Re: Problems With Public Key Cryptosystems

no.address_at_in.com
Date: 07/13/04 

Date: Wed, 14 Jul 2004 01:29:08 +0200

[This should follow up the OP, which didn't reach my newsserver, nor Google
(deleted?).]

Here, I can't resist quoting a very old post:

|> >> But cracking RSA is easier than running a sieve until you have all primes
|> >> until those used in RSA. Besides that, you would not have enough storage
|> >> for all those primes.
|>
|> > Good point :) Forgot about that little space problem (oops). Of course,
|> > who can really say other than the NSA?
|>
|> Astronomers should know about it. RSA is typically performed using 512
|> bit prime numbers. There are approximately 3.778e151 such prime numbers.
|> Using the advanced storage technology available to the NSA, it should be
|> possible to store a 512 bit number in a single hydrogen atom. A typical
|> universe (e.g. ours) contains approximately 1e90 hydrogen atoms. If the
|> NSA has hidden 3.778e61 universes in an inconspicious little building in
|> Maryland, astronomers should notice some deviations in the gravity field
|> in the area.

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