Weak Win2k Encryption Exposes Al-Qaeda Files

[s0nIc]

The default encryption standards on exported versions of Windows 2000 may have revealed confidential details about the movements of the al-Qaeda network.
Two computers bought by Wall Street Journal reporters from looters in Kabul after it was captured by the Northern Alliance turned out to have been lifted from al-Qaeda headquarters and still contained documents relating to the terrorist group's activities.

Of the thousands of files stored on the machines some of the more interesting documents, including a number that may relate to 'Shoe Bomber' Richard Reid, were encrypted using Windows 2000's standard 40-bit DES Encrypting File System.

Using a cluster of computers, the Wall Street Journal managed to crack the 40-bit encryption keys. But this took five days as the computers had to cycle through over a trillion different keys.

Had the software been bought after March of last year, or in the US itself, the keys would have been 128-bit by default and billions of times harder to crack.

In related news, computer files found at the UK homes of two Muslims charged with intention to cause explosions allegedly contained bomb making instructions.

http://www.vnunet.com/News/1128496

[nabylbt]

why use windows encryption when pgp is free and much secure .... i guess we are lucky they are smart enough to use weak encryption .... yeap trust ms and they'll screw u....

[Merlinboy]

Hmm.....this is really stupid to use 40bit encription ,especially from al-Qaeda,but anyway probably those weren't such important data,or who knows?

[Krakpype]

Well, 2 bad for them. I guess they get so wrapped up in shitting in caves and/or btiching about supposed American imperialism and injustice... they don't spend much time on the books. Hahaha, 40bits.....that makes me laugh.

[binary0boy]

I thought they were against the USA why are thy using American made Products.

[KorpDeath]

Because they are hypocrites. All of them. I remember seeing Osama in bell-bottoms and a nice butterfly collar standing in fron of a big ol' Caddy(I think it was a caddy) Anyway you get the jist.

[ammo]

Couldn't they have just recovered the sam and logged in as the user with the appropriate key?

Ammo

[gh0stface]

Originally posted here by KorpDeath
Because they are hypocrites. All of them. I remember seeing Osama in bell-bottoms and a nice butterfly collar standing in fron of a big ol' Caddy(I think it was a caddy) Anyway you get the jist.

I suppose that writing their own PGP is hard to do in a cave when all you have to use is rocks and dirt. They are a bunch of tools.

[Highlander]

I expect in another year or 2 we will laugh
about 128 bit encription....

[souleman]

Highlander> We already do. 128 bit is enough to keep the government out of you computer for maybe 1/2 hour or so.