Re: Help spread strong cryptography now!

Douglas A. Gwyn wrote:
"David A. Scott" wrote:
Strange you think I am silly for thinking the NSA has already broken
AES the way its commonly used.

Since NSA & associated agencies have approved AES+CTR for
protection of classified information for up to 2 levels
(e.g. TS source in a C environment), if indeed they knew
how to readily break that with resources that hostile
governments might be able to muster, they would *not* be
properly performing the information-protection half of
their charter.

Do we really imagine that a government contractor can
just whip up an AES+CTR cryptosystem and then use it
for TS storage? I don't think so! Instead, I expect that
NSA would have to review and approve both the system
design and implementation before use. And, in the
review process, NSA can make whatever suggestions
are appropriate to get a system of the form they want,
and not necessarily what we would call AES+CTR.

My guess is that, in most cases, the contractor would
just use an NSA-designed system in the first place,
and never "really" know or care about what was going
on inside (which is probably better for everyone
involved).

Why would NSA ever openly describe how a real
cryptosystem works unless that would help confuse an
opponent? It seems more likely to me that "AES+CTR"
is an inside joke.

---
Terry Ritter Crypto Glossary & Encyclopedia
http://www.ciphersbyritter.com/GLOSSARY.HTM

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Relevant Pages

  • Re: Help spread strong cryptography now!
    ... just whip up an AES+CTR cryptosystem and then use it ... NSA would have to review and approve both the system ... Nevertheless it is specifically the AES+CTR algorithm ... AES+CTR is already public knowledge. ...
    (sci.crypt)
  • Re: Has the NSA officially "shunned" Kalimat Press???
    ... Because the NSA didn't mention all the issues doesn't mean they aren't ... Had these works gone through the review process Kalimat would ... Ethics website: http://www.sci.usq.edu.au/staff/house/goodness ...
    (talk.religion.bahai)