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From: simsong@mit-amt.MEDIA.MIT.EDU (Simson L. Garfinkel)
Newsgroups: sci.crypt
Subject: Re: Security of RSA and factoring
Message-ID: <606@mit-amt.MEDIA.MIT.EDU>
Date: Sun, 11-Jan-87 13:29:41 EST
Article-I.D.: mit-amt.606
Posted: Sun Jan 11 13:29:41 1987
Date-Received: Sun, 11-Jan-87 22:50:27 EST
References: <9041@duke.duke.UUCP> <4205@columbia.UUCP>
Reply-To: simsong@media-lab.MEDIA.MIT.EDU (Simson L. Garfinkel)
Organization: MIT Media Lab, Cambridge MA
Lines: 21
Keywords: factoring

Another real issue in breaking RSA is that factoring is not a well-understood
branch of mathematics. We really don't know the "right" way to factor
numbers. Right now, it takes a long time for the fastest computers
to factor big numbers.... But what if there is a breakthrough and
somebody figures out how to factor in parallel (on a connection machine,
for example...)

What if the NSA knows how to factor but hasn't told anybody?

What if I know how to factor but don't tell you? What if I figure out 
how to do it tomorrow? 

It's probably wrong to say that an RSA cypher won't be broken for 100
years, because by then we'll know how to factor a whole lot better.

			Simson L. Garfinkel
			MIT Media Lab

-- 
Simson L. Garfinkel is a freelance student at the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology.