Comment by patch_cable

The previous discussion advanced the theory that they fucked up the string handling. Eg in Python, output = key[0] would result in one-byte keys like "4" if you expect "key" to be an array, but it's actually a string.

> worked around these types of devices and their interfaces..

This is not a problem of devices and interfaces. You are supposed to generate the wrapping key on the HSM itself. And the HSM ensures that the keys are generated with a strong enough security parameter, not some silly 1 byte string. Then the HSM wraps the key inside of itself and exports it in the encrypted form. You take this ciphertext, and the wrapping key and send it over to the other party.

So if they generate the wrapping key with a funny value, that means they didn't use HSM to generate it but their system openssl. But then, HSMs typically don't allow you to export private keys without wrapping them first unless you first tweak around with security flags (not recommended at all), or simply generate the private key using your system openssl too (LMFAO).

Source: I work for one of the major HSM vendors.

I hear you in terms of how these kinds of mistakes typically happen. But why did the script ever produce two sets of keys? The initial root cause was somebody picked the weak key not the strong key. But what was the reason for ever producing a weak key in the first place? They say the script produced two outputs - what on earth for??

I mean, why have the ability to generate weak keys to begin with? Serious question, I've never done this sort of work. What sort of utility does that bring to the procedures and workflows one does in that line of work?

If you didn't know better, you'd think this had been done on purpose by some three-letter agency.