I'm one of the "select few" and I'll tell you. With the help of Sherlock Holmes, we've assembled a crack team who can break substitution cyphers in a matter of days, sometimes hours!
Think twice before encrypting your critical data with your secret decoder ring.
I really can't tell if you guys actually believe the FUD you are posting or if you are legitimately confused about how encryption, and more specifically, bitcoin work.
Anything that relies on AES encryption is compromised. Don't give me "yea but 256 takes so much longer to brute force than 128 bit" blah blah. If the US Gov has an unprecedented method to speed up brute force of 128 bit, they can surely use it on 256 bit.
*edit* re encrypting wallets ^
As soon as you are using a computer now a days there is a big chance that they can easily track you or get anything they want from you.
- Intel new chips can be controlled remotely
- Windows (high percent of computer installed OS) is absolutely infiltrated by NSA. They even have an office in the NSA building
- IOs & Android and now Microsoft wants to buy Nokia. They know everything they need about you and more (usage, pictures, messages, phone talks, whatsapp)
- Watches is the next step, just in case you forget to take your mobile with you. If you don't use watches, in the near future there will be glasses everywhere. What are you going to do wear a mask in your neighbourhood?.
- Password software like lastpass is located in US. They say in their forums that they have not been requested by the US goverment to install anything "strange" on their software but based on US law, they cannot say anything in case they were infiltrated. They say everything is encrypted on your machine, but just a rogue patch from them and they can change it in 5 minutes (if they haven't already).
- Data in the cloud: Dropbox, Google Drive, Sugarsync, Box.net. Online backup: crashplan and many others. Maybe only wuala in switzerland is encrypted and a couple other open source software.
- Even if it is open source there might be a possibility that it is infiltrated. Look at tor where their code had a leak and even knowing it. It took days to decipher the open code due to it's complexity.
- If you are printing a paper wallet, think about it. Do you have one of those wifi printers with cloud printing? Do you think they won't get what you have just printed. Sure they will.
- Android encryption codes bugged (scandal about wallets/android from a couple of weeks ago). I would bet they did it knowingly.
- They scan every single snail mail through united states.
- They are even asking the webmasters to disclose users passwords to their webpages for security reasons.
- In top of that huge huge brute force power, mathematicians and infinite budget.
- Most security methods also rely on certification companies around the world. Using those you can prepare attacks in the middle. Who controls them?
So if you are using a computer, it is highly unlikely that you are not vulnerable multiple times. There is an interesting book from Assange -> Cypherpunks if interested on this.
http://prism-break.org/
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