How the NSA (may have) put a backdoor in RSA’s cryptography: A technical primer

The article discusses the concept of backdoors in cryptographic algorithms or implementations that allow individuals to bypass security mechanisms. Backdoors can be intentionally inserted into software, hardware, or algorithm designs and have been used for mass surveillance by government agencies. An example is Dual_EC_DRBG, a pseudo-random bit generator ratified by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in 2007, which allegedly has a backdoor inserted by the NSA. The article explains how random number generators can be manipulated to create predictable outputs, making systems vulnerable to attacks. It emphasizes the importance of having unpredictable sources of randomness in secure systems and highlights CloudFlare's efforts to ensure true randomness in their cryptographic systems.