#cryptography

WHAT DOES OPENAI’S MATHEMATICAL BREAKTHROUGH MEAN FOR BITCOIN? OpenAI’s AI has reportedly disproven a 25-year-old assumption about computational complexity, with its proof formally verified in Lean. The discovery does NOT break Bitcoin’s cryptography, however, it raises a much bigger question. If AI can discover mathematical shortcuts that eluded researchers for decades, could it eventually find one that undermines the elliptic-curve cryptography protecting Bitcoin’s private keys? For years, Bitcoin’s cryptographic security debate has focused on quantum computing. AI-driven mathematical discovery may become another threat worth watching.

Here's a direct link to OpenAI's PDF claiming a refutation of ETH. In particular, it's claimed that 3SAT on n variables is in about exp(n/(log n)^{1/2+o(1)}) time

Excellent introduction to cryptography concepts for beginners (credits @sergioprado) Part 1: Part 2: Part 3: #cryptography #infosec #cybersecurity

Types of #Cryptography! #Infosec #CyberSecurity #Security #encryption #hacking #Symmetric #cybercrime #infosec

Claude unveils the origins of the ECDSA curve! Discover the fascinating history behind this essential cryptographic tool and its impact on secure communications. Dive into the details and expand your knowledge on the backbone of digital security! #Cryptography #Security

If an attacker parks outside your building with a $1,500 software-defined radio, a 5G smartphone will still drop its connection, connect to a fake 1991-era GSM tower, and hand over its permanent hardware identity in cleartext. Every modern baseband modem still carries legacy 2G silicon for backward compatibility, and that 2G stack has no way to verify if a cell tower is real. 1. The architectural flaw: One-way tower trust In 4G (LTE) and 5G, mobile networks enforce mutual authentication after the initial attach. When your phone connects to an LTE tower, the network sends a random cryptographic challenge (RAND) alongside an Authentication Token (AUTN). Inside your SIM card, a secure processor checks that token against a 128-bit secret root key (K) burned in at the factory. If the tower cannot prove it shares that key with your carrier, the baseband drops the connection before any voice or text data flows. In 2G (GSM), that check only runs in one direction. When GSM was standardized in 1991, commercial software-defined radios did not exist. The protocol was built so the tower authenticates the SIM card to stop billing fraud, while the SIM card never authenticates the tower. A 2G baseband processor will connect to any transmitter broadcasting a valid Mobile Country Code and a stronger signal (RXLev) than the surrounding towers. 2. How rogue base stations force the downgrade Because a rogue tower cannot forge a 4G cryptographic signature, it forces the phone's baseband to abandon 4G and 5G entirely. An attacker using an Ettus USRP B210 and a 10-watt RF power amplifier triggers this fallback in two ways: * Selective RF jamming: The radio floods local 4G and 5G downlink frequencies with noise while leaving a 2G GSM frequency clean. When the phone loses its LTE signal, the baseband's cell reselection state machine scans all supported bands and locks onto the attacker's clean 2G beacon. * Protocol downgrade injection: The attacker broadcasts a rogue LTE signal just long enough to catch the phone's tracking area update, then replies with an unauthenticated Tracking Area Update Reject (EMM Cause #7: EPS services not allowed) or an RRCConnectionRelease redirecting the modem straight to a 2G frequency. The baseband assumes you walked into a dead zone and switches to 2G in about 10 seconds without prompting the user. 3. Identity theft, A5/0, and the SMS relay catch Once the phone camps on the rogue 2G station, the attacker sends a standard Identity Request packet. The phone replies in cleartext with its 15-digit International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI) and its hardware IMEI. Next comes encryption. Normal 2G traffic uses the 64-bit A5/1 stream cipher, which can already be cracked in seconds using 2TB Kraken rainbow tables. Worse, the 3GPP specification (TS 44.018) requires every phone to obey a Ciphering Mode Command set to A5/0 (null cipher). When the rogue tower sends A5/0, the phone turns off air-interface encryption completely. Any outgoing SMS or call from the victim's phone travels to the attacker's laptop as unencrypted GSM 7-bit bytes. To intercept incoming two-factor SMS codes from a bank, the attacker has to go one step further. Because a rogue SDR in a car is not wired into your real carrier's core network, the bank's SMS won't route to the attacker's laptop automatically. Either the attacker uses a second radio to relay your phone's handshake back to the real carrier's 2G tower and cracks the A5/1 downlink key, or they simply jam 4G so your phone drops onto the real carrier's 2G tower and passively crack the A5/1 air traffic in Wireshark. 4. The modern defense: Cutting legacy silicon You cannot patch a 1991 radio handshake without breaking backward compatibility, so OS vendors finally gave users a kill switch for the baseband: * Android 12+ 2G kill switch: Android added the setAllowedNetworkTypesForReason API to the Radio Interface Layer (RIL). Turning off "Allow 2G" instructs the modem firmware to disable its GSM stack at the silicon level. If 4G is jammed, the phone stays in "No Service" instead of dropping to 2G. * Android 14 & 15 null-cipher locks: Android 14 added a modem toggle to reject A5/0 null-cipher connections outright on supported hardware, and Android 15 added live system alerts whenever a tower requests an unencrypted connection or cleartext IMSI. * iOS Lockdown Mode: Turning on Lockdown Mode disables the 2G baseband stack on iPhones. * 5G Standalone (5G SA) SUCI: Even on 4G LTE, a phone still sends its IMSI in cleartext during the very first attach request before encryption starts. Pure 5G Standalone fixes this last gap: the SIM card uses ECIES public-key cryptography to encrypt your IMSI into a Subscription Concealed Identifier (SUCI) before a single packet leaves the antenna.

