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Everything about BSAFE

Cryptography library

Dell BSAFE, formerly known as RSA BSAFE, is a FIPS 140-2 validated cryptography library, available in both C and Java. BSAFE was initially created by RSA Security, which was purchased by EMC and then, in turn, by Dell. When Dell sold the RSA business to Symphony Technology Group in 2020, Dell elected to retain the BSAFE product line. BSAFE was one of the most common encryption toolkits before the RSA patent expired in September 2000. It also contained implementations of the RCx ciphers, with the most common one being RC4. From 2004 to 2013 the default random number generator in the library was a NIST-approved RNG standard, widely known to be insecure from at least 2006, containing a kleptographic backdoor from the American National Security Agency (NSA), as part of its secret Bullrun program. In 2013 Reuters revealed that RSA had received a payment of $10 million to set the compromised algorithm as the default option. The RNG standard was subsequently withdrawn in 2014, and the RNG removed from BSAFE beginning in 2015. Wikipedia →

🧭 Start here: a 6-step reading path

  1. Read the overview: BSAFEA 5-minute orientation
  2. Pick up a classic book: SeniorsThe most-reprinted book on the subject
  3. Read the landmark paper: BSafe-360: An All-in-One Naturalistic Cycling Data Collection ToolCited 10 times
  4. Go sideways: Dual EC DRBGA closely related topic
  5. Go sideways: RSA SecurityA closely related topic

đź“– Definitions

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🗂️ The subject at a glance

  1. Cryptography backdoors
  2. Product suite history
  3. Product suite support status

🏆 Landmark papers (most cited)

đź“š Books worth reading

Ranked by number of editions on Open Library, a rough measure of how lasting a book is.

đź”— Related topics