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New Snowden Leak Reports 'Groundbreaking' NSA Crypto-Cracking
11–20 of 122 posts
Re: New Snowden Leak Reports 'Groundbreaking' NSA Crypto-Cracking
#12:( up until just a few years ago, I always looked at the NSA organization with a sense of awe and pride ... that we (the US) were so advanced. Now it's just a source of shame that such powerful knowledge is being directed at us, rather than used as a tool for our benefit.
Well, to be fair, it's being directed at 'everyone,' still ostensibly for 'our' benefit.
It's the thought that counts, right?
Re: New Snowden Leak Reports 'Groundbreaking' NSA Crypto-Cracking
#13What if the "groundbreaking" crypto-cracking was that the NSA discovered you could trick people into cracking "bountied" SHA-256 hashes in a massively parallel operation?
Re: New Snowden Leak Reports 'Groundbreaking' NSA Crypto-Cracking
#14This makes me think that it might be good to have a "security by obscurity" layer on top of the existing security layer. A big weakness of a public security protocol is that a huge government might privately crack it and tell nobody.
Re: New Snowden Leak Reports 'Groundbreaking' NSA Crypto-Cracking
#15Mostly I'm surprised at the pay distribution on page 9 of the included document.
GS pay tops out around $117k. Is that how much we're paying for top level cryptography research? Do contractors like Snowden get to make $200k because that's just what their consulting firm bills for?
Re: New Snowden Leak Reports 'Groundbreaking' NSA Crypto-Cracking
#16I think observers have long assumed NSA is some number of years ahead – say, 2-30 years ahead – of openly published results in cryptanalysis and cryptosystem vulnerabilities.
But it's really hard to assume that - that's assuming true mathematical leaps and invention. Admittedly if you put enough cryptographers on the payroll they may form their own university, but they still need the air of their peers on the outside. Imagine a cosmologist today transported 30 years back and asked to attend conferences - they would gain no inspiration.
I think we put too much emphasis on the single data point of GCHQ inventing pgp early (IIRC)
Re: New Snowden Leak Reports 'Groundbreaking' NSA Crypto-Cracking
#17I wonder why do newspapers insist on labelling Snowden a 'leaker'. Why not 'whistleblower', or 'privacy advocate'?
Re: New Snowden Leak Reports 'Groundbreaking' NSA Crypto-Cracking
#18> The Post said it withheld the rest, and kept some information out of its reporting, in consultation with the Obama administration to protect U.S. intelligence sources and methods. Weird. Why now? They (admin) refused to do that with WikiLeaks.
Did wikileaks approach the admin for consultation? If not, then it's impossible to refuse.
Re: New Snowden Leak Reports 'Groundbreaking' NSA Crypto-Cracking
#19Mostly I'm surprised at the pay distribution on page 9 of the included document. GS pay tops out around $117k. Is that how much we're paying for top level cryptography research? Do contractors like Snowden get to make $200k because that's just what their consulting firm bills for?
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Re: New Snowden Leak Reports 'Groundbreaking' NSA Crypto-Cracking
#20I wonder why do newspapers insist on labelling Snowden a 'leaker'. Why not 'whistleblower', or 'privacy advocate'?
Because that would be taking a stance on weather he was a whistleblower or a traitor. He leaked the documents, so he's a leaker.