How the Secret Service Cracks Encrypted Evidence

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."

Comments

In other words..

[doormat]

If your password is something you've ever written on your computer, its likely they'll crack it? Interesting.... moral of the story: dont use words found in the dictionary as your password. Inject spaces or numbers or punctuation into the word if you do. And dont write it down on a sticky note under your keyboard.

Because people are stupid/lazy

[Andy Dodd]

It's always been known that a fully random password is more secure.

But it's a bitch to remember, so people use easier-to-guess passwords anyway.

Knowledge of this technique changes nothing. Any crook smart enough to use totally random passwords after this incident probably is already doing so.