The New Age of Encryption Attacks (And What It Means for Enterprises)

Attackers no longer simply exploit unpatched systems or weak passwords; they aim directly at the cryptography itself. As organizations scale, rely on cloud services, or support remote workforces, understanding how cryptographic protections can be undermined becomes critical. This post examines the evolving landscape of encryption attacks and what it means for enterprises striving for security.

Understanding What “Encryption Attacks” Really Means

Encryption attacks cover a range of methods adversaries use to subvert, bypass, or break encryption or cryptographic protections. These are not limited to stealing credentials or exploiting unpatched software. 

Many of these attacks focus on undermining the mathematical guarantees of encryption itself, or manipulating implementation weaknesses, to expose plaintext or gain unauthorized access.

Inside enterprises, this translates into risk for encrypted data in transit, encrypted storage, secure authentication tokens, encrypted backups, or even encrypted biometric templates. 

Cryptographic attacks exploit design flaws, implementation mistakes, or predictable patterns to break encryption, often without the original key.

Throughout this blog, “encryption attacks” refers broadly to both technical cryptanalysis-based efforts and encryption-based exploitation methods used in real-world cybersecurity breaches.

Types of Encryption Attacks and Cryptographic Attacks

Cryptographic research and real-world breaches have identified a series of attack types. Some focus on undermining encryption schemes themselves; others exploit misuse or weak deployment.

Attack Type	Description	Real-World Risk
Ciphertext-only	Attacker has only ciphertext and tries to find plaintext or key	Eavesdropping on encrypted backups or messages
Known-plaintext	Uses known plaintext–ciphertext pairs to infer key	Accessing known files to decrypt other data
Chosen-plaintext	Encrypts/decrypts chosen messages to find weaknesses	Insider revealing keys via submitted data
Birthday attack	Exploits hash/cipher collisions to break integrity	Forging certificates or digital signatures
Side-channel	Gathers timing, power, memory info to recover keys	Accessing HSMs or misconfigured servers
Implementation flaws	Weak or outdated encryption use	Legacy apps with weak crypto or hard-coded keys
Biometric attacks	Targets encrypted biometric templates	Reconstructing biometric data to spoof access

Why Some Attack Types Matter More for Enterprises

Different types of encryption attacks pose varying levels of risk depending on how an enterprise uses cryptography and which systems are exposed.

• Chosen-plaintext and chosen-ciphertext attacks present elevated risk when attackers can feed data into systems such as logging, file upload, or encryption endpoints.
  
• Birthday cryptographic attacks exploit weak hash or signature mechanisms, affecting digital signatures, certificate issuance, or deduplication systems.
  
• Side-channel attacks target hardware modules like HSMs or TPMs and can compromise even strong algorithms.
  
• Implementation flaws often plague legacy systems or home-grown encryption solutions, which remain common in mid-sized enterprises.
  
• Biometric attacks matter increasingly for enterprises using biometric authentication for remote access or privileged access controls.

Encryption Attacks in Cybersecurity: Modern Enterprise Context

Encryption attacks are not theoretical vulnerabilities locked in academic papers. They manifest daily in the threat landscape. Modern adversaries combine cryptographic weaknesses with traditional hacking techniques such as phishing, vulnerability exploitation, and ransomware to inflict damage at scale.

How Encryption-Based Threats Play Out

• Attackers inject malware that encrypts entire storage volumes or file shares, then demand ransom for decryption keys.
  
• Encrypted communications, including VPN tunnels and TLS-encrypted traffic, offer attackers cover to hide malware or data exfiltration.
  
• Poorly implemented encryption invites attackers to bypass protection, retrieve plaintext, or forge authentication tokens.
  
• Biometric authentication systems relying on encrypted templates can be attacked to reconstruct biometric features.

Real-World Trends: Encryption Attacks & Ransomware

Recent statistics demonstrate how cryptography-based methods are used in enterprise attacks:

• In 2024, 70% of ransomware incidents resulted in encrypted data.
  
• Of those, approximately 32% also involved data theft in addition to encryption.
  
• Globally, recorded ransomware incidents rose by 15% in 2024 compared to the previous year.
  
