Nuclear Warhead Blueprints On Smugglers' Computers

imrehg links to a story at the Guardian which begins "Blueprints for a sophisticated and compact nuclear warhead have been found in the computers of the world's most notorious nuclear-smuggling racket, according to a leading US researcher. The digital designs, found in heavily encrypted computer files in Switzerland, are believed to be in the possession of the US authorities and of the International Atomic Energy Agency, in Vienna, but investigators fear they could have been extensively copied and sold to 'rogue' states via the nuclear black market." Reader this great guy links to the New York Times article on the discovery, and asks "Given that Khan's revelations were made in early 2004, does that mean it took the IAEA 1-2 years to brute-force the encryption?"

Comments

first

[Lolzownz]

first

Re:NSA, anyone

[Anonymous Coward]

"THAT is why we wanted to control encryption."

You're in the wrong game entirely -- we wanted to control encryption to prevent the spread of weapons-grade kiddie porn.

And what are the odds that controlling the use or production of encryption would have any effect outside the US?

All you have to do anyway is put it on a lot of CDs. Get them mailed by a large number of putatively ordinary citizens to other putatively ordinary foreign citizens in various countries. In the umpteen billion pieces of mail allegedly handled by the USPS, at least a few will get through

FPers for code cracking?

[zurtle]

Surely people with an ethic for being so fast should be placed in such positions to fully utilise their aptitude?

Give the man/woman/thing a contract for the safety of our countries! The War of Terror demands it!