Financial Cryptography

Conficker chooses Rivest!

Dani writes: Here is an in-depth analysis of one of the (if not THE) most advanced malware currently in circulation. Please note the wide selection of defensive and offensive measures, including extensive use of strong cryptography.

we summarize the inner workings and practical implications of this latest malicious software application produced by the Conficker developers. In addition to the dual layers of packing and encryption used to protect A and B from reverse engineering, this latest variant also cloaks its newest code segments, along with its latest functionality, under a significant layer of code obfuscation to further hinder binary analysis.

Its choice of crypto suite is RSA4096, RC4, MD6 (all designed by Ron Rivest, as the authors note). A fascinating read for all interested in information security.