This attack is used in combination with an encrypted file, commonly referred to as a ransom note. The attacker will steal sensitive information and then encrypt the file using a strong encryption algorithm (40-bit AES or 128-bit AES). This means that only algorithms certified by NIST can break the encryption.
- Argument 1: The key length is generally considered to be 20 or 64 bits (which are often referred to as 16 and 256 bits) for symmetric key cryptography, depending on the algorithm being implemented.
- Argument 2: It’s possible to encrypt files much faster than it takes for humanly readable text to pass through a modem.