Maybe with CPU’s but GPU’s make short work of any encryption.

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/password-recovery-gpu,2945.html

a pair of 6990′s can crunch over 3 million passphrases per second. What would take a CPU years to do the right GPU would take mere hours….

Just sayin.

Well they have, but I suppose finding the keys is different than beating it.

Ahhh, well that I didn’t know.  Never say never though, computer technology runs at a very fast pace.  No reason that developments in the darker side of encryption may not outstrip developments on the lighter side of things. 

Or some dude with a sharpie marker that cracks the years of development on a cd that cannot be copied?

It’s the garage/basement types that WILL make this happen. (strictly opinion of course)

yes, seriously.

i don’t think he’s trolling in this case dude.  i agree, cracking today’s encryption is, for lack of a better word, impossible.  sure, computing power gets better and better.. but so does/can encryption.

My apologies for getting all butt hurt.

I don’t know why I throw my hands up in a tizzy fit when people don’t listen to what I have to say. I guess I just feel like I’m wasting my breath. I wasn’t talking about an alt.2600 hacker.

I was referring to the guy that works for the developing company (in their basement). That’s what I mean by “coming from the inside”. It exists – I see it. I work for a tech company that deals with leaks and security breaches on a daily basis. Blah.

I have seen/worked with companies on development of higher end encryption algorithms. I have worked beside those in charge of testing/breaking said algorithms.I’ve debunked so-called “security” measures that were considered secure, simply for the fun of it. So to say that it CANNOT be done? I simply cannot (nor will I) believe.

To be honest, the whole discussion is truly an opinion anyway. Is it not?

Anyway – Mainly I just wanted to drop an apology for throwing out the “troll” comment.

It’s a fact that I cannot do it. That much is clear.

In the 20+ years in the tech field, I’ve just seen so many people say “it cant be done”. 

Only to turn around and (as someone mentioned earlier) say – “ok… well, how about this then?”.

And I know that 20 years isn’t forever. It’s a blink in the tech world (a long blink – but still) – so please don’t think that I try to think that I “know it all” because I know that I don’t.

But I do remember when 128 bit encryption was enough to keep anyone away (blowfish anyone?). That was less than 10 years ago. Since upgraded to 256 bit due to the fact that it didn’t keep everyone away. I feel it will be done. And then you will see 512 bit encryption. It’s a game of cat and mouse. Right now, there are a lot of cats chasing that mouse. But just as many mice running from the cat as well.

But yes. You are right – there is no one in my neighborhood that could do it. And if someone was commissioned (and you can be sure that there are) to do it, they would be watched like a hawk.

There will come a time when the hardware/software developers simply say “To hell with it.. Let them play”. We’ve seen it with nearly all of the types of protection necessary in the past. Too much money spent trying to keep people from doing it. Most just finally understood that and moved on to just improving the actual product.

Cassette Tape? (use scotch tape)Audio CD? (use a sharpie)
Network? (use a cable)Software CD? (use a mounted drive)
DRM? DVD? Blu-Ray? (use a bigger drive)

Truth is, they don’t even need to crack the encryption to get around it. (Even if it does prove itself to be impossible to do.) Someone somewhere will figure out a workaround. 

I’m quite wordy. Sorry about that too. I have often figured that starting a blog entitled “quotes of an opinionated bastard” would be a good thing for me to do.

Someone should shoot brad meltzer an email

It will be some dude in the basement that does it eventually.  The question is whether or not it will be done before a more powerful form of encryption is made real world ready.

I don’t know how to make my point clearer.  Cracking encryption is nowhere in the same league as “hacking a website!”  You need tons of capital, tons of resources and tons of computing power.  When I say “basement dev” I’m talking about how some people here think that some Android developer is going to suddenly crack a bootloader using his one PC.  It’s not happening, and only someone highly uninformed would think that someone like that could do it.

LOL, ok man.  If your uncle and aunt have whole mainframes in their house capable of doing quadrillions of calculations per minute, then yes I misspoke…somehow I doubt that’s the case though.

But by all means, keep the faith.

That’s just a challenge. Never say never. 

“They will never be able to copy CDs”
“They will never be able to create CDs”
“They will never be able to pirate this software”
“They will never hack into …”

All it takes is the right guy with the right friends (or access to the right stuff).
It’s just a challenge that is waiting to happen. Never say never. Not in the world we live in today, with the abundance of people willing to give up their lives to give it a try.

And I of course mean that with the utmost respect for people that do give up their lives to give it a try. I’m one of em. Not on the level to decrypt bootloaders, but still.

10 years ago, I would have believed you. But it’s not 10 years ago. It’s today.

And yes. Wether you believe it or not, I do have an idea of the kind of math that today’s encryption is based on.

I don’t know man.  There is an algorithm to the encryption.  That’s certain.  But the algorithm is so complex to the point that I don’t believe modern computing can even begin to approach figuring it out.  They haven’t even cracked 128bit encryption, so 256 is not happening any time (year, decade, millenia) soon.  

The PS3 crack btw was a non-random encryption method (essentially a flaw in the algorithm).  With a well defined 256bit encryption protocol, you have better odds of winning the lottery everyday for 10 years, then cracking it…

Exactly.  What Geohot did was amazing because of how “simple” it was (relatively speaking).  But the true fault lies in Sony’s poor encryption algorithm.  It wasn’t a true crack.

Though I feel like it probably has been done…but what government or corporation would openly admit that they have keys to most of the digital doors in the world and invite everyone to get new locks?

I don’t care.  I was talking to the people who suggest that there’s a possibility that it could be an Android dev working out of his basement of his own home.  There’s no chance that will happen.  I’m simply stating what should be the obvious.

I’ve been wrong before.  Course I found out I was mistaken about that. 

But seriously, I swear at least one phone was unlocked because the unencrypted keys were found sitting on phones, but maybe I’m remembering what you just mentioned.

LOL…yeah I’m a little amazed myself.

Yes, quite refreshing that not everyone here is a “g-nex” fanatic and can have meaningful discussions.

*ahem* ATRIX?