[cabfpub] Fwd: SANS NewsBites Vol. 15 Num. 042 : NSA/CyberCom To Get Green Light to Respond to Cyber Attack; Iranians Targeting US Energy Companies ICS; Chinese Hackers Stole US Weapons Systems Designs

[Rick Andrews]

>From the SANS Newsletter this week. 

Good publicity, although only the editorial comment explains why this is happening. 

-Rick

Begin forwarded message:

> --Google Will Upgrade SSL Encryption Keys
> (May 24, 2013)
> By the end of 2013, Google plans to upgrade all of its SSL certificates
> to 2048-bit keys. The change is scheduled to begin in August. Google
> plans to upgrade its root certificate as well. Certain client software
> embedded in devices like phones, gaming consoles, and cameras could run
> into problems with the upgrade; Google has offered advice to help
> mitigate those issues.
> http://arstechnica.com/security/2013/05/google-builds-bigger-crypto-keys-to-make-site-forgeries-harder/
> http://www.h-online.com/security/news/item/Google-to-replace-SSL-certificates-1869281.html
> http://www.zdnet.com/google-upgrading-all-ssl-certificates-to-2048-bit-keys-by-end-of-2013-7000015863/
> http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9239518/Google_to_lengthen_SSL_encryption_keys_in_August?taxonomyId=17
> [Editor's Note (Pescatore): I think the CA Browser Forum is requiring
> all CAs to do this by YE2013. Growth in processing power over time,
> combined with advances in crypto attacks that shorten brute force
> attacks, means crypto strengths will always have to increase over time.
> SSL in practice needs more than longer keys - the switchover to longer
> lengths will drive client/server side software upgrades that need to
> address various validity checking and revocation issues. But, the
> security of CAs needs to be addressed in a big way, too.]