DES Challenges: Difference between revisions
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{{Short description|Cryptography contest}} |
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[[Image:Board300.jpg|thumbnail|right|260px|Part of the [[Electronic Frontier Foundation|EFF]]'s DES cracking machine which was used in two of the challenges]] |
[[Image:Board300.jpg|thumbnail|right|260px|Part of the [[Electronic Frontier Foundation|EFF]]'s DES cracking machine which was used in two of the challenges]] |
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The '''DES Challenges''' were a series of [[brute force attack]] contests created by [[RSA Security]] |
The '''DES Challenges''' were a series of [[brute force attack]] contests created by [[RSA Security]] to highlight the lack of security provided by the [[Data Encryption Standard]]. |
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==The Contests== |
==The Contests== |
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The first challenge began in 1997 and was solved in 96 days by the [[DESCHALL Project]]. |
The first challenge began in 1997 and was solved in 96 days by the [[DESCHALL Project]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.interhack.net/pubs/des-key-crack/|title=A Brute Force Search of DES Keyspace|author=Matt Curtin, Justin Dolske|date=May 1998|accessdate=27 February 2014|archive-date=19 October 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161019045329/http://www.interhack.net/pubs/des-key-crack/|url-status=dead}}</ref> |
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'''DES Challenge II-1''' was solved by [[distributed.net]] in |
'''DES Challenge II-1''' was solved by [[distributed.net]] in 39 days in early 1998. The plaintext message being solved for was "The secret message is: Many hands make light work."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://lists.distributed.net/pipermail/announce/1998/000037.html|title=The secret message is...|author=David C. McNett|date=24 February 1998|publisher=distributed.net|accessdate=27 February 2014|archive-date=4 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304000105/http://lists.distributed.net/pipermail/announce/1998/000037.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> |
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'''DES Challenge II-2''' was solved in just 56 hours in July 1998 by the [[Electronic Frontier Foundation]] (EFF) with their purpose-built [[EFF DES cracker|Deep Crack]] machine. |
'''DES Challenge II-2''' was solved in just 56 hours in July 1998, by the [[Electronic Frontier Foundation]] (EFF), with their purpose-built [[EFF DES cracker|Deep Crack]] machine. EFF won $10,000 for their success, although their machine cost $250,000 to build. The contest demonstrated how quickly a rich corporation or government agency, having built a similar machine, could decrypt ciphertext encrypted with DES. The text was revealed to be "The secret message is: It's time for those 128-, 192-, and 256-bit keys."<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20020201012318/http://gilchrist.ca/jeff/distrib-des2-2.html DES-II-2 Challenge]</ref> |
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'''DES Challenge III''' was |
'''DES Challenge III''' was a joint effort between distributed.net and Deep Crack. The key was found in just 22 hours 15 minutes in January 1999, and the plaintext was "See you in Rome (second AES Conference, March 22-23, 1999)".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.distributed.net/images/d/d7/19990119_-_PR_-_release-des3.pdf|title=US Government's Encryption Standard Broken in Less Than a Day|author=David C. McNett|date=19 January 1999|publisher=distributed.net|accessdate=27 February 2014}}</ref> |
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==Reaction== |
==Reaction== |
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After the DES had been shown to be breakable, [[Federal Bureau of Investigation|FBI]] director Louis Freeh told Congress, "That is not going to make a difference in a kidnapping case. It is not going to make a difference in a national security case. We don't have the technology or the brute force capability to get to this information."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0CGN/is_1998_Dec_23/ai_53467087|title=RSA Announces Another DES Cracking Contest|date=1998-12-23|publisher=[[Computergram International]]|accessdate=2008-09-21}}</ref> |
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It was not until special purpose hardware brought the time down below 24 hours that both industry and federal authorities had to admit that the DES was no longer viable. Although the [[National Institute of Standards and Technology]] started work on what became the [[Advanced Encryption Standard]] in 1997, they continued to endorse the DES as late as October 1999, with FIPS 46-3 |
It was not until special purpose hardware brought the time down below 24 hours that both industry and federal authorities had to admit that the DES was no longer viable. Although the [[National Institute of Standards and Technology]] started work on what became the [[Advanced Encryption Standard]] in 1997, they continued to endorse the DES as late as October 1999, with FIPS 46-3. However, [[Triple DES]] was preferred. |
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==See also== |
==See also== |
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Latest revision as of 14:53, 14 February 2024
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (March 2009) |
The DES Challenges were a series of brute force attack contests created by RSA Security to highlight the lack of security provided by the Data Encryption Standard.
The Contests[edit]
The first challenge began in 1997 and was solved in 96 days by the DESCHALL Project.[1]
DES Challenge II-1 was solved by distributed.net in 39 days in early 1998. The plaintext message being solved for was "The secret message is: Many hands make light work."[2]
DES Challenge II-2 was solved in just 56 hours in July 1998, by the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), with their purpose-built Deep Crack machine. EFF won $10,000 for their success, although their machine cost $250,000 to build. The contest demonstrated how quickly a rich corporation or government agency, having built a similar machine, could decrypt ciphertext encrypted with DES. The text was revealed to be "The secret message is: It's time for those 128-, 192-, and 256-bit keys."[3]
DES Challenge III was a joint effort between distributed.net and Deep Crack. The key was found in just 22 hours 15 minutes in January 1999, and the plaintext was "See you in Rome (second AES Conference, March 22-23, 1999)".[4]
Reaction[edit]
After the DES had been shown to be breakable, FBI director Louis Freeh told Congress, "That is not going to make a difference in a kidnapping case. It is not going to make a difference in a national security case. We don't have the technology or the brute force capability to get to this information."[5]
It was not until special purpose hardware brought the time down below 24 hours that both industry and federal authorities had to admit that the DES was no longer viable. Although the National Institute of Standards and Technology started work on what became the Advanced Encryption Standard in 1997, they continued to endorse the DES as late as October 1999, with FIPS 46-3. However, Triple DES was preferred.
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ Matt Curtin, Justin Dolske (May 1998). "A Brute Force Search of DES Keyspace". Archived from the original on 19 October 2016. Retrieved 27 February 2014.
- ^ David C. McNett (24 February 1998). "The secret message is..." distributed.net. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 27 February 2014.
- ^ DES-II-2 Challenge
- ^ David C. McNett (19 January 1999). "US Government's Encryption Standard Broken in Less Than a Day" (PDF). distributed.net. Retrieved 27 February 2014.
- ^ "RSA Announces Another DES Cracking Contest". Computergram International. 1998-12-23. Retrieved 2008-09-21.