Cryptanalysis - 128 bit do not mean anything

Cryptanalysis - 128 bit do not mean anything

Cryptanalysis is the counterpart to cryptography. Cryptanalysis is the process of recovering encrypted information without the key that was used for encryption.

There are many different possibilities for cracking encryption systems - the vast majority is based on complex mathematical set-ups. The most simple (but also most time consuming) method is to check all possible keys. It should be obvious that this method is not aplicable to 128 bit encryption. This is one of the reasons why 'strong' encryption is prohibited in several countries.

There are two scientific laws which prove that the method of checking keys will increase in speed:

Moore's law states that the calculation speed of computers available for the same price doubles every 18 months.
Amdahl's law states that some tasks can be performed by multiple computers (e.g. linked via the internet). Searching keys is one of these tasks.

Another important mean in breaking encryption systems is statistic: e is the most frequent letter in the English, German, French, and Spanish language. Repeating text strings like kind regards may eventually endanger the security of weak encryption systems. Compression decreases the possibility of breaking encryption this way.

Contemporary (trustworthy) encryption algorithms are immune to these kinds of attack assuming that no backdoors exist.

A very effective mean against encryption which has nothing to do with mathematics is attacking the user himself. Often employees are forced to reveal passwords by bribery, blackmail, or even physical violence.