Webtagr - Technology News Summarizer

NIST's Flawed Kyber-512 Security Calculation: A Controversy Over Standardization

2025-06-22

This cr.yp.to blog post exposes a serious error in NIST's calculation of the security level for the Kyber-512 post-quantum cryptosystem. The author demonstrates that NIST nonsensically multiplied two costs that should have been added, resulting in a severe overestimation of Kyber-512's security. This error stems from NIST's mishandling of memory access costs, misinterpretations of existing literature, and a lack of transparency in its standardization process. The author also reveals the close collaboration between NIST and the NSA, and the unfair treatment of alternative candidates like NTRU. The post details the flawed calculation and calls for a complete overhaul of NIST's standardization procedures to ensure transparency and reliability.

Entropy Attacks: Exploiting Flaws in Random Number Generation

2025-03-28

A cr.yp.to blog post reveals a critical vulnerability in random number generation—entropy attacks. The conventional wisdom holds that hashing multiple entropy sources enhances randomness, but the author demonstrates that if a single source is compromised, attackers can manipulate the hash output and control generated random numbers. This poses a significant threat to cryptographic systems relying on randomness, like DSA and ECDSA, enabling attackers to steal private keys. EdDSA, due to its deterministic signature generation, offers stronger resistance. The article advocates for minimizing entropy sources and employing deterministic cryptographic approaches to mitigate the risks associated with constantly adding new entropy.

Will Quantum Computers Really Work? Challenging Doubts About Quantum Attacks on RSA

2025-01-18

This blog post addresses skepticism surrounding the feasibility of quantum computers breaking RSA-2048 encryption. The author refutes arguments claiming quantum computers won't work, such as the exponential energy argument, the number of variables argument, the error correction argument, and visibility arguments. These arguments, the author contends, are largely based on wishful thinking and confirmation bias, lacking scientific rigor. While acknowledging challenges in quantum computing, the author emphasizes that based on current literature and progress, breaking RSA with quantum computers isn't far-fetched, making early preparation crucial.