Factoring RSA Keys with Many Zeros

Security researchers have uncovered a widespread vulnerability in real-world RSA encryption keys. According to the BadKeys project, which audits public keys for known weaknesses, thousands of RSA keys with an unusual pattern—many containing high proportions of zeros—are vulnerable to factoring attacks. Researchers discovered these weak keys across Certificate Transparency logs, TLS and SSH systems, and other cryptographic infrastructure. The findings highlight how poor key generation practices, even at scale, can create exploitable vulnerabilities in production systems.

Listen to this story

Hear this and more stories in a personalized audio briefing.

Open The Chonkerton