In cryptography, a weak key is a key, which, used with a specific cipher, makes the cipher behave in some undesirable way. Weak keys usually represent a very small fraction of the overall keyspace, which usually means that, if one generates a random key to encrypt a message, weak keys are very unlikely to give rise to a security problem. Nevertheless, it is considered desirable for a cipher to have no weak keys. A cipher with no weak keys is said to have a flat, or linear, key space.
Read more about Weak Key: Historical Origins, Weak Keys in DES, List of Algorithms With Weak Keys, No Weak Keys As A Design Goal
Famous quotes containing the words weak and/or key:
“The weak and misbegotten shall perish: first principle of our brotherly love. And they shall be given every assistance.”
—Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900)
“Japanese mothers credit “effort” as the key determinant of a child’s achievement in school, while American mothers name “ability” as the more important factor.”
—Perry Garfinkel (20th century)