[LINK] Math Advances Raise the Prospect of breaking RSA encryption in 5 years

[Kim Holburn]

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.”


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Kim Holburn
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