Cryptography Secrets That Still Hold Up Despite Being 136 Years Old

[Cryptography Secrets That Still Hold Up Despite Being 136 Years Old]

"A cryptosystem should be secure even if everything about the system (except the key) is public knowledge."

Well said.

But what’s really interesting is WHEN it was said.

The author of these words is Auguste Kerckhoffs.

He is the Netherlands born cryptographer from the 19th century.

Auguste Kerckhoffs wrote two articles for the “La Cryptographie Militaire” journal in 1883. What amazes me, his principles for military-grade ciphers are relevant to this day.

See for yourself.

Here’s a checklist Kerckhoffs developed:

1. The system must be indecipherable;
2. It shouldn’t require secrecy, and it shouldn’t be a problem if it falls into the hands of the adversary;
3. It must be possible to communicate and remember “the key” without using written notes, and correspondents must be able to change or modify it at will;
4. It must be applicable to telegraph communications;
5. It must be portable, and should not require several persons to handle or operate;
6. The system must be easy to use and should not be stressful to use or require its users to know and comply with a long list of rules.

I like the last rule the most.

Why?

The answer is simple:

It proves that the "human factor" was one of the main problems for "CISOs" from the 19th century as much as for nowadays Cyber-Knights.

That is why fixing "human error" is the main part of the Cyber-Camelot’s mission.

https://go.dacybersecurity.com/wait-cyber-camelot

The first step is to create the first of its kind cybersecurity conditioning program for the general public. So, now I dare you to guess what is my upcoming book is all about.

https://go.dacybersecurity.com/wait-cyber-camelot

To wrap this up, I have a quick question for you:

Do you agree with Auguste Kerckhoffs’ checklist?

Securelicious,

Donald Allen

dacybersecurity.com

https://twitter.com/realdonaldallen

https://www.dhirubhai.net/in/realdonaldallen/

P.S. I have a confession to make.

Sometimes my mind forgets even simple words and I have a hard time to express myself.

So, if you forgot what CISO means, I’ve got you covered:

Chief Information Security Officer