Re: 25 Crays a Year to Break STT

[Bill Stewart <stewarts@ix.netcom.com>]

>   Microsoft said its Secure Transaction Technology (STT), was
>   designed to provide a much higher level of security for
>   credit card transactions on the Internet. Netscape's
>   general purpose encryption system uses a 40 or 128-bit
>   electronic "key", while STT will use 2,000-bit keys.
Sigh.  Apples and oranges, and they know it.
....
>   Although no encryption system was totally secure, Mr Dent
>   estimated it would take "25 Cray supercomputers a year" to
>   break the STT codes.

So how much work can 25 Crays do in a year?  Crack single-DES?
Maybe RC4/64?  
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# Bill Stewart, Freelance Information Architect, stewarts@ix.netcom.com
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