NSA and IETF: Fairness
blog.cr.yp.to
July 6, 2026
11 min read
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47/100
Summary
Secret NSA documents reveal that the agency promoted the Data Encryption Standard (DES) in the 1970s despite knowing its vulnerabilities to eliminate competition. The NSA also exploited export-law exceptions in the 1990s to favor RC4 and RSA-512, compromised random number generator standards, and maintained a substantial budget to influence security standards through the 2010s.
Key Takeaways
- Secret NSA documents revealed that the agency promoted DES in the 1970s despite knowing it was vulnerable, aiming to eliminate competition in cryptography.
- The NSA has a budget of a quarter-billion dollars annually to covertly influence standards, making systems exploitable while maintaining the appearance of security.
- The IETF is currently voting on an NSA-driven proposal for solo ML-KEM in TLS, which has faced significant opposition from credible cryptographic experts.
- Concerns have been raised that endorsing solo ML-KEM could lead to widespread security vulnerabilities due to potential software bugs and flaws in specifications.
Community Sentiment
Positives
- The involvement of esteemed European cryptographers in MLKEM's design is a strong point, indicating a solid foundation for this cryptographic approach.
- The potential for pure MLKEM in TLS could simplify implementations, moving away from hybrid configurations that many see as unnecessarily complex.
Concerns
- Concerns about the NSA's influence in cryptography persist, with skeptics arguing that they may have ulterior motives behind promoting MLKEM.
- Debates over the effectiveness of lattice cryptography compared to ECC are rife, with some commenters doubting its maturity and real-world applicability.
