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Crack the Code and Win a Million Bucks

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the mod-everything-by-2 dept.

JS_RIDDLER noted a Toronto Star article about a sort of contest to crack some encryption and win a million bucks. The article is a bit fluffy, but it getst the point across... we wasted all those RC5 keys ;)

4 of 276 comments (clear)

  1. 2 bad... by internet-redstar · · Score: 5, Interesting

    ... they should have left an option open for people finding holes in the ACTUAL implementation... Now only mathematicians stand a chance - go, go, go, you few good number theoretisists not employed by the NSA! =-= insert favorite conspiricy theory here =-=

    1. Re:2 bad... by TedCheshireAcad · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Modern cryptographic algorithms are good enough - it's the protocols that need work. Security problems happen in the implementation, most of the time the algorithms are rock-solid. DES, being as old as it is, is still a pretty prominent work horse (at least in the form of 3DES). Phasing it out with Rijndael (AES) just takes alot of time and money.

      As for Elliptic Curve Cryptography as mentioned in this article - it's still in its infancy - at least compared to other ciphers. This is just a stupid publicity show. But I bet I can win that $1M with an investment of under $20.

      There is an old KGB proverb: "It is easier to break fingers than it is to break codes." So, using my $20 budget on a pipe cutter, fifty feet of rope, and an ice pick, I believe I can recover the key. ;)

  2. I read this and wonder about UNIX by ObviousGuy · · Score: 5, Interesting

    They are using keys that sound big 168 bits, 256 bits, etc. But those aren't really that big, only 21 bytes and 32 bytes respectively. These sentences are longer than those keys.

    Then I note that UNIX limits passwords to 8 bytes. A measly 64 bits.

    I don't think I can sleep well knowing that all that stands between my data and some hacker is such a small string.

    --
    I have been pwned because my /. password was too easy to guess.
  3. XM Radio by Silicon+Mike · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I went over to their website and parused around... Seems they did the security to XM Radio, http://www.certicom.com/download/aid-78/success_XM Radio.pdf) which humors me because XM Radio was hacked about 2 months after it went live.. All you need is a part from an old Dish Network reciever and a soldier iron.