debunking snake oil

Nash Foster leaf at google.com
Sat Sep 1 20:13:00 EDT 2007


I don't think fingerprint scanners work in a way that's obviously
amenable to hashing with "well-known" algorithms. Fingerprint scanners
produce an image, from which some features can be identified. But, not
all the same features can be extracted identically every time an image
is obtained.  I know there's been research into fuzzy hashing schemes,
but are they sufficiently secure, fast, and easy to code that they
would be workable for this?

--nash

On 8/31/07, Dave Korn <dave.korn at artimi.com> wrote:
> On 31 August 2007 02:44, travis+ml-cryptography wrote:
>
> > I think it might be fun to start up a collection of snake oil
> > cryptographic methods and cryptanalytic attacks against them.
>
>   I was going to post about "crypto done wrong" after reading this item[*]:
> http://www.f-secure.com/weblog/archives/archive-082007.html#00001263
>
>   I can't tell exactly what, but they have to be doing *something* wrong if
> they think it's necessary to use file-hiding hooks to conceal... well,
> anything really.  The hash of the fingerprint should be the symmetric key used
> to encrypt either files and folders directly on the thumbdrive, or perhaps a
> keyring file containing ADKs of some description, but if you do crypto right,
> you shouldn't have to conceal or obfuscate anything at all.
>
>
>     cheers,
>       DaveK
> [*] - See also
> http://www.f-secure.com/weblog/archives/archive-082007.html#00001264
> http://www.f-secure.com/weblog/archives/archive-082007.html#00001266
> --
> Can't think of a witty .sigline today....
>
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