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How the Secret Service Cracks Encrypted Evidence

Posted by timothy on from the throw-at-wall-see-what-sticks dept.

tabdelgawad writes "The Washington Post offers this writeup about how the U.S. Secret Service uses a Distributed Network Attack program to crack encryption on computers and drives seized as evidence. How can brute force still succeed with 256-bit encryption, you ask? Customized password dictionaries from the seized computer's email files and browser cache: People still use non-random passwords."

17 of 658 comments (clear)

  1. Passwords?! by Enze6997 · · Score: 5, Funny

    King Roland: The combination is: one . . . Dark Helmet: One. Col. Sandurz: One. King Roland: Two . . . Dark Helmet: Two. Col. Sandurz: Two. King Roland: Three . . . Dark Helmet: Three. Col. Sandurz: Three. King Roland: Four . . . Dark Helmet: Four. Col. Sandurz: Four. King Roland: Five . . . Dark Helmet: Five. Col. Sandurz: Five. Dark Helmet: So, the combination is: one, two, three, four, five. That's the stupidest combination I ever heard in my life! That's the kind of thing an idiot would have on his luggage!

    1. Re:Passwords?! by ArsonSmith · · Score: 5, Funny

      Note to self: Change combination on lugage when I get home.

      --
      Paying taxes to buy civilization is like paying a hooker to buy love.
    2. Re:Passwords?! by Bingo+Foo · · Score: 5, Funny

      I hope I never think any of my passwords are so clever that I feel compelled to tell everyone about them.

      --
      taken! (by Davidleeroth) Thanks Bingo Foo!
  2. Now I don't look so crazy... by redmo · · Score: 5, Funny

    for having my hard drive encrypted by a key, on a flash drive, which is encrypted by a password that is generated randomly every five minutes and hased twice before I lock it in my safe deposit box.

    --
    If you're tired, sleep! Wenn Sie muede sind, schlafen!
    1. Re:Now I don't look so crazy... by W3bbo · · Score: 5, Funny

      Law Enforcement can gain access to safety deposit boxes, so your plan is slightly flawed there.

    2. Re:Now I don't look so crazy... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      That's why I store my jump drive in my ass, it comes in a handy suppository case!

    3. Re:Now I don't look so crazy... by The+Other+JoshG · · Score: 5, Funny

      Law Enforcement can gain access to your ass, so your plan is slightly flawed there.

  3. Secret Services Cracks? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    How the Secret Services Cracks Encrypted Evidence

    Looks like someone used Microsoft's Grammar Checker to create the headline.

  4. Random by IPFreely · · Score: 5, Funny
    If I thought these guys had any since of humor at all, I'd make a 1.5 Gb file of random binary from a random number generator and store it in a file with a suspicious name.

    Of course I'd probably end up in Camp-XRay being tortured for the password. That's not where I want to spend my summer vacation.

    --
    There is nothing so silly as other peoples traditions, and nothing so sacred as our own.
  5. Re:You think? by Rorschach1 · · Score: 5, Funny

    "This is probably because people still have non-random memories."

    Pfff. I can remember the opcode for the 6502 halt-catch-fire instruction. I can't, however, remember what I had for breakfast. How's that for random?

  6. Tron by Dachannien · · Score: 5, Funny

    You know, it's amazing that Kevin Flynn had such trouble getting the info he needed to hang Ed Dillinger out to dry, considering that the password for the Master Control Program was "master".

    I guess we've come a long way in the past quarter century. Except when it comes to choosing passwords.

  7. Choosing a password. by bmalia · · Score: 5, Funny

    Enter a new password: ***** [penis]

    Sorry, your password is not long enough.
    Enter a new password:

    --
    There's no place like ~/
  8. Re:I feel pretty safe under Fedora. by Quixote · · Score: 5, Funny
    Unless the government has a pressing need to read my private journal about me bitching about how I can't get a date. In that case, those spooks are outta luck!

    ... and so, it appears, are you. ;-)

  9. Password is not correct by MachDelta · · Score: 5, Funny

    At my former job, one of the programs we used would return "Password is not correct" if you input the wrong password.

    So, for a month, my password was "correct".

    Hey, at least I had a handy reminder if I ever forgot what it was. :P

  10. Eat this! by Maradine · · Score: 5, Funny

    Hey, SS!

