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Glite Dictionary
rubber-hose cryptanalysis

rubber-hose cryptanalysis

9.9
Using force to make someone give secret passwords or keys for computer systems
  • noun
  • /ˈrʌbər hoʊz ˌkrɪptəˈnælɪsɪs/
  • NSFW
translation icon : análisis criptográfico por coerción
  • Even the most secure encryption is powerless against rubber-hose cryptanalysis.

Examples

  • The government resorted to rubber-hose cryptanalysis to extract information from the suspect.

  • The company trains its staff on how to avoid rubber-hose cryptanalysis situations in case of a security breach.

  • Discussions of rubber-hose cryptanalysis highlight the limits of relying solely on technical security measures.

  • Many hackers fear rubber-hose cryptanalyses more than technical breaches.

  • The government resorted to rubber-hose cryptanalysis to extract information from the suspect.

  • Even the most secure encryption is powerless against rubber-hose cryptanalysis.

  • The company trains its staff on how to avoid rubber-hose cryptanalysis situations in case of a security breach.

Synonyms

coercion
vsrubber-hose cryptanalysis
  • Offensive
56 6.9

The act of making someone do something by using threats or violence

is the same act but focused on getting secret keys or passwords
squeeze play
vsrubber-hose cryptanalysis
1 7.4

A way of putting pressure on someone to make them agree

is about extracting sensitive cryptographic information by coercion rather than technique
thumbscrew technique
vsrubber-hose cryptanalysis
  • Offensive
9.1

A way of using strong pressure to force someone to do something

is a violent method aimed specifically at extracting cryptographic secrets

Antonyms

cooperation
443 2.5

Working together with other people to reach a common goal

consent
  • Formal
344 3.2

Permission for something to happen, often given in writing

How Coercive

to torture
  • Offensive
582 5.7
rubber-hose cryptanalysis
  • NSFW
9.9
to blackmail
139 5.6
to make a threat
  • Offensive
6 4.2
trickery
27 4.9
to request
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

rubber-hose cryptanalysis singular
rubber-hose cryptanalyses plural

Morphology

rubber-hose + cryptanalysis

The compound mixes a literal object phrase 'rubber-hose' with the technical noun 'cryptanalysis', so a learner who knows both parts can plausibly infer a non-technical or brute-force way of obtaining secrets (i.e., using a rubber hose to beat someone for passwords). However, recognizing that 'rubber-hose' here specifically signals coercion/torture is jargonatic and culturally mediated, so the exact idiomatic meaning is not fully predictable to an average B1 learner without prior exposure.

Etymology

Rubber-hose cryptanalysis comes from a dark, literal image: attackers using a rubber-hose to beat someone until they give up a password, while cryptanalysis means breaking codes. People who work with codes used this strong picture to show that violence, not math, can reveal secrets, so the phrase now means 'using force or threats to make someone reveal passwords or keys'.