Slashdot: Encryption Made For Police and Military Radios May Be Easily Cracked

Aug 7, 2025

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Source URL: https://it.slashdot.org/story/25/08/07/217234/encryption-made-for-police-and-military-radios-may-be-easily-cracked
Source: Slashdot
Title: Encryption Made For Police and Military Radios May Be Easily Cracked

Feedly Summary:

AI Summary and Description: Yes

Summary: The text highlights critical vulnerabilities in an encryption algorithm widely used in radios for essential sectors, including law enforcement and military. After researchers discovered a backdoor in the original algorithm, subsequent findings revealed that an endorsed end-to-end encryption solution exposed similar security risks, raising alarms about the integrity of secure communications across sensitive infrastructures.

Detailed Description:

– The report emphasizes a significant security lapse in an encryption algorithm used within critical infrastructure sectors.
– Initially, two years ago, researchers uncovered an intentional backdoor in the core encryption algorithm, which compromised communication security for police, military, and intelligence entities.
– The European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) recommended deploying an end-to-end encryption solution as a countermeasure, which was presumed to enhance security.
– However, the same researchers later identified that at least one implementation of this recommended end-to-end encryption also possesses vulnerabilities allowing for eavesdropping.
– Specific details about the encryption process reveal the initial 128-bit encryption key is compressed to 56 bits, which raises concerns regarding the ease of decoding such traffic.
– There is uncertainty about who is using this compromised implementation, further raising concerns about unawareness regarding the security flaws among involved parties.
– The implications are particularly dire given the sensitive nature of the organizations relying on this encryption type, which include law enforcement and national security agencies.
– The text suggests that this situation may now affect a broader user base since ETSI’s endorsement could have led to wider adoption.

This scenario underscores the necessity for robust security assessments and the importance of continuous monitoring of encryption solutions, particularly within critical sectors. Security professionals must remain vigilant regarding reliance on endorsed solutions that may not have been exhaustively tested for vulnerabilities. There is a need for enhanced scrutiny and potentially a renewed focus on establishing stronger, more reliable encryption standards to prevent similar scenarios in the future.

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