CAPEC-20
Encryption Brute Forcing
LOW
LOW
Draft
2014-06-23 00:00 +00:00
2021-06-24 00:00 +00:00
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Description
An attacker, armed with the cipher text and the encryption algorithm used, performs an exhaustive (brute force) search on the key space to determine the key that decrypts the cipher text to obtain the plaintext.
Informations
Execution Flow
1) Explore
Determine the ciphertext and the encryption algorithm.
2) Experiment
Perform an exhaustive brute force search of the key space, producing candidate plaintexts and observing if they make sense.
Prerequisites
Ciphertext is known.Encryption algorithm and key size are known.
Skills Required
Brute forcing encryption does not require much skill.Resources Required
A powerful enough computer for the job with sufficient CPU, RAM and HD. Exact requirements will depend on the size of the brute force job and the time requirement for completion. Some brute forcing jobs may require grid or distributed computing (e.g. DES Challenge).
On average, for a binary key of size N, 2^(N/2) trials will be needed to find the key that would decrypt the ciphertext to obtain the original plaintext.
Obviously as N gets large the brute force approach becomes infeasible.
Mitigations
Use commonly accepted algorithms and recommended key sizes. The key size used will depend on how important it is to keep the data confidential and for how long.In theory a brute force attack performing an exhaustive key space search will always succeed, so the goal is to have computational security. Moore's law needs to be taken into account that suggests that computing resources double every eighteen months.
Related Weaknesses
| Weakness Name | |
|---|---|
| Inadequate Encryption Strength The product stores or transmits sensitive data using an encryption scheme that is theoretically sound, but is not strong enough for the level of protection required. |
|
| Use of a Broken or Risky Cryptographic Algorithm The product uses a broken or risky cryptographic algorithm or protocol. |
|
| Protection Mechanism Failure The product does not use or incorrectly uses a protection mechanism that provides sufficient defense against directed attacks against the product. |
|
| Generation of Weak Initialization Vector (IV) The product uses a cryptographic primitive that uses an Initialization Vector (IV), but the product does not generate IVs that are sufficiently unpredictable or unique according to the expected cryptographic requirements for that primitive. |
Submission
| Name | Organization | Date | Date Release |
|---|---|---|---|
| CAPEC Content Team | The MITRE Corporation |
Modifications
| Name | Organization | Date | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
| CAPEC Content Team | The MITRE Corporation | Updated Related_Attack_Patterns, Related_Weaknesses |
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