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Some unbreakable encryption keys are accidentally leaking online

A widely used form of encryption called RSA is thought to be unbreakable, but an analysis of more than 5 billion server records has found that, in some cases, hardware errors can lead to secret keys being exposed

By Chris Stokel-Walker

21 November 2023

Faulty encryption can put data at risk

Yuichiro Chino/Getty Images

Hardware faults are leaking hundreds of supposedly unbreakable encryption keys on to the internet, researchers have found – and spy agencies may be exploiting the loophole to read secret messages.

RSA is a widely-used encryption scheme that depends on two numbers – a public key, which anyone can use to encrypt a message intended for a particular person, and a private key, which decrypts the messages and only that person has access to. Individuals can also use their private key to “sign” a message, allowing…

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