Re: cryptoapi-2.4.7.0: IV_MODE_SECTOR confusion

[Jari Ruusu <jari.ruusu@pp.inet.fi>]

Rob McGee wrote:
> I'm no cryptographer nor mathematician, but ISTM that having only one
> algorithm potentially helps an attacker, because there's only that one
> to contend with. You can look at the system and see which project is in
> use, and if it's Loop-AES you know with high probability that any large
> incomprehensible file could be an AES loop container. But if its Crypto
> API, you have to consider all the alternatives too. And in the crypto
> world you have to think about the future: algorithms might be cracked,
> computing power might make brute force attacks feasible.

Encryption type is almost always specified in /etc/fstab options, so even
when multiple algorithms are used, an attacker would know the algorithm
anyway. Security comes from keeping the _key_ secret (but you knew that).

> Jari, I personally would be more interested in your project with the
> choice of at least one other algorithm, and if it could coexist with
> the kernel's loop driver.

Loop-AES' loop.o module is a replacement for kernel's loop.o module. It does
everything standard loop driver does, and that includes letting other modules
register new cipher transfer functions. Only AES transfer is pre-registered.

Regards,
Jari Ruusu <jari.ruusu@pp.inet.fi>


Linux-crypto:  cryptography in and on the Linux system
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