• The number of published ransomware victims reached 5,414, an 11% increase from 2023.
  

These numbers confirm that cryptography is no longer solely a shield; it has become a battlefield.

Encryption Attack Examples and Cryptographic Attacks

Understanding real attack techniques helps security teams anticipate risks and adopt proper defenses.

Chosen-Plaintext Attack 

A chosen-plaintext attack requires the attacker to submit arbitrary plaintext to be encrypted by the target system and observe the resulting ciphertext. Over many submissions, analysis reveals patterns or cryptographic weaknesses.

Example scenario: An enterprise runs a custom document-encryption service. If it reuses initialization vectors or uses a weak mode such as ECB instead of AES-GCM, an attacker could submit known documents and compare ciphertext blocks, potentially revealing relationships among encrypted documents.

Birthday Cryptographic Attack

Birthday attacks exploit properties of hash functions or block ciphers to produce collisions. Enterprises face risks in file integrity verification, digital signatures, certificate-based authentication, and deduplication systems relying on hash identity.

Example scenario: A deduplication system hashes files to determine duplicates. An attacker generates two distinct files with identical hashes and injects malicious content, bypassing inspection. Weak hash or signature algorithms also allow attackers to forge certificates or inject malicious code.

Side-Channel and Implementation Attacks

Even strong algorithms like AES or RSA are vulnerable if poorly implemented. Mistakes in randomness, key generation, key storage, IV reuse, or error handling open doors. Side-channel attacks exploit timing, memory usage, or error messages, especially on HSMs.

Biometric Cryptographic Attacks 

Biometric systems store encrypted templates of fingerprints, iris scans, or face data. If template encryption is flawed, attackers can reconstruct features or create spoof templates, threatening both data security and authentication access.

Why Enterprises Must Prioritize Cryptographic Hygiene

Cyber threats increasingly target how encryption is used or implemented. Enterprises, especially mid-size businesses or those supporting remote work, must maintain cryptographic hygiene:

• Reduces attack surface by limiting exposure to chosen-plaintext or side-channel attacks.
  
• Protects data integrity and ensures trust in digital signatures and backup systems.
  
• Strengthens authentication security and protects biometric templates.
  
• Mitigates ransomware and dual-threat extortion through secure key storage and encrypted backups.
  

Defending Against Encryption Attacks

These best practices must be followed: 

• Use well-vetted cryptographic libraries and avoid custom encryption.
  
• Generate strong, unique keys and store them securely, rotating regularly.
  
• Use encryption modes that prevent pattern leakage (e.g., AES-GCM).
  
• Employ integrity checks and modern hash functions (e.g., SHA-256 / SHA-3).
  
• Protect biometric templates and authentication credentials.
  
• Maintain segmented architecture and enforce least privilege.
  
• Backup encrypted data offsite with secure key separation.
  

Recognizing the Human Element: Errors & Misconfigurations

Many breaches occur due to human error:

• Reusing encryption keys.
  
• Using outdated encryption standards.
  
• Misconfiguring encryption libraries or using custom code.
  
• Storing keys in code or shared repositories.
  
• Failing to encrypt backups properly.
  

Even strong encryption fails when applied incorrectly, making proper configuration and training essential.

PureVPN White Label VPN Solution: Simplifying Encryption Security

PureVPN White Label VPN offers businesses enterprise-grade encryption without the complexity of managing it in-house. It safeguards remote access, internal communications, and sensitive corporate data from common encryption attacks, including chosen-plaintext and side-channel threats.

With ready-to-use, securely configured VPN tunnels, organizations can ensure reliable protection for employees and partners while allowing IT teams to concentrate on core operations and strategic initiatives.

Final Thoughts 

Encryption attacks are no longer a distant concern, they are an active threat to enterprise data, communications, and identity systems. By understanding the types of cryptographic attacks and implementing strong cryptographic hygiene, organizations can significantly reduce their risk. 

Solutions like PureVPN White Label make it practical for businesses to secure remote access and sensitive data without adding complexity, ensuring that encryption remains a shield rather than a vulnerability.