[Cryptography] NSA and cryptanalysis

[ianG]

On 31/08/13 06:10 AM, Aaron Zauner wrote:
>
> On Aug 30, 2013, at 1:17 PM, Jerry Leichter <leichter at lrw.com> wrote:
>
>> So the latest Snowden data contains hints that the NSA (a) spends a great deal of money on cracking encrypted Internet traffic; (b) recently made some kind of a cryptanalytic "breakthrough".  What are we to make of this?  (Obviously, this will all be wild speculation unless Snowden leaks more specific information - which wouldn't fit his style, at least as demonstrated so far.)
>
> I read that WP report too. IMHO this can only be related to RSA (factorization, side-channel attacks).


It's all speculation of course, but that is what it feels like to me. 
An interesting clue from the earlier report is that they aren't there 
yet, they're building towards a capability.  They've figured out some 
way to crack in theoretically, and with a big investment they'll get there.

Which suggests a combination of massive crunch power, keys on the margin 
*and* cribs from side-channel attacks.  The bright shiny new 3rd 
division of the NSA is responsible for the side-channel attack.  And it 
was very expensive...  Coincidence?

Or, it could all be fluff, designed to suck money from cow in w.DC. 
Many a conman has made rich by claiming some secret invention;  the 
investors are the muggins for putting their money in without doing the 
due diligence.



iang