; 1945-1989"
>       Center For Cryptologic History / National Security Agency (1998)
>
> That document used to be available on the NSA web site:
>       http://www.nsa.gov/public_info/_files/cryptologic_histories/cold_war_iii.pdf
> but they took it down.  Have they never heard of the WayBack Machine?
>       http://web.archive.org/web/20160313120238/https://www.nsa.gov/public_info/_files/cryptologic_histories/cold_war_iii.pdf

And, to the bureaucrat, saying No is so much safer than saying Yes.

iang