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  3. software AES encryption for NRF24

software AES encryption for NRF24

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  • AnticimexA Anticimex

    Not sure if it is a typo or now but you list
    #define MY_SIGNING_ASOFT but it should be #define MY_SIGNING_SOFT

    In any case, you get st=fail which mean your radio setup is basically not working.
    For any security to work, messages has to get through, and from your log, they don't:
    "Failed to transmit signing presentation!"
    "Failed to transmit nonce request!"
    So I think from the log that signing and encryption is working, but occasionally you get messages dropped due to a poor radio link which manifests itself as failed transmissions.

    FotoFieberF Offline
    FotoFieberF Offline
    FotoFieber
    Hardware Contributor
    wrote on last edited by
    #28

    @Anticimex
    Sorry for the typo.

    Interestingly, the sketch is working perfect without signing.

    I will try to add another power source and try again.

    Do you have a working setup with encryption and signing?

    AnticimexA 1 Reply Last reply
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    • FotoFieberF FotoFieber

      @Anticimex
      Sorry for the typo.

      Interestingly, the sketch is working perfect without signing.

      I will try to add another power source and try again.

      Do you have a working setup with encryption and signing?

      AnticimexA Offline
      AnticimexA Offline
      Anticimex
      Contest Winner
      wrote on last edited by
      #29

      @FotoFieber When you use signing, the max message size is used, and this strains the rf link the most. Signing is still not your problem. It is clear from the log that messages fail to transmit, and that is a radio problem.

      Do you feel secure today? No? Start requiring some signatures and feel better tomorrow ;)

      alexsh1A 1 Reply Last reply
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      • AnticimexA Anticimex

        @FotoFieber When you use signing, the max message size is used, and this strains the rf link the most. Signing is still not your problem. It is clear from the log that messages fail to transmit, and that is a radio problem.

        alexsh1A Offline
        alexsh1A Offline
        alexsh1
        wrote on last edited by
        #30

        @Anticimex @FotoFieber

        We have been through this a few times. Just a suggestion - shall we do an FAQ link explaining what you have just said (st=fail is a problem of radio and not singing). Ingerestingly enough I did not manage to resolve this issue with the Sensebender. I still get several fail to transmit nonce before it starts working fine. Only the Sensebender. All other nodes work flawlessly

        AnticimexA 1 Reply Last reply
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        • alexsh1A alexsh1

          @Anticimex @FotoFieber

          We have been through this a few times. Just a suggestion - shall we do an FAQ link explaining what you have just said (st=fail is a problem of radio and not singing). Ingerestingly enough I did not manage to resolve this issue with the Sensebender. I still get several fail to transmit nonce before it starts working fine. Only the Sensebender. All other nodes work flawlessly

          AnticimexA Offline
          AnticimexA Offline
          Anticimex
          Contest Winner
          wrote on last edited by
          #31

          @alexsh1 It is already documented where all signing is documented:
          https://ci.mysensors.org/job/Verifiers/job/MySensorsArduino/branch/master/Doxygen_HTML/group__MySigninggrp.html

          Check the troubleshooting section for details. Link to all documentation is on the github frontpage and on the "head" post of the signing topic on this forum.

          Do you feel secure today? No? Start requiring some signatures and feel better tomorrow ;)

          alexsh1A 1 Reply Last reply
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          • AnticimexA Anticimex

            @alexsh1 It is already documented where all signing is documented:
            https://ci.mysensors.org/job/Verifiers/job/MySensorsArduino/branch/master/Doxygen_HTML/group__MySigninggrp.html

            Check the troubleshooting section for details. Link to all documentation is on the github frontpage and on the "head" post of the signing topic on this forum.

            alexsh1A Offline
            alexsh1A Offline
            alexsh1
            wrote on last edited by
            #32

            @Anticimex OK, that's super. I think we all became victims of nrf24l01+ terrible fake copies. Some of these work OK until....
            Then a woodoo dance has to be performed (highly recommended) in order to make them work again.

            AnticimexA 1 Reply Last reply
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            • alexsh1A alexsh1

              @Anticimex OK, that's super. I think we all became victims of nrf24l01+ terrible fake copies. Some of these work OK until....
              Then a woodoo dance has to be performed (highly recommended) in order to make them work again.

              AnticimexA Offline
              AnticimexA Offline
              Anticimex
              Contest Winner
              wrote on last edited by
              #33

              @alexsh1 Don't forget the goat sacrifice

              Do you feel secure today? No? Start requiring some signatures and feel better tomorrow ;)

              1 Reply Last reply
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              • FotoFieberF Offline
                FotoFieberF Offline
                FotoFieber
                Hardware Contributor
                wrote on last edited by
                #34

                I have tried a different setups now

                • Arduino Mega2560, Arduino Uno
                • different NRF modules from different vendors, with and withoud amplifier, with different capacitors
                • different power supplies

                I always end up getting st-fail, even with encryption only. But it is working even with these fails... :smile:

                @Anticimex
                You have a working setup with encrpytion and the actual libraries from github without st-fail?

                Next tests:

                • change NRF and power supply on the gateway
                • and if all that doesn't help: make a setup without encryption
                AnticimexA 1 Reply Last reply
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                • FotoFieberF FotoFieber

                  I have tried a different setups now

                  • Arduino Mega2560, Arduino Uno
                  • different NRF modules from different vendors, with and withoud amplifier, with different capacitors
                  • different power supplies

                  I always end up getting st-fail, even with encryption only. But it is working even with these fails... :smile:

                  @Anticimex
                  You have a working setup with encrpytion and the actual libraries from github without st-fail?

