Dual_EC_DRBG Expalined

Irreal readers are doubtless familiar with the broad outlines of the NSA’s insertion of a backdoor into the NIST Special Publication 800-90A elliptic curve random bit generator but may be unfamiliar about what was actually involved. Now Mother Jones has an excellent article about mathematician Edward Frenkel. The article is mostly about the beauty of Mathematics and how the teaching of it is terrible. I like that, of course, but the thing that will be interesting to most of you is a video interview with Numberphile in which Frenkel discusses the Dual_EC_DRBG algorithm.

He gives a simple and very accessible explanation of modular arithmetic, elliptic curves, how the Dual_EC_DRBG algorithm works, and how the NSA was able to insert the backdoor by the judicious choice of some parameters. It’s an amazing explanation because while Frenkel keeps the explanation well within the capabilities of a high school algebra student, he nevertheless gives a mathematically accurate description of what’s going on. If you have the slightest interest in the elliptic curve DRBG and the how it can be subverted, you’ll enjoy this video. It’s only about 11 minutes so you can enjoy it with your morning coffee.

Update: Frenkel talks further about the deplorable state of Mathematics education in this LA Times story.

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