[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

Re: Layman's explanation for limits on escrowed encryption ...



On Fri, 24 May 1996, E. ALLEN SMITH wrote:

> 	Hmm.... what were the normal key-length recommendations again? This
> appears to imply that the NSA can break at least 64-bit, and probably 80-bit,
> encryption. How does this translate into public key lengths? E.g., how many
> normal bits is a 1024-bit PGP key equivalent to?
> 	-Allen

The normal key-length recommendation was 96 bits.  64 bits and 80 bits are
equivalent to 512 bits and 768 bits respectively.  I would guess that a
1024-bit key is about as strong as an 96-bit key.  The first two numbers are
from _Applied Cryptography_; my estimate is an extrapolation from the data in
AC.

-- Mark

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
[email protected]              | finger -l for PGP key 0xe3bf2169
http://www.voicenet.com/~markm/ | d61734f2800486ae6f79bfeb70f95348
((2b) || !(2b))                 | Old key now used only for signatures
"The concept of normalcy is just a conspiracy of the majority" -me

PGP signature