Via slashdot. http://www.technologyreview.com/news/517781/math-advances-raise-the-prospect-of-an-internet-security-crisis/
> Math Advances Raise the Prospect of an Internet Security Crisis > > Academic advances suggest that the encryption systems that secure online > communications could be undermined in just a few years. ... > “Our conclusion is there is a small but definite chance that RSA and classic > Diffie-Hellman will not be usable for encryption purposes in four to five > years,” said Stamos, referring to the two most commonly used encryption > methods. ... > RSA and Diffie-Hellman encryption are both underpinned by a mathematical > challenge known as the discrete logarithm problem. That problem is > computationally difficult to solve, ensuring that encrypted data can only be > decoded quickly with knowledge of the secret key used to encode it in the > first place. Breaking RSA or Diffie-Hellman encryption today requires using > vast computing resources for significant periods of time. > > However, it is possible that algorithms able to solve the discrete logarithm > problem quickly could exist. “We rely on that efficient algorithm not being > found,” said Jarved Samuel, a cryptographer who works for security > consultancy ISEC Partners and presented alongside Stamos. “If it is found the > cryptosystem is broken.” -- Kim Holburn IT Network & Security Consultant T: +61 2 61402408 M: +61 404072753 mailto:[email protected] aim://kimholburn skype://kholburn - PGP Public Key on request _______________________________________________ Link mailing list [email protected] http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link
