NSA security backdoors make Bitcoin nearly worthless!

[razorfishsl]

The NSA has introduced flaws into cryptographic algorithms, the same ones used by bitcoins. They can attack any wallet in the world and generate their own private key for it, allowing them to transfer the money at will (this includes paper wallets). If you become a threat to them they will help any other agency seize your money. They are undoubtedly also tracking coins on the blockchain so any transfers you make will also be associated and revoked (even if you transferred the money to someone else). The best part is that since bitcoin is anonymous, you can't claim it's your money and have no paper trail so no court will believe you.

Would this tracking be by the same   person who had his war room made out like the deck of star trek, are you perhaps his son?

[ElectricMucus]

All these personal attacks look like there is at least some truth to it.
Everything is done to shift the discussion away from the subject which makes me think that there is alot of subconscious fear. It's time to face the reality of the situation... the technical details have been discussed to quite some length, it's not the Mathematics but the reference Implementations which are affected.

Thinking about using their system to subvert them might seem heroic, but when it comes down to it is is merely foolish.
Perhaps we should think about abandoning this idea and start over.

Doesn't this community have enough bright minds to come up with their own, mathematically secure encryption scheme?

[ArticMine]

I responded to the "NSA security backdoors make Bitcoin nearly worthless" concerns here. https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=293781.msg3155912#msg3155912. The backdoors are not in Bitcoin itself but rather in popular propriety operating systems and applications that are used by some people to run Bitcoin applications.

[chufchuf]

ElectricMucus spends a lot of time in the speculation forum angry at two things 1. he beargasmd way back when the price was 3 bucks and 2. his sheep lovers have cockblocked him because of that and have deemed him unspongeworthy. The element of truth in that is that he doesn't even have enough BTC to buy sheep bjs and spends his weary days these days in between beargasmpocalypsetardtopianism and xsheeps websites from the dark deep sheep web.

[molecular]

Are there actually any proven backdoors?

look at BTC/USD and you know there is no known backdoor.

[molecular]

All these personal attacks look like there is at least some truth to it.
Everything is done to shift the discussion away from the subject which makes me think that there is alot of subconscious fear. It's time to face the reality of the situation... the technical details have been discussed to quite some length, it's not the Mathematics but the reference Implementations which are affected.

Thinking about using their system to subvert them might seem heroic, but when it comes down to it is is merely foolish.
Perhaps we should think about abandoning this idea and start over.

Doesn't this community have enough bright minds to come up with their own, mathematically secure encryption scheme?

I suggest you go make an NSA-free altcoin and let the market decide.

We "attack" you on a personal level because there's nothing objectively to attack. You're not putting forward any evidence. It's like you say you believe in god and we don't, so we try to figure out not wether god exists (futile), but why you believe in his existence.

[dragonkid]

All these personal attacks look like there is at least some truth to it.
Everything is done to shift the discussion away from the subject which makes me think that there is alot of subconscious fear. It's time to face the reality of the situation... the technical details have been discussed to quite some length, it's not the Mathematics but the reference Implementations which are affected.

Thinking about using their system to subvert them might seem heroic, but when it comes down to it is is merely foolish.
Perhaps we should think about abandoning this idea and start over.

Doesn't this community have enough bright minds to come up with their own, mathematically secure encryption scheme?

I suggest you go make an NSA-free altcoin and let the market decide.

We "attack" you on a personal level because there's nothing objectively to attack. You're not putting forward any evidence. It's like you say you believe in god and we don't, so we try to figure out not wether god exists (futile), but why you believe in his existence.

Nicely put to the point. 

Then I found this. http://thehackernews.com/2013/09/NSA-backdoor-bitcoin-encryption-sha256-snowden.html

[molecular]

Then I found this. http://thehackernews.com/2013/09/NSA-backdoor-bitcoin-encryption-sha256-snowden.html

That article is equally vague as EMs allegations. Doesn't put forward any evindence. Doesn't even say Snowden said anything specific to sha-256. Yes: I believe the NSA has planted weaknesses into crypto implementations. No: I don't believe they managed to "infiltrate" sha-256. The algorithm is exactly defined, in contrast to a PRNG, which is only defined by it's features, not the algorithm. With the android RNG, yes, I think it's possible the NSA managed to plant predictability (it was taken from an apache project if I'm not mistaken).

I fail to see (that might be due to lack of imagination, of course) how sha-256 could be affected... there are no arbitrarily chosen magic numbers and the implementations are not obscure, it's the same algorithm in every implementation. I'm pretty sure a lot of people have been looking for shortcuts and I'm very sure noone has found any exploitable ones. The (relatively simple) algorithm has been implemented in CPUs, GPUs, FPGAs and ASICs in different ways and noone found a meaningful shortcut.

BTW: it would be really bad, but if a shortcut was found, we could stop the bitcoin network and switch.

This not going to happen just on ElectricMucus' belief with no evidence.

[Kazimir]

Actually, the opposite is true: The NSA has a backdoor in the US Dollar! Well, the FED has, and the NSA has a backdoor in the FED.

So, following your argument, this makes dollars nearly worthless! Quick, sell your dollars NOW while you can still get about 0.008 BTC a piece for them!!

[herzmeister]

if the NSA backdoors make Bitcoin worthless, it's not because of the algorithms, but because they can raid any server, and access most home computers through Windows/OSX backdoors and steal people's wallets. 

[DoomDumas]

Another topic with a missleading title...  dont wonder why it is written by a user on my ignore list...

[Akka]

Oh wow.

Seem like EM has finally left Denial and entered Anger.



Don't worry, only ~4 more years and you will accept that the times of 2011 where you could short the hell out of BTC aren't coming back. 

[favdesu]

I guess OP's dark orange ignore is an indicator.

[Gabi]

https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fear,_uncertainty_and_doubt

[alchimista]

Who are THEY?

[marksman1]

hi guys how are you all today ?  not quite sure if i can post here i am new to this .the comment posted by this guy raises some interesting questions though . bitcoins are a fascinating thing and i get lots of enjoyment from both mining and using the infrastructure (exchange platforms businesses sites ) every day more sites are appearing . why do you not here very much about them in the press and on tv most people think im mad when i talk to them about bitcoin do you guys think the banksters are afraid of bitcoins potential and want to keep joe public in the dark just a thought  swampy       

[ArticMine]

if the NSA backdoors make Bitcoin worthless, it's not because of the algorithms, but because they can raid any server, and access most home computers through Windows/OSX backdoors and steal people's wallets.  

This could be a valid point in that selling by Windows/OSX users could depress the BTC / USD rate, but it would not make Bitcoin worthless far from it. One thing to keep in mind is that for Bitcoin to reach a market share comparable to that of GNU / Linux on the desktop (about 1.5%) the BTC / USD rate would need to be 10000 USD = 1 BTC or more.

By the way the biggest threat a Microsoft Windows user has with Bitcoin is not the NSA or some other government agency, but Windows malware. One can just take a look at the number of threads about stolen Bitcoins and hacked exchange accounts involving Microsoft Windows.

[luv2drnkbr]

2/10 would not read again