Cryptography for Network and Information Security

Risk Factors for Cryptography Systems

There is no simple formula for determining how safe a specific cryptosystem is from attacks and potential security compromises. However, the following factors affect the risk of successful attacks on cryptosystems:

Symmetric key length
Public key length
Key lifetimes
Amount of plaintext known to attackers
Strength of the security technology implementation
Randomness of generated keys
Strength of the security protocols
Secure storage of private keys

The following sections are a summary of the complex topics you need to consider when you evaluate risks for cryptography-based security. For more detailed information about the following topics, see the cryptography literature referenced under "Additional Resources" at the end of this chapter.

For information about evaluating the risk of attacks on your security systems, see "Choosing Security Solutions That Use Public Key Technology" in this book.