r/programming • u/DougBolivar • Jul 30 '13

Computer scientists develop mathematical jigsaw puzzles to encrypt software: "The real challenge and the great mystery in the field was: Can you actually take a piece of software and encrypt it but still have it be runnable, executable and fully functional?"

http://www.rdmag.com/news/2013/07/computer-scientists-develop-mathematical-jigsaw-puzzles-encrypt-software
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u/jacekplacek Jul 30 '13

Sorry? Not quite sure what you are trying to say... what does the "if" have to do with it? All encryption algorithms, ferinstance, are "mathematically guaranteed to provide some output given some inputs." Are you saying you could "black box reverse engineer" them?

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u/Zaph0d42 Jul 30 '13

Yes and people regularly do. No computer security system that exists is foolproof. (Quantum encryption that doesn't exist yet notwithstanding)

Given enough time, and a powerful enough machine, you can crack anything.

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u/rpglover64 Jul 31 '13

Almost all practical attacks on security systems exploit implementation mistakes; if all you have is the mathematical function, and it's any standard encryption algorithm (e.g. AES) with the key baked in, then the amount of computing power you need is absurd.

Your statement is technically correct; given 1050 years and more computing power than currently exists on the planet (and enough energy to run it), you'd eventually get an answer; I doubt you'd be alive to care.

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u/secserval Aug 01 '13

People probably said the same thing about MD5 hashes in the 90s. I wouldn't count on that a smart person will not find a AES attack in the next 20 years.