RSA's New Contest -- Crack DES Faster, Faster, Faster!!

[Vin McLellan <vin@shore.net>]

	RSADSI today announced a new multiple-stage contest which will
reward those who crack DES ciphertext more quickly than other contestants.
See: http://www.rsa.com/rsalabs/

	"Our original DES Challenge showed DES was crackable using an
exhaustive search attack," said Jim Bidzos, president of RSA. "Now the goal
is to see how quickly an exhaustive search attack can be accomplished to
help judge the true vulnerability of DES...."

	As the feds begin, ever so slowly, the process of selecting a
replacement for DES, the RSA contest seem likely to both document and
illustrate how quickly DES can be cracked.  Bidzos, continuing his campaign
to be nominated MAF (Most Admired Fellow) at Ft. Meade,  announced that the
first "DES Challenge II" contest would be launched at 9:00 AM (PST) -- just
before the start of the annual RSA Data Security Conference in S.F.

	"The goal of each contest is not only to recover the secret key
used to DES-encrypt a plain-text message, but to do so faster than previous
winners in the series," explained an RSA press release.

	"As before, a cash prize will be awarded for the first correct
entry received. Unlike previous contests, the amount of the prize will be
based on how quickly the key is recovered. "

	RSA's T&Cs for DES Challenge II:

"Twice a year, on January 13 and July 13, at 9:00 A.M. Pacific time, a
new contest will be posted on the home page of RSA's Web site
(http://www.rsa.com).

"The contest will consist of the ciphertext produced by DES-encrypting some
unknown plain-text message that has a fixed and known message header. The
secret key will be generated at random and then destroyed within the
contest-generating software so that no one, not even the contest
administrators, will know what it is.

"The first entrant to recover the key wins, but the amount of the prize
will depend on how fast the key was recovered.

"If the time required is less than or equal to 25 percent of the previous
winner's time, the prize is $10,000. If the time is greater than 25
percent, but less than or equal to 50 percent of the previous winner's
time, the prize is $5,000. Finally, if the time is greater than 50 percent,
but less than
or equal to 75 percent of the previous winner's time, the prize is
$1,000. There is no prize for times greater than 75 percent of the
previous winner's time.

"The 'previous winner's' time that will be used for the first contest is 90
days."

"Cryptography is like literacy in the Dark Ages. Infinitely potent, for
good and ill... yet basically an intellectual construct, an idea, which by
its nature will resist efforts to restrict it to bureaucrats and others who
deem only themselves worthy of such Privilege."
_ A thinking man's Creed for Crypto/ vbm.

 *     Vin McLellan + The Privacy Guild + <vin@shore.net>    *
  53 Nichols St., Chelsea, MA 02150 USA <617> 884-5548