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Cryptologist DJB Criticizes Push to Finalize Non-Hybrid Security for Post-Quantum Cryptography

In October cryptologist/CS professor Daniel J. Bernstein alleged that America's National Security
Agency (and its UK counterpart GCHQ) were attempting to influence NIST to adopt weaker post-quantum cryptography
standards without a "hybrid" approach that would've also included pre-quantum ECC.

Bernstein is of the opinion that "Given how
many post-quantum proposals have been broken and the continuing flood of side-channel attacks, any competent engineering evaluation will conclude that
the best way to deploy post-quantum [PQ] encryption for TLS, and for the Internet more broadly, is as double encryption: post-quantum cryptography on top of ECC." But
he says he's seen it playing out differently:


By 2013, NSA had a quarter-billion-dollar-a-year
budget to "covertly influence and/or overtly leverage"
systems to "make the systems in question exploitable"; in
particular, to "influence policies, standards and specification
for commercial public key technologies". NSA is quietly
using stronger cryptography for the data it cares about, but
meanwhile is spending money to promote a market for weakened
cryptography, the same way that it successfully created decades of
security failures by building up the market for, e.g., 40-bit
RC4 and 512-bit
RSA and Dual EC.
I looked concretely at what was happening in IETF's
TLS working group, compared to the consensus
requirements for standards-development organizations. I reviewed
how a call for "adoption" of an NSA-driven specification produced a variety of objections that weren't
handled properly. ("Adoption" is a preliminary step before IETF standardization....) On 5 November 2025, the chairs issued "last call" for objections to publication of the document. The deadline for input is "2025-11-26", this coming Wednesday.


Bernstein also shares concerns about how the Internet Engineering Task Force is handling the discussion, and argues that the document is even "out of scope" for the
IETF TLS working group

This document doesn't serve any of the official goals in the TLS working group charter. Most importantly, this document is directly contrary to the "improve security" goal, so it would violate the charter even if it contributed to another goal... Half of the PQ proposals submitted to NIST in 2017 have been broken already... often with attacks having sufficiently low cost to demonstrate on
readily available computer equipment. Further PQ software has been broken by implementation issues such as side-channel attacks.

He's also concerned about how that discussion is being handled:

On 17 October 2025, they posted a "Notice of Moderation for Postings by D. J. Bernstein" saying that they would "moderate the postings of D. J. Bernstein for 30 days due to disruptive behavior effective immediately" and specifically that my postings "will be held for moderation and after confirmation by the TLS Chairs of being on topic and not disruptive, will be released to the list"...


I didn't send anything to the IETF TLS mailing list for 30 days after that. Yesterday [November 22nd] I finished writing up my new objection and sent that in. And, gee, after more than 24 hours it still hasn't appeared... Presumably the chairs "forgot" to flip the censorship button off after 30 days.



Thanks to alanw (Slashdot reader #1,822) for spotting the blog posts.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Google Revisits JPEG XL in Chromium After Earlier Removal

"Three years ago, Google removed JPEG XL support from Chrome, stating there wasn't enough interest at the time," writes the blog Windows Report. "That position has now changed."

In a recent note to developers, a Chrome team representative confirmed that work has restarted to bring JPEG XL to Chromium and said Google "would ship it in Chrome" once long-term maintenance and the usual launch requirements are met.

The team explained that other platforms moved ahead. Safari supports JPEG XL, and Windows 11 users can add native support through an image extension from Microsoft Store. The format is also confirmed for use in PDF documents. There has been continuous demand from developers and users who ask for its return.

Before Google ships the feature in Chrome, the company wants the integration to be secure and supported over time. A developer has submitted new code that reintroduces JPEG XL to Chromium. This version is marked as feature complete. The developer said it also "includes animation support," which earlier implementations did not offer.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

this isn't happiness.

ART, PHOTOGRAPHY, DESIGN & DISAPPOINTMENT INSTAGRAM ★ ELSEWHERES

This is my favorite song



This is my favorite song

thexiffy

Last.fm last recent tracks from thexiffy.

The Fall - Medical Acceptance Gate

The Fall

Pendulum - Bacteria

Pendulum

Neil Young - Do You Know How to Use This Weapon?...

Neil Young

Wel.nl

Minder lezen, Meer weten.

Kok wint vierde 500 meter op rij met Nederlands podium

CALGARY (ANP) - Femke Kok heeft bij wereldbekerwedstrijden in Calgary de vierde 500 meter op rij gewonnen. De wereldkampioene was de beste in 36,72. Jutta Leerdam werd met 37,01 tweede en Marrit Fledderus met 37,08 derde. Achter het geheel Nederlandse podium volgde Anna Boersma op de vierde plaats en Angel Daleman op de vijfde plaats.

Kok opende in haar rit tegen de Japanse Yukino Yoshida na een aanvankelijke valse start snel met 10,27, maar kon er niet hetzelfde rondje als een dag eerder, of tijdens haar wereldrecordrit van vorige week in Salt Lake City (36,09), op laten volgen. Ze oogde na afloop ook niet erg tevreden.

Leerdam verbeterde haar persoonlijk record dat al enkele jaren op 37,14 stond. De schaatsster was in de afgelopen week ziek geweest, maar leek weer hersteld.

Slotronde

Fledderus kwam er in de slotronde bij in de buurt en verbeterde haar eigen beste tijd naar 37,08. Boersma kwam tot een pr met 37,21. Daleman schaatste met 37,28 niet alleen een persoonlijk record, de 18-jarige schaatsster reed ook nog een wereldrecord junioren.

"Het was een waardeloze rit, maar wel de winst", reageerde Kok bij de NOS. "Ik kwam er niet lekker in. De opening was nog wel goed, maar een baanrecord zat er niet in vandaag. Ik heb tot nu toe alle 500 meters gewonnen. Daar ben ik wel blij mee."

De Nederlandse top 5 is volgens Kok een goed teken. "Het niveau is heel erg omhooggegaan. Dat houdt mij ook scherp."


Found Kodachrome Slide -- The Gordon Holler Collection

Thomas Hawk posted a photo:

Found Kodachrome Slide -- The Gordon Holler Collection

date stamped on slide, July 1970, handwritten on slide, "Service Station, El Camino"

Before the Hard Times

Thomas Hawk posted a photo:

Before the Hard Times

Nederlandse schaatsers revancheren zich op ploegenachtervolging in Calgary voor fiasco van vorige week

Bij de wereldbekerwedstrijden in Calgary wonnen de Nederlandse mannen en vrouwen respectievelijk brons en goud. Dat betekent eerherstel na het dubbele fiasco vorige week in Salt Lake City.