Viewing Single Post From: The NSA May Read My Mail

Viewing Single Post From: The NSA May Read My Mail
Donald	Oct 11 2005, 03:49 PM
Elite member Posts: 454 Group: Trusted Member Member #8 Joined: September 2, 2005	"cows" This is what i meant by the NSA using a computer to decrypt emails. If a human can do it - then a computer can do it. It's a bit difficult for a human brain to wrap itself around the actual SIZE of a 128 bit keyspace, let alone 256. Even with a building full of computers, brute force is just not a practicle attack on AES or just about any modern cipher with a large key. Also, as I said once before in this thread, NSA recommends AES for our entire banking system. Even for our goverments use. Now if the NSA thought that AES could be decrypted by a building full of computers, then they would have a problem on their hands. LOTS of people can afford a building full of computers. Certainly most major governments could. The NSA's job isn't just to spy on people, it's also to protect the US's security from outside attack. If the NSA can break AES, someone else could. And that is a risk to the security of the US that simply could not be made up for by the advantage of being able to spy on a few people. A hostile outside force with access to the keys to the banking system of the US would be devistating, let alone the military codes. So, I think you can feel fairly confident that anything encrypted with AES is not likely to be read without access to the key. And it would be MUCH easier to come to your house and beat you until you tell them the key then it would be to brute force it. So, to echo Insecure, I think we would all be better off if everyone encrypted all of their email. While admitting, that until everyone does, encrypting your email DOES draw attention to you. If I really had something to hide, I would be afraid that encrypting my email might bring some guys to the door with a rubber hose and a mission to bring home my keys... Donald


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