Cryptography concepts introduction for beginners with practical examples in Linux (openssl) (@sergioprado) Part 1: Part 2: Part 3: Part 4: #cryptography #infosec

Types of Cryptography #cryptography #cybersecurity #hacked #cyberattacks

Good morning everyone Quantum computing could change the future of crypto—but is the industry preparing for that future together? ICYMI, Postquant Labs, the team building @quipnetwork, and eight other organizations have launched the Quantum Alliance to establish shared post-quantum standards for blockchains and wallets. That’s an important step toward addressing a challenge the crypto industry cannot afford to ignore. Blockchains rely on cryptographic systems to protect wallets, authorize transactions, and secure digital assets. As quantum computing advances, some of today’s cryptographic methods could eventually become vulnerable to sufficiently powerful quantum computers. The challenge isn’t just developing new cryptography. Different networks, wallets, and infrastructure providers also need a coordinated approach to adopting quantum-resistant security. That’s why shared standards matter. Without coordination, the ecosystem risks fragmented security approaches, inconsistent implementation, and difficult upgrades across different platforms. The Quantum Alliance brings organizations together around the need to prepare for this transition before the threat becomes practical. For Quip, this connects directly to the broader conversation around quantum technology: building useful quantum infrastructure while taking the long-term security implications seriously. Of course, a quantum attack capable of breaking today’s major blockchain cryptography at scale is not something current quantum computers are known to achieve. But preparing for future risks takes time, and waiting until a threat becomes urgent could leave the industry with fewer options. The future of blockchain security won’t depend on one team solving everything. It will depend on the ecosystem preparing, coordinating, and upgrading together. That’s why the Quantum Alliance is worth watching.

Excellent free book introducing cryptography concepts and algorithms in an accessible way. "Practical Cryptography for Developers Book" Credits Svetlin Nakov (@svetlinnakov) #cryptography #cybersecurity

Beginner introduction to cryptography concepts with practical examples in Linux (openssl) (credits @sergioprado) Part 1: Part 2: Part 3: #cryptography #infosec #cybersecurity

“The most obvious thing for cryptographic hacks is to break SHA-256 and Satoshi’s wallet.” — Chamath Palihapitiya Can someone please tell him that’s not how it works? a) If you break SHA, every bank, cloud service and government is cooked. b) Satoshi holds 20k+ wallets.

MIND-BENDING FACT: OpenAI announced Monday that its AI proved the Exponential Time Hypothesis (ETH) is false — a foundational pillar of theoretical computer science since the 1970s. The ETH holds that NP-complete problems cannot be solved faster than exponential time; cryptographic security, algorithm complexity bounds, and the theoretical ceiling on AI planning have all been calibrated against it being true. One model, running in collaboration with academic partners, disproved it. Simultaneously, OpenAI disclosed it finalized a proof of Yang-Mills existence on October 16 — one of the seven Millennium Prize Problems, each carrying a $1 million Clay Mathematics Institute award. Navier-Stokes was solved September 8. Two Millennium Prize Problems in 49 days. Five remain.

