How deeply does Hacking Cryptography cover cryptographic implementation?

Connects implementation failures to randomness, side channels, control flow, memory, types, and atomicity, but does not develop each mechanism fully.

Cryptographic implementation

As explained in Hacking Cryptography

A software or hardware realization of cryptographic theory that performs cryptographic operations in a system.

A cryptographic implementation realizes mathematical cryptographic ideas in software code or dedicated hardware to protect confidentiality, integrity, or authenticity. Its security depends not only on the algorithm but also on precise engineering: subtle bugs, defective randomness, unsafe memory behavior, or secret-dependent execution can defeat the intended protection. section 1.5 section 10.0

Implementations are attacked through their observable behavior and interactions, not only through weaknesses in mathematical theory. A key may be recovered from faulty random-number generation or from physical leakage such as power consumption, while individually sound components can still interact insecurely. section 1.3 section 1.5

Practical guidance for deploying cryptographic implementations:

Prefer widely used, thoroughly tested implementations over cryptography written from scratch for production systems. section 1.4
Use standards-recommended TLS rather than designing a private message-encryption protocol. section 1.4
Review randomness, padding, side-channel resistance, constant-time behavior, memory safety, type safety, control flow, and atomicity. section 10.0
If implementation from scratch is unavoidable, obtain review from as many qualified experts as possible. section 1.5

PlayStation 3 key failure

A faulty random-number process in a key operation allowed Sony’s critical private key to be calculated and published, undermining the console’s goal of allowing only approved software to run. section 1.3

How Hacking Cryptography covers it

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Also explained in

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Real-World CryptographyA cryptographic implementation is executable software that realizes a cryptographic algorithm, construction, or protocol.

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Related concepts

cryptographic algorithmuses · A cryptographic algorithm is a mathematical procedure that transforms data or generates cryptographic values to provide security properties such as confidentiality, integrity, or authentication.
cryptographic theoryuses · The mathematical foundations and security analyses underlying cryptographic algorithms and protocols.
Goused by · Go is a statically typed, compiled, garbage-collected programming language with built-in support for concurrency.
implementationincludes · An implementation is the concrete code, mechanisms, or artifacts that realize an abstract design, specification, algorithm, interface, or required behavior.

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