In today’s level of technology, it is still impossible to break or brute-force a 256-bit encryption algorithm. In fact, with the kind of computers currently available to the public it would take literally billions of years to break this type of encryption. So, this should tell you a little bit about how secure it is.
But what about the military?
Here’s where it gets interesting. The military has access to some pretty cutting edge tools and technology that you or I have never seen. But, even the military does not have anything quite powerful enough to get through this kind of encryption.
Ah, but Quantum computers are apparently a whole different matter. But are they? While Quantum computers may have the power, according to MIT, the IBM lab currently houses a Quantum computer that is connected to a cloud. This particular computer is one of the most promising 256 bit encryption breakers in existence. It is designed to create – and manipulate – the essential element that makes a Quantum computer tick. The qubits.
The qubits that store information. The IBM computer mentioned here is the first 50 qubit supercomputer in the world.
Is this a form of bad news to Bitcoin and all the other cryptocurrencies currently hitting and flooding the market? You bet it is and here’s why: the faster technology moves into the future, the faster it becomes available to the general public – and hackers. Hackers will most certainly take advantage of the new-new technology and use it to start cracking AES keys.
There are also rumors that Google has invested in quantum computer technology that will enable them to break into 128-bit encryption. At this point, it’s just rumor and let’s keep it that way for now.
So, What About Those Companies That Insist That They Are Able To Break Those 256 Bit Keys?
Well, there are two possibilities here. First, they are probably not telling the truth, which is most likely the case. Or, second, they have hijacked the IBM supercomputer and have it hidden in an underground bunker. All kidding aside, the only way a data recovery company can decrypt those files would be by having both the decryption key and the decryptor.
So, looking at what happens if you get a computer infected with ransomware and end up paying the ransom to get you the access back, chances are that when you end up receiving the decryption key or the decryptor, you won’t really know how to use it anyway. Plus, the Bad Guys already got what they were after (your money) and are not going to offer a lot more assistance to help you out any further.
In most of the cases, the Bad Guys do send the decryption key. It’s not really in their best interest to take the ransom and not send you the key. That would spark an uproar from ransomware victims crying foul that although they paid the ransom, they never got the key to decrypt their files. The hackers put in a lot of time creating all those nasty viruses and the last thing they want is for the whole game of ransomware to pass off as a fad due to some really, really bad PR. Not that ransomware is fun in the first place.
So here’s how a data recovery company can honestly say they can decrypt your files – they can do it only if they paid the ransom themselves. Plus, hackers are people, too. Some of them you can actually talk to and reason to come to a mutually agreeable solution. But only an experience negotiator is going to be successful going that route.
As soon as the data recovery company receives the decryption key, they can proceed with decrypting your files.
*In some cases, there are decryptors that are surfaced online with the decryption keys to some older versions of Ransomware infections. Those decryptors are usually the efforts of the enforcement agencies releasing the compiled keys to the public.*
In other words, if a data recovery company clearly states they have to tools to decrypt those keys, they are just full of well, they’re just full of it (unless they do hold the actual decryptors for Ransomware infections). And even they still insist while providing you with some references, those references might be affiliated companies or individuals that can also look very promising from first sight. So be careful and do not get scammed.
However, not all is lost.
You can work on building a relationship with the data recovery lab that you have been able to determine has had experience negotiating with ransomware criminals. It’s not a guarantee, but you never know. The data recovery experts may be able to help you get your data back without costing you an exurbanite amount of ransom. In other words, trust the data recovery experts who don’t boast about cracking encryption and instead offer to work with you and the ransomware Bad Guys to try to reach some kind of happy ending for all.