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This happens with some regularity in the crypto scene. Someone comes up with a cipher and they think it must be awesome! because they came up with it. Not bei

This happens with some regularity in the crypto scene. Someone comes up with a cipher and they think it must be awesome! because they came up with it. Not being cryptographers, these ciphers always fall quickly, then the authors get defensive. I want a doll with Alan Turing's likeness that says "cryptography is hard" when you pull the cord.

jascii 7y ago
Cryptography is hard enough when using proven algorithms..
- Gibbon1 7y ago
  I remember on an old crypto mailing list some lowly PHP programmer asking if instead of a grab bag of primitives there was some library where he could just encrypt/decrypt a random object. Without having to build a Frankenstein thing out of random cryptographic parts. Everyone peed on him and he never came back. The poor sap was right though. The proven algorithms tend to fail catastrophically when used or implemented incorrectly.
  - larzang 7y ago
    Ironically now PHP is one of the few high-level languages doing this right, with built-in libsodium support and an excellent idiot-proof library available in Halite on top of that.
    - jjeaff 7y ago
      Agreed. And it even has a global you can use for the cipher that is updated along with the php version.
teddyh 7y ago
“Anyone, from the most clueless amateur to the best cryptographer, can create an algorithm that he himself can't break.” — Bruce Schneier https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2011/04/schneiers_law.html https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2011/04/schneiers_law...
- ErikAugust 7y ago
  That was one of my takeaways from reading Applied Cryptography. It has come in handy when evaluating crypto-based software. “Rolled their own crypto... avoid.”
artsyca 7y ago
Turing is my hero as I'm sure he is for a lot of us I sometimes apply the reasoning of what would Alan Turing say? And not only what would he say but how would he say it? I'm fascinated by his gentle nature as an algorithmic thinker who applied computer science to all aspects of his experience
hinkley 7y ago
If you get bored or tired you could hop over to the compression groups and have some of the same arguments, but with easier counter examples.

jascii 7y ago

Cryptography is hard enough when using proven algorithms..

Gibbon1 7y ago
I remember on an old crypto mailing list some lowly PHP programmer asking if instead of a grab bag of primitives there was some library where he could just encrypt/decrypt a random object. Without having to build a Frankenstein thing out of random cryptographic parts. Everyone peed on him and he never came back. The poor sap was right though. The proven algorithms tend to fail catastrophically when used or implemented incorrectly.
- larzang 7y ago
  Ironically now PHP is one of the few high-level languages doing this right, with built-in libsodium support and an excellent idiot-proof library available in Halite on top of that.
  - jjeaff 7y ago
    Agreed. And it even has a global you can use for the cipher that is updated along with the php version.

teddyh 7y ago

“Anyone, from the most clueless amateur to the best cryptographer, can create an algorithm that he himself can't break.” — Bruce Schneier https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2011/04/schneiers_law.html https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2011/04/schneiers_law...

ErikAugust 7y ago
That was one of my takeaways from reading Applied Cryptography. It has come in handy when evaluating crypto-based software. “Rolled their own crypto... avoid.”

artsyca 7y ago

Turing is my hero as I'm sure he is for a lot of us I sometimes apply the reasoning of what would Alan Turing say? And not only what would he say but how would he say it? I'm fascinated by his gentle nature as an algorithmic thinker who applied computer science to all aspects of his experience

hinkley 7y ago

If you get bored or tired you could hop over to the compression groups and have some of the same arguments, but with easier counter examples.