On Fri, 10 Apr 1998, jOe wrote:
> Am I right say that:
> Besides weak ciphers, the 48 bit Pre Master Secret is the next alternative
> for a brute force attack to be carried out on a SSL session, since all the
> session keys and MAC keys are derived (mainly) from this 48 bit value.
No. The pre-master secret is 48 *bytes* (which is the same as 384 bits).
That is a great deal more than 48 bits. Even if a brute-force attack on a
384-bit keyspace were conceivable (and it's highly questionable for
thermodynamic reasons), this would not be the next choice. The next
choice for a brute-force attack would be to attack the session keys
derived from the pre-master secret, since they are typically only 128
bits. It might be better to attack the public key algorithms; public-key
strength is harder to measure, but a typical public key will often be less
strong against brute force than a 128-bit session key.
"Let me lose so beautifully http://www.islandnet.com/~mskala/
Let me lick the dew from the money tree Matthew Skala
Have the moms of the world all care about me Ansuz BBS
At suppertime" - Odds (250) 642-7820
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Administrative requests should be sent to [EMAIL PROTECTED] |
| List service provided by Open Software Associates, http://www.osa.com/ |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------------+
