Real Implementation Issues in Symmetric Ciphers
Ali Alhamdan · 2015
Implementation of cryptosystem is another security factor that should be considered. Cryptosystem that uses both strong symmetric cipher and strong key exchange mechanism as well could be attacked, if its implementation is not considered carefully. This paper discusses implementation issues in the symmetric ciphers that should be considered for secure cryptosystem. A case study (Heartbleed) is discussed to illustrated one of these issues. Heartbleed is a major security implementation issue that affecting many systems and services. It allows attackers to extract important information from a targeted memory. The important information could be privet key, credential information (usernames and passwords) or any other important information. Also, the goal is to raise awareness about the understand and importance of encryption’s implementation.