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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."

10 of 658 comments (clear)

  1. You're-a-pee-ins by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    Filthy fucking You're-a-pee-ins: This is my 10-inch steaming love-rod. Take it into your mouth immediately and start to do the only fucking thing you know how to do. And for crying out load, brush your fucking mossy teeth already.

  2. Re:Passwords?! by matth1jd · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    President Skroob: What's the combonation?
    Col. Sandurz: 12345
    President Skroob: That's amazing I have the same combonation on my luggage!

  3. Huh by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    Well I'll be dipped in shit and rolled in breadcrumbs!

  4. In Korea by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    In Korea only old people use passwords.

  5. Re:Fuck the Secret Police by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    Political speech modded down as flamebait. By rightwinger, no doubt.
    Once again, we see the authoritarian, censorius impulses of programmed rightwing bots. Same old fascist story, no matter when or where it is: power will train the sheeple to stomp on dissent.

  6. Firefox versus IExplorer by Sara+Chan · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    I tried viewing the WashingtonPost article in Firefox, and it did not render correctly. Then I tried viewing in IExplorer, and things were fine. (I'm running WinXP-SP2 with extra large fonts.) Did anyone else experience similarly?

  7. Re:Passwords?! by Anonymous+Luddite · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    >> from Sweden a couple of years ago. He had locked his (most common) 3-digit combo lock

    Is there a number shortage in Sweden or what? Three digits seems kind of like... why bother?

    --
    http://request-header.info
  8. Re:Not a problem for me by northcat · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    These things still get modded as funny?

  9. Re:Passwords?! by ScoLgo · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    Well... he had some pretty nice luggage and I wanted him to be able to use it on his return trip.

    OT side note: He owed me big for that, so when I dropped my boat motor bracket in the water at the dock the next day, he was the one that got to dive into the seaweed to retrieve it. To his credit, he did it without complaining.

    Me = butterfingers,( Heh heh).

    --
    "Michael, I did nothing. I did absolutely nothing - and it was everything that I thought it could be."
  10. Re:It's like social engineering, without the perso by jd · · Score: 1, Offtopic

    Israeli Secret Service to Prisoner: "He's not trying to throttle you. He's applying moderate physical pressure."

    --
    It's a small world and it smells funny; I'd buy another if it wasn't for the money; Take back what I paid (SoM)