    Go stick a pig
    -----BEGIN PGP MESSAGE-----
    Version: PGP 8.1

    qANQR1DBw04DB6hKqQuGABkQD/4ndRFLEcpsuHpf24/Moh2W MS bDwKKMWLDYRUG8
    4Jap4LfE3kpiVoiHvKWpSTz2z6lxbknY88 15gzDnFVPCDgH9L/ 0Rzyh7hF1J5xm2
    nVF1z1EkQPgNJhk8nrzSs3fu96D9wSuLEt wZhkXjCaTR02/H9+ AQ8lDFKVDQYYAi
    XI4Z1knJn+kLvXhyDOXfoyBp8htnRsG5AA wGUJc/GOgAbO668a KoitTl8bwK8Amr
    HNgk/wpSGPODVb1VQ3CL8uy1F1efM1UWmO SpddpBa2gWgfs8lm b6KUrfCes38xSe
    tzfZ1b0RxyeKJkkSAwJFRH9pJb3cmXfw75 b05d6LKHphwyXXb1 rrDaw2ct6Qt5lA
    Ot8+RMrUVd1w3EXEZFO2lV0NeHyWlw0V8q qIFNM+UHcIQCP6kE eIj6niRoG87m7X
    EbdUD8Q7rrW8ELD1MBYR/uW0paxJKClUfU mRfoYnj9H4WpHd2X PdIT6AZX23rWK8
    GLJPRDo+1DK5JWGzCDmpCqPCk/hC6IaTY4 dj+A1ee7y/w255AS JxBoteG0EKC1j8
    EEgdDMGn0/7PVP221FfvUmHiEptXaOIfrH jouJ6RdammqmHWYC sjpmATiWHEP6jf
    V1Vw12K2pNTt5h9oVhf0N0g1GyD4jLLmpM OPb0qSCyk8DWaEt0 IZIjqS/QwVV3Ng
    i6516BAAj4IEcxfYcbEyxvfyDqwkxzJ6R2 GSy2D9i1P6/xiy6a ASo8qSeArFO4KZ
    ATj5YyIDe2HnX66b6z9KaJrRlStSAhKr8l E05enZbjjD9zuliM M09a1L9RDGwB1T
    glArSeHh09AKDyYOYRA3eOp6Tdlog4quaQ M8AszGHfdK07+VI7 4sODIqxI46pd/a
    frOd100aZXP0w5928LbQT4HSUw9pQAsILN Oftik4aRCNozbquR 0wJ+UDaX8f2Qf3
    tvX51ONAm2hSsjkWiBO9n2TMnYYV4th1m4 BVR0sFMO/Pw8tktG 70WC3Y6rDt02G9
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    MdarZSX1QRgEJt/ncSvfhqHwGo21HR9lZ7 l00xu9nQCt5PA+qf xIkJN4vsIidT0h
    YcopCBgJX61SHI+zdZkvbZ+z0NrrnTx5QD HP7FGrsEsjtrSEDE wEXjKPAltPlmQT
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    yiiy1f9TE3GVMogQ00c4OIpWXjNMa2GZFZ kcP1uN1mKiFtMQxF QxiPU+bUJhvCI=
    =qYai
    -----END PGP MESSAGE-----
    and you mother, too!

    M

    --

    trustedworlds.net - gaming, security, and the gunk that lives in between

  11. Reminds me of a story... (offtopic) by hanshotfirst · · Score: 5, Funny
    A minister wakes one Sunday morning to a bright sunny day. He decides to play hooky for a day, and calls his Jr. Pastor to cover services for him as he is very sick.

    He then proceeds to get his golf bag and head for the links. The course is beautiful, the sun is shining, and his game is great.

    Up in heaven, St. Peter asks God "Aren't you going to do something about this?" God replies, "Wait and see."

    As the round of golf continues, the minister is shooting the best game of his life. On the 18th tee, The minister swings... God commands the ball and it bounces off the water, out of a bunker, and right into the cup.

    St. Peter is incredulous. "Why are you REWARDING this man for shirking his duty!? I don't understand?!"

    God replies "Who's he going to be able to tell about it?"

    --
    Why, oh why, didn't I take the Blue Pill?
  12. Re:Reminds me of a story... (even more offtopic) by commodoresloat · · Score: 5, Funny
    So a guy walks into a church and goes to confession. He tells the priest: "Father, I'm 75 years old, and I've been happily married and faithful for 50 years. I have two children in their thirties and I've never cheated on my wife. Until yesterday. I was driving down the street and saw these two hot 20-year old coeds hitchhiking. I picked them up and drove them to a hotel. They convinced me to join them in the hotel where I proceeded to have sex with both of them for the next two hours."

    The priest is quiet for a moment and then says, "are you sorry for your sins?"

    The man replies, "Sins? What do you mean?"

    The priest sounds concerned. "What do I mean? What kind of Catholic are you?"

    The man replies, "Catholic? Father, I'm Jewish!"

    The priest is incredulous. "Well then why are you telling me this?

    The man replies, "are you kidding? I'm telling everybody!"