<tinfoilhat> What if the NIST curves were backdoored not by the NSA as a whole, but a rogue individual within the NSA, with the goal of making that backdoor av

<tinfoilhat> What if the NIST curves were backdoored not by the NSA as a whole, but a rogue individual within the NSA, with the goal of making that backdoor available to a foreign power and/or the highest bidder? It seems unlikely to me, because the NSA has so many brilliant people working for them, but it also seems like (at least superficially) it would explain just about every element of their reaction to this situation. They're used to being years or decades ahead of everyone else (e.g. differential cryptanalysis), and being caught off-guard would be an uncomfortable position for them. </tinfoilhat>