Anthropic’s Claude AI uncovered the origins of NIST’s ECDSA curve seeds, resolving a decades-old cryptographic mystery. The seeds were generated using the `lrand48` pseudorandom number generator seeded with Unix timestamps from 1997–1998. This method rules out intentional backdoors, as the process was simple and reproducible. Claude also traced some base points to Arjen Lenstra’s FreeLIP library, though others remain unexplained. The findings confirm the curves’ security without requiring changes to existing standards.
The U.S. National Security Agency plans its most extensive internal restructuring in at least 10 years, The Washington Post reports. The agency aims to focus core resources on developing artificial intelligence, countering threats from China, and strengthening cybersecurity. The report cites sources and is dated September 13.
The Senate confirms Lt. Gen. Joshua Rudd to lead U.S. Cyber Command and the National Security Agency (NSA). Rudd has served as deputy commander of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command since 2024.
