Prominent Bitcoin developer Peter Todd has warned that the National Security Agency (NSA) is attempting to weaken cryptography standards once again. This time, it is trying to achieve this under the guise of "quantum-safe algorithms."
Is NSA backdooring crypto?
Combining both traditional and quantum-resistant algorithms is considered to be the normal approach. However, the NSA allegedly wants to implement quantum-only cryptography.
The Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) is responsible for setting the standard, and the concern is that the NSA is attempting to push through weakened standards.
A proposed working group rule change called MODPOD could lead to more censorship by silencing objections and criticism. Hence, it will be more challenging to block unsafe crypto standards.
Critics say that dissent could be silenced by IETF-wide moderators who could expand censorship with open-ended categories such as "uncivil commentary" and subjective judgment.
In a nutshell, cryptographic standards could end up being weakened without any public pushback.
Complicated history
It is worth noting that the NSA has long opposed civilian use of robust encryption. This trend started in the 70s and continued to persist throughout the following decades.
For instance, the NSA proposed the Clipper Chip in the 90s that could potentially break encryption, but the plan ultimately failed due to backlash.
Now, according to some critics, the NSA is attempting the same trick wiht "non-hybrid" quantum crypto.
Dan Burgin
Vladislav Sopov
U.Today Editorial Team