                  Next tests:

                  • change NRF and power supply on the gateway
                  • and if all that doesn't help: make a setup without encryption
                  AnticimexA Offline
                  AnticimexA Offline
                  Anticimex
                  Contest Winner
                  wrote on last edited by
                  #35

                  @FotoFieber No, I have no set up at all for the moment. But I have been using both encryption and signing yes. And I can tell you again (and again and again) that st=fails has nothing to do with signing or encryption. Unless you don't use the same AES key for your nodes because if the message is encrypted, it is jibberish to the receiver and NRF does not natively support encryption so I don't thinnk it will be able to ack properly. I trust you are sure you have your keys properly configured per the instructions for version 2.0.0?

                  Do you feel secure today? No? Start requiring some signatures and feel better tomorrow ;)

                  1 Reply Last reply
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                  • FotoFieberF Offline
                    FotoFieberF Offline
                    FotoFieber
                    Hardware Contributor
                    wrote on last edited by
                    #36

                    @Anticimex
                    I have a very reduced sketch now (sending millis() every second) and yes, I have configured the keys as it should be.

                    As long, as nobody can prove with a concrete setup, that with the actual git-version (with encryption and NRF24L01) it is working without st-fail, the possibility exists, that it there is a bug. :smile:

                    AnticimexA 1 Reply Last reply
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                    • FotoFieberF FotoFieber

                      @Anticimex
                      I have a very reduced sketch now (sending millis() every second) and yes, I have configured the keys as it should be.

                      As long, as nobody can prove with a concrete setup, that with the actual git-version (with encryption and NRF24L01) it is working without st-fail, the possibility exists, that it there is a bug. :smile:

                      AnticimexA Offline
                      AnticimexA Offline
                      Anticimex
                      Contest Winner
                      wrote on last edited by
                      #37

                      @FotoFieber No. At least not for signing. As st=fail is something set by the transport/radio layer and signing has nothing to do with that. Encryption I discourage from using (detailed in the documentation) since it provides little benefit in the form used here.

                      Do you feel secure today? No? Start requiring some signatures and feel better tomorrow ;)

                      1 Reply Last reply
                      0
                      • FotoFieberF Offline
                        FotoFieberF Offline
                        FotoFieber
                        Hardware Contributor
                        wrote on last edited by
                        #38

                        @Anticimex
                        As the bug is there even with encryption only, it can't be in the signing code.

                        For privacy concerns, signing is no solution.

                        AnticimexA 1 Reply Last reply
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                        • FotoFieberF FotoFieber

                          @Anticimex
                          As the bug is there even with encryption only, it can't be in the signing code.

                          For privacy concerns, signing is no solution.

                          AnticimexA Offline
                          AnticimexA Offline
                          Anticimex
                          Contest Winner
                          wrote on last edited by
                          #39

                          @FotoFieber Neither is encryption for NRF24 as it does not use IV:s. And the data you encrypt is predicable so the key can be derived quite easily, effectively eliminating the "protection" the encryption is supposed to give.

                          Do you feel secure today? No? Start requiring some signatures and feel better tomorrow ;)

                          1 Reply Last reply
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                          • FotoFieberF Offline
                            FotoFieberF Offline
                            FotoFieber
                            Hardware Contributor
                            wrote on last edited by
                            #40

                            @Anticimex
                            No IV? Then the AES Transport implementation is not secure, more ore less an obfuscation...

                            Is this a known bug, that will be fixed?

                            AnticimexA 1 Reply Last reply
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                            • FotoFieberF FotoFieber

                              @Anticimex
                              No IV? Then the AES Transport implementation is not secure, more ore less an obfuscation...

                              Is this a known bug, that will be fixed?

                              AnticimexA Offline
                              AnticimexA Offline
                              Anticimex
                              Contest Winner
                              wrote on last edited by
                              #41

                              @FotoFieber it is a known limitation and is currently not in scope for improvement for nrf24 because it require reliable sync which nrf radios are notoriously bad at providing. If you have an idea on how to fix it, a pr is always welcome :)

                              Do you feel secure today? No? Start requiring some signatures and feel better tomorrow ;)

                              1 Reply Last reply
                              0
                              • FotoFieberF Offline
                                FotoFieberF Offline
                                FotoFieber
                                Hardware Contributor
                                wrote on last edited by
                                #42

                                Hm, I am not an encryption expert. What about a Diffie-Hellmann key exchange and then use the key as IV?

                                1 Reply Last reply
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                                • AnticimexA Offline
                                  AnticimexA Offline
                                  Anticimex
                                  Contest Winner
                                  wrote on last edited by
                                  #43

                                  Me neither. I care about security, not obscurity. I see no reason to encrypt a '1' or a '0' and digital streams like audio and video is not supported anyway. But exchange of constant (but random) data is already used and supported since signing is based on nonce exchange. But I believe IV:s "evolve" with the messages encrypted which implies the messages need to be exchanged trustworthy and sender and receiver need to be om sync. But I know to little about that to be sure.
                                  In any case, I welcome any development that adds to security, and will happily review such code, but I don't have the bandwidth nor motivation to "drive" the development of encryption in the core library as I don't feel it adds enough value to be worth the effort.

                                  Do you feel secure today? No? Start requiring some signatures and feel better tomorrow ;)

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