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Privacy With a 4096 Bit RSA Key — Offline, On Paper

HavanaF writes "Online backup is practical, but can it offer any privacy? The Dutch security company Safeberg developed an Offline Private Key Protocol, with an asymmetric key scheme. The protocol demands that the private (decryption) key be stored away from the 'source' computer, which presumably is 'too vulnerable.' The catch is that the private key needs to be fairly large to be secure: a 4,096-bit RSA key should suffice for some years. But how to store an 800-character key offline? Safeberg introduces a machine readable paper key, with the 4k-bit key crammed in a giant 2D Datamatrix barcode. This video on key strength tells the story."

23 of 232 comments (clear)

  1. What Happens When ... by WrongSizeGlass · · Score: 4, Funny

    ... you fold the paper your 2D key is on? Tears, that's what. Tears.

    1. Re:What Happens When ... by Sponge+Bath · · Score: 2, Funny

      Unfold it? Just be sure not to wipe your ass with it.

    2. Re:What Happens When ... by jd2112 · · Score: 2, Funny

      Bar codes printed on media of all kinds are generally quite robust and not error prone.

      Excepet at the supermarket, when you are in a hurry...

      --
      Any insufficiently advanced magic is indistinguishable from technology.
    3. Re:What Happens When ... by Darkness404 · · Score: 2, Funny

      In order to be really secure, the machine is powered off, placed in a locked, bombproof, uncrackable safe and left there. Anything else exposes risks.

      --
      Taxation is legalized theft, no more, no less.
    4. Re:What Happens When ... by Yvan256 · · Score: 4, Funny

      you can recover the data from the entropy in the universe.

      I tried do to that and all I got was "42".

  2. Another plausible scenario I have to watch out for by Merc248 · · Score: 3, Funny

    Guy holding knife and laxatives: "Poop the paper! Poop it now!"

    --
    "Hegelians, who love a synthesis, will probably conclude that he wears a wig." - Bertrand Russell
  3. First Po.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Hang on! let me get my giant barcode out of my pocket!

  4. key exchange by akirapill · · Score: 3, Funny

    I'll fax you a xerox of my public key. Is analog the new steam punk?

    1. Re:key exchange by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      Sorry, I only accept mimeographs.

  5. Re:In 2006, a guy recited Pi to 100000 places... by hansraj · · Score: 2, Funny

    Nothing, but that poor guy will have to remember passwords for everyone!

  6. Re:no thanks my Hard drive is too big by toastar · · Score: 3, Funny

    How the fuck am I gonna back up to a remote server over the internet at 60 kbytes/sec?

    you can get about 17 MBytes/Sec with a 1.5TB through USPS

  7. Re:Another plausible scenario I have to watch out by Merc248 · · Score: 5, Funny

    "Defecate thy papyrus!"

    --
    "Hegelians, who love a synthesis, will probably conclude that he wears a wig." - Bertrand Russell
  8. Re:no thanks my Hard drive is too big by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    They mean BESIDES the music, movies, and pr0n. You know, the [stuff] on your hard drive that's actually useful?

    BLASPHEME!

  9. Re:And this is practical, how? by Arthur+Grumbine · · Score: 3, Funny

    Safeberg also announced that their official position is that "dog food tastes terrible".

    --
    Now that I think about it, I'm pretty sure everything I just said is completely wrong.
  10. Idiotic by evilviper · · Score: 3, Funny

    This makes absolutely no sense. Smart cards have been around for many years now. There, you NEVER give ANYONE or anything access to your private key. Challenge-response, one-time-passwords, tokens, etc, etc. Putting it on paper is LESS SECURE than sticking it on a thunb drive. Then at least it can't be stolen by taking a picture...

    --
    Slashdot gets worse every day... Pipedot: News for nerds, without the corporate slant
  11. Re:Lets go old school by azenpunk · · Score: 2, Funny

    "What's your password?"

    "Umm....let's see. Del Monte canned peaches in light syrup, kraft macaroni and cheese, hunts canned pizza sauce, campbels chicken and noodle soup"

    "We need a Safeway, tape, scissors and a barcode reader!"

  12. Re:no thanks my Hard drive is too big by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Online backup is practical

    not for my 1.5 terabyte HDD which is about half full.

    Right now backing up from hard drive to hard drive takes forever (hours). How the fuck am I gonna back up to a remote server over the internet at 60 kbytes/sec?

    How much porn can one person watch, anyway? I mean, you have to leave time for Salshdot, too!

  13. Re:no thanks my Hard drive is too big by dangitman · · Score: 2, Funny

    you can get about 17 MBytes/Sec with a 1.5TB through USPS

    Liar! 17 Megabyte files always take 20 minutes to copy. Always.

    --
    ... and then they built the supercollider.
  14. Re:In 2006, a guy recited Pi to 100000 places... by jamesh · · Score: 2, Funny

    when you put 4096 bit encryption into the hands of an average person, they really do type 12345 one hundred and sixty times.

    I'm obviously above average then - i'd use cut & paste to do the job in seconds!

  15. Hang on a minute by Nazlfrag · · Score: 2, Funny

    Does it come with a sticky backing so I can put it next to all the passwords I wrote down?

  16. Re:In 2006, a guy recited Pi to 100000 places... by 93+Escort+Wagon · · Score: 2, Funny

    It takes a special kind of mind to do that.

    And that said... I memorized a 48 character hexadecimal password, in case I ever need one. :P

    I hope it wasn't F80FFA585E9867B804D998A2ED65E55BFC352C3C500684CC, cuz that's the one I'm using.

    --
    #DeleteChrome
  17. Re:In 2006, a guy recited Pi to 100000 places... by rwjyoung · · Score: 2, Funny

    Damn thats the same combination I use on my luggage!

    --
    Watch me build my house
  18. Re:no thanks my Hard drive is too big by borgboy · · Score: 2, Funny

    Those who would sacrifice latency for bandwidth deserve neither.

    --
    meh.