Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!mnetor!seismo!rutgers!clyde!cbatt!ihnp4!drutx!mtuxo!mtune!mtund!bem From: bem@mtund.UUCP (Bruce McNair) Newsgroups: sci.crypt Subject: Re: Multiple "valid" decryptions Message-ID: <829@mtund.UUCP> Date: Fri, 19-Dec-86 14:17:10 EST Article-I.D.: mtund.829 Posted: Fri Dec 19 14:17:10 1986 Date-Received: Sat, 20-Dec-86 06:01:42 EST References: <97@vianet.UUCP> Organization: AT&T ISL Middletown NJ USA Lines: 15 > > Something to reflect upon, when thinking about decrypting a message > using a key with a very large range, is the large number of possible > decryptions that may result. Obviously, most of the decryptions > when using a random key will be garbage. However, what's intriguing > is the thought that some of the random keys will produce random > interesting messages. > Bob Devine > [ encrypting my name produces 13013...:-)] The whole strength of the "one time pad" cryptosystem (the only publically known, provably secure against all attacks cryptosystem) is based on that fact - a cipher can be decrypted into any of 2**n plaintexts (for an n bit message) and all are equally plausible plaintexts, given the cipher.