The theory tag has no wiki summary.
25
votes
2answers
3k views
Amount of simple operations that is safely out of reach for all humanity?
Cryptographic primitives usually assert some security level given as number of operations to mount an attack. Hash functions, for example, give different security levels for collision attacks, ...
10
votes
4answers
746 views
Future proof encryption possible in theory?
Let's say I have a message that I want to keep safe for the next 100 years. Is it theoretically possible?
Let's say the message is unique (raw picture data, raw video video data, raw text data) and ...
18
votes
5answers
1k views
How valuable is secrecy of an algorithm?
On the surface, the inadvisability of security through obscurity is directly at odds with the concept of shared secrets (i.e. "passwords"). Which is to say: if secrecy around passwords is valuable, ...
12
votes
2answers
510 views
Are there some good papers (or discussions) on using Markov chains or Hidden Markov Models for password auditing/cracking?
As a programmer and language enthusiast I've been very interested in Markov chains for some time. Considering the influence of natural language on password and passphrase selection (by humans of ...
5
votes
4answers
295 views
What is the solution to Schneier's Law?
Schneier's law (which should probably be called Babbage's Law). States that:
Anyone, from the most clueless amateur
to the best cryptographer, can create
an algorithm that he himself can't
...
3
votes
1answer
292 views
Will double encryption increase the security of cipher vs bruteforce?
Lets say, I have a function
encrypt(mes,key)
where :
mes = message
key = key
Length of key is 64bits.
Lets say, that only way to crack my cipher is brute force attack.
If I use
...
1
vote
1answer
76 views
How big is the risk of hash fixed points/cycles?
It's established wisdom to hash password multiple times with a salt to increase the time it takes per brute force iteration. At the same time (unless the algorithm guarantees otherwise) there's a ...
0
votes
1answer
127 views
Detecting end-state of decryption process with unknown key
Note: this question arises purely from a theoretical interest in security research.
Frequently in popular fiction we see white-hat hackers decrypt secret information in a matter of seconds. While ...
