- Anonymous <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>:

| There we find:
| 
| > The idea we were working on was to use 2x2 matrices with entries
| > modulo n, n the product of 2 primes (ie an RSA number). The
| > security is therefore exactly the same as the security of an RSA
| > key with the same modulus. However, the encryption and decryption
| > processes require only a small number of matrix multiplications
| > [...]
| 
| It is hard to understand how knowledge of the prime factors of n can
| help with matrix multiplications.

Indeed, but allow me to speculate for a moment.  Finding the
eigenvalues of a two by two matrix requires extracting square roots,
and we know that finding square roots modulo an RSA number n is as
hard as factoring n.  Thus, diagonalizing a 2x2 matrix modulo n is as
hard as factoring.  Perhaps this could prove useful?  I'll ponder this
while soaking in my (overdue) bath tonight.

-- 
* Harald Hanche-Olsen     <URL:http://www.math.ntnu.no/~hanche/>
- �There arises from a bad and unapt formation of words
   a wonderful obstruction to the mind.�  - Francis Bacon

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