Crypto Snake Oil

An anonymous reader writes "Luther Martin of Voltage Security has published an article about the perception of cryptography today with regards to quality and honesty in vendors. From the article: 'Products that implement cryptography are probably credence goods. It requires expensive and uncommon skills to verify that data is really being protected by the use of cryptography, and most people cannot easily distinguish between very weak and very strong cryptography. Even after you use cryptography, you are never quite sure that it is protecting you like it is supposed to do.'"

Comments

Re:WPA-supporting devices all but mandatory

[Anonymous Coward]

WPA-supporting devices are all but mandatory for laptops and WAPs these days.

Mandatory???!!!, on whose authority, bitch? Mandate near me and you're in for huge disappointment. You sound like a fucking PHB with that kind of overreaching arrogance.

If your device doesn't support WPA, replace it.

Kiss my ass, you shithead. I'm not lugging a lot of gear to a landfill just because something newer came along. And I won't be doing it again in six months when WPA gets cracked.

I guess you change all the locks on your house and business every two years when a new type of slightly more secure lock comes onto the market. If not, STFU with your "mandatory" horseshit.

Re:Crypto is scary stuff

[Spiked_Three]

"Ohh, you're one of those people. The paranoid, cynic, LBJ-killed-Kennedy people with more willingness to post on slashdot than knowledge about the subject." Nope, just someone with more security clearences than you'll ever know of who worked for a retired head of cryptography, CIA for a couple of years. Take your math and shove it, it has nothing to do with solving the problem.

Re:Crypto is scary stuff

[Spiked_Three]

why would i back down? But tell you what - arguing with you now on this thread serves me no purpose - the government likes your type, it makes their job a lot easier - but I will offer to step up my game, write out big long sentences so that even slashdot crowds can understand them when the next crypto article comes around or gets repeated.

We can keep it civilized - i had a dozen arguments against your points earlier but i was too lazy to post them - but when they will be seen by more people I will gladly share them with you.

Deal? remind me if I forget - spiked3@gmail.com

google Kryptos - that was 'designed' by the man i worked for - not the artist.

peace