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Elliptic Curve Back Door - Computerphile

Computerphile1 HN recommender · recommended in 1 month, 2021–2025
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explainer · intermediate · evergreen · 2021–2025 on HN

Dr Mike Pound explains the suspected backdoor in the Dual_EC_DRBG random number generator and how elliptic curve constants could let someone predict its output.

HN points to it as an intuitive explanation of how NIST standardized a backdoored generator.

CryptographyPrivacy, surveillance & cybercrime#dual_ec_drbg#cryptography#ellipticcurves#nsa

4 comments from Hacker News

@qzx_pierri2025-03 · in “NIST selects HQC as fifth algorithm for post-quantum encryption”

I recommend this video by Computerphile - He talks about how NIST may have been pressured into enforcing compromised (backdoored?) cryptography methods as a standard - Dual_EC_DRBG to be exact. He also gives a super cool/intuitive breakdown on how this came to be. It will definitely grow some food for thought. ▶ this video

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@lcnPylGDnU4H9OF2024-11 · in “Nothing-up-my-sleeve number”

Computerphile video discussing the mathematics around how such a number could have been used in a practical way. ▶ this video link When people say, “Don’t roll your own crypto,” it’s because the field is littered with footguns and (to stretch an analogy) guns in cryptography launch explosives.

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@m-p-32022-06 · in “Dueling over Dual_EC_DRGB: Consequences of Corrupting a Standardization Process”

Long story short is that we don't know for sure, but there are some possibilities that's makes it plausible ▶ this video

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@Arkanum2021-09 · in “The NSA's Backdoor in Dual EC”

Computerphile[1] did a video about the specifics of the backdoor in Dual EC DRBG. As i understand it, the hackers replaced a magic number Q with a different value than the standards compliant one, where they had pre-computed P. [1]: ▶ this video

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