[OTR-users] What key size am I using?

[Matt D]

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On 12/17/2013 12:38 PM, Brian Morrison wrote:
> On Tue, 17 Dec 2013 10:01:22 -0500 Matt D wrote:
> 
>> I am curious as to why we do not use AES-256 and larger DSA keys,
>> given the likelihood that programs like echelon are eating up all
>> of our data.
> 
> For a symmetric cipher such as AES, 128 bits is still a very large
> key length to break using brute force methods so there is a fairly
> low risk in using that rather than 256 bit. For DH exchange larger
> key sizes could be used provided that the extra CPU cycles required
> are acceptable to the end user. For OTR usage I would not expect
> that to be much of a limitation, it's done infrequently enough that
> any modern processor can do it without significant slow down in
> other processes it's running.
> 
> Of course, the real question is whether the crypto protocols being
> used are properly implemented and whether any key material leaks
> from the implementation when in use. Or indeed if NSA or similar
> has weakened the algorithms or backdoored them.
> 
> People are waking up to the reality of the situation, had we all
> been as paranoid as we should have been then this sort of level of
> security would have become the default long ago.
> 
I don't think its being paranoid, its just being aware of whats going
on.  I work in tax law and the idea of being able to communicate off
the record remotely is appealing.  But I don't like the idea that all
the tax-man needs is a genius with a few racks and a couple of days to
read all my traffic.  I need at least ten years before the information
is irrelevant.
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