The 13th LetterA mathematician’s creative corner.2014-02-02T00:00:00Ztag:the13thletter.info,2013-12-11:w/entriesthe 13th letterhttp://the13thletter.info/Password cracking: a case study in combinatoricstag:the13thletter.info,2014-01-14:w/pwcrack2014-01-14T00:00:00Z2014-01-14T00:00:00Z
Many cryptographic systems such as OpenPGP and Linux Unified Key
Setup utilize passwords to encrypt the payload, whether directly
or indirectly. Due to limits on human memory, low entropy of
natural language, and other related factors, passwords are
oftentimes the weakest link in the crypto system, and thus
represent a viable attack point for obtaining unauthorized
access. In this article I share my personal experiences with
trying a password guessing attack on an OpenPGP keypair, with
a focus on the combinatorics of the problem.
A Declaration of Intenttag:the13thletter.info,2013-12-11:w/intent2013-12-11T00:00:00Z2013-12-24T00:00:00Z
To successfully launch a long-term project such as this
collection of articles and essays, I must ask myself why I am
writing, what I am trying to accomplish by this. Realistically,
I must also provide a reason for why you should read my
writings. In this inaugural article, I answer both of these
questions, and I share the story of why I did not choose
a different topic for my inaugural article.