Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Path: utzoo!mnetor!seismo!columbia!tom.columbia.edu!eppstein
From: eppstein@tom.columbia.edu (David Eppstein)
Newsgroups: sci.crypt
Subject: Security of RSA and factoring
Message-ID: <4205@columbia.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 10-Jan-87 15:30:29 EST
Article-I.D.: columbia.4205
Posted: Sat Jan 10 15:30:29 1987
Date-Received: Sat, 10-Jan-87 23:05:47 EST
References: <9041@duke.duke.UUCP>
Sender: nobody@columbia.UUCP
Organization: Columbia University CS Department
Lines: 13

In <9041@duke.duke.UUCP>, srt@duke.UUCP (Stephen R. Tate) writes:
> Namely, breaking the RSA protocol has the same complexity as factoring
> a very large number.  The fastest computer available today would take
> several billion years to factor such a large number, giving the security
> of the system.

This has not to my knowledge been proven.  What is true is that the
only known method of breaking RSA involves factoring huge numbers, but
that is not to say that there is not some other undiscovered method.
There are cryptosystems which have been proven equivalent to
factoring, but I don't think RSA is one of them.
-- 
David Eppstein, eppstein@cs.columbia.edu, seismo!columbia!cs!eppstein