KEYSTONE TO DESTROY 18,835 HARDWARE WALLETS AFTER HACKERS STEAL DEVICE AUTHENTICATION KEY Keystone has confirmed it will destroy 18,835 hardware wallets in existing inventory after attackers stole the cryptographic key used to verify the authenticity of its devices. The breach is particularly concerning because the stolen key could allow attackers to manufacture counterfeit Keystone wallets that successfully pass the company's official authenticity checks, potentially putting users' Bitcoin at risk. The key is permanently embedded in existing devices and cannot be erased or replaced, forcing Keystone to destroy its remaining inventory, suspend shipments and manufacture new devices with a replacement key. The company says attackers exploited a vulnerability in a third-party monitoring tool on its official website on October 20, gaining access to: - 25,964 customer records containing names, contact details, shipping addresses and purchase information. - 12,873 abandoned checkout records containing potentially sensitive customer information. Keystone also acknowledged that its automated data deletion system had failed, leaving customer information stored beyond its stated retention period. The company says recovery phrases, private keys and transaction signing were not compromised. Devices delivered before October 20 remain unaffected, but customers receiving devices with the old authentication key after that date are advised to seek additional verification. Keystone has suspended shipments, begun notifying affected customers and is moving production to a new authentication key.

Beginner intro to cryptography concepts with practical examples in Linux (openssl) (credits @sergioprado) Part 1: Part 2: Part 3: #cryptography #infosec

The #cryptography paper we're all reading-- "The Moral Character of Cryptographic Work," by Phillip Rogaway #power

Dive into cryptography basics with real Linux examples! Check out the series by @sergioprado: Part 1: Part 2: Part 3: Part 4: #cryptography

gQuip CT Quantum computing could change two things crypto depends on: how we protect our assets and how we use computing power. @quipnetwork is working on both. Most conversations about quantum computing in crypto focus on what happens when today's cryptographic protections become vulnerable. That's an important problem, but preparing for that future requires more than simply talking about the threat. Quip is building post-quantum security designed to work with existing blockchain wallets, alongside a decentralized marketplace where computing resources compete to solve useful problems. The security side aims to help protect existing assets without requiring users to move everything to an entirely new blockchain. The compute side focuses on turning available quantum and classical computing resources into something developers and businesses can actually use. What makes this approach interesting is the combination. Quip isn't treating quantum computing only as a future security risk. It's also exploring how that technology could become useful infrastructure. With its work on quantum-resistant accounts and its Quantum Virtual Machine (QVM), Quip is building toward a future where blockchain security and advanced computing can evolve together. Quantum threats may not be an immediate reality for every crypto user, but preparing cryptographic infrastructure takes time. The important question isn't just whether crypto is ready for the quantum era. It's who's building the tools to get it ready.

GM CT gQuip What if Satoshi’s Bitcoin moved tomorrow? Would the market believe he was back, or start asking whether quantum computing had compromised his keys? That question sounds like science fiction, but it's one reason crypto needs to start taking post-quantum security seriously. What caught my attention about @quipnetwork is that they're not approaching quantum computing from just one angle. Their Quantum Virtual Machine (QVM) is live on testnet, aiming to let developers write a program once and run it across quantum and classical computing systems without being locked into one hardware provider. Think about what that could mean for optimization problems in finance, logistics and AI. But there's another side to this. Quantum computing could eventually challenge some of the cryptographic systems protecting digital assets. Quip is also working on post-quantum accounts and wallets designed to help crypto prepare for that future. One side is about making quantum computing useful. The other is about making crypto more prepared for what's coming. That combination is what makes Quip interesting to me. The technology still has a long way to go, but building the infrastructure and security before they're urgently needed is a conversation worth having. Keep an eye on @quipnetwork . 🦋

Excellent introduction to cryptography concepts for beginners with practical examples in Linux (openssl) (credits @sergioprado) Part 1: Part 2: Part 3: #cryptography #infosec #cybersecurity

Pyth isn’t just another oracle. It’s literally the data layer that internet-native finance is being built on. Real-time prices going straight into exchanges, prediction markets, and AI systems… with cryptographic proof that the data is solid. No more waiting days for some legacy vendor to email you back. This is how market data should work in 2026. @PythNetwork @mdomcahill @chooserich

Ironwood introduced quantum recoverable shielded notes to Zcash. ZIP 2005 reserves 0x0A (decimal 10) as a pseudorandom function domain separator. A small cryptographic detail in a much larger effort to future proof against possible quantum threats.