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5.5 Summary Tables

Table 5.1: Attack Summary

Attack

Security Problem

Prevalence

Attack Description

A-33. Retrieve original plaintext

Recover hidden information

Trivial

Retrieves the plaintext file used to produce an encrypted file

A-34. Magnetic data retrieval

Recover hidden information

Sophisticated

Uses laboratory techniques to retrieve overwritten data from a magnetic surface

A-35. Disk scavenging

Recover hidden information

Trivial

Uses "undelete" software or browser to locate sensitive data in plaintext form

A-36. Home-grown encryption algorithm

Recover hidden information

Sophisticated

Find and exploit a weakness in the encryption algorithm to decrypt the data in a practical amount of time


Table 5.2: Defense Summary

Defense

Foils Attacks

Description

D-33. Overwrite original plaintext

A-33. Retrieve original plaintext

Write other data over the data in the plaintext file that is to be protected by encryption

D-34. Three-step overwriting

A-34. Magnetic data retrieval

Use a three-step process to overwrite the data in a plaintext file to make it harder to recover

D-35. Volume encryption

A-35. Disk scavenging

Encrypts all information on a disk volume so that nothing is left in plaintext

D-36. Open review of encryption algorithms

A-36. Home-grown encryption algorithm

Use encryption algorithms whose capabilities have been thoroughly analyzed and discussed by the open cryptography community


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