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New Vista Random Numbers to Include NSA Backdoor?

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on from the advice-is-to-never-enable-it.-Ever. dept.

Schneier is reporting that Microsoft has added the new Dual_EC-DRBG random-number generator to Vista SP1. This random-number generator is the same one discussed earlier that may have a secret NSA backdoor built into it.

2 of 269 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Given the known problems of Dual_EC_DRBG by RightSaidFred99 · · Score: 5, Informative
    I know this is crazy talk, but maybe there's a simple explanation. Microsoft put it in the OS as an option so that people who want to use it (hmm...government contracts?) can if they so choose. So maybe Microsoft sees the NSA as a "customer" and decided they were important enough to include it for their use and for other government use.

    Insane - I know, they must be "out to get us".

  2. Re:Really... by yo_tuco · · Score: 5, Informative

    "Wait... couldn't you just add something to the random number? Or perhaps shift the digits over?"

    You can do what TFA said:

    "It's possible to implement Dual_EC_DRBG in such a way as to protect it against this backdoor, by generating new constants with another secure random-number generator and then publishing the seed. This method is even in the NIST document, in Appendix A."