Cryptographic Failures

Overview

Cryptographic failures refer to either a bad implementation of encryption or a complete lack of encryption. The major consequence of a cryptographic failure is that you can potentially expose sensitive data.

Description

The exposure of sensitive data can pose compliance, reputational, or competitive business risks depending on what information is not adequately protected by encryption. With the average data breach cost at an all-time high of $4.35 million in 2022, businesses can’t afford to slip up with cryptography. Critical to preventing cryptographic failures is first classifying the data that any web app processes, stores, or transmits. Then, you can identify the sensitive data assets and ensure they’re encrypted both at rest and in transit. A modern encryption solution that uses up-to-date and strong standard algorithms centralizes encryption and encryption key configuration and manages the encryption key lifecycle is a prudent investment.

How to Prevent ?

To prevent cryptographic failures, it is crucial to classify the data that any web app processes, stores, or transmits. Identify the sensitive data assets and ensure they’re encrypted both at rest and in transit. Invest in a modern encryption solution that uses up-to-date and strong standard algorithms, centralizes encryption and encryption key configuration, and manages the encryption key lifecycle.

Example Attack Scenarios:

• Man in the Middle Attack:  A common example of a cryptographic failure is a Man in the Middle Attack. In this scenario, an attacker intercepts communications between a web app and its users, gaining access to sensitive data that should have been encrypted. This can happen when encryption is not properly implemented or if outdated encryption protocols are used.