dead beef attack

1 definition found

dead beef attack - Jargon File (4.4.4, 14 Aug 2003) :

  dead beef attack
   n.
  
     [cypherpunks list, 1996] An attack on a public-key cryptosystem
     consisting of publishing a key having the same ID as another key
  (thus
     making it possible to spoof a user's identity if recipients aren't
     careful about verifying keys). In PGP and GPG the key ID is the last
     eight hex digits of (for RSA keys) the product of two primes. The
     attack was demonstrated by creating a key whose ID was 0xdeadbeef
  (see
     DEADBEEF).