From: amp@pobox.com
Date: Sat, 22 Nov 1997 11:29:52 +0800
To: cypherpunks@cyberpass.net
Subject: ECC Challenge
Message-ID: <Chameleon.880105199.amp@rcnu3077>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain



Hmmm... A cracking challenge that doesn't appear to be snake oil...

As reported in PCweek 

Found at http://www.certicom.com/challenge.htm

Certicom Packs more than a Decade of Research into its ECC Challenge 

Certicom has created and launched an ECC Challenge, giving
cryptographers and mathematicians who are new to the Elliptic Curve
Cryptosystem (ECC) the benefit of hands-on experience with elliptic curve
algebra. The Certicom ECC Challenge is the result of research and
development into ECC by Certicom's cryptographic experts. 

The Certicom ECC Challenge, posted at Certicom's web site, is expected to
draw participation from cryptographers and mathematicians around the
world, giving them the opportunity to work with elementary elliptic curve
algebraic problems and test their own knowledge against what are
internationally recognized to be difficult and infeasible problems. 

"We believe the Certicom ECC Challenge is a great way for those
cryptographers and mathematicians who are looking to expand their
knowledge of elliptic curve algebra to form a strong appreciation for the
security of ECC," said Dr. Scott A. Vanstone, Certicom's Chief
Cryptographer. 

Participants in the Certicom ECC Challenge must try to compute an ECC
private key at a particular key size, given the corresponding ECC public 
key and a set of parameters. As a lead-up to the Challenge, Certicom has
included a set of Exercise problems, the simplest of which should be solved
in a matter of hours following the Challenge's launch. 

Prizes will be awarded for the first correct answer to each of the 
Exercises. Mathematical software to facilitate cryptography-related 
computations and a copy of the Handbook of Applied Cryptography will be 
awarded for the 79 and 89-bit Exercises, and US$5,000 for the 97-bit 
Exercises. 

Prizes have also been set for both Level I and II Challenge problems,
including those which are considered infeasible based on current knowledge
and available computing capabilities. The highest prize is US$100,000 to
find a 359-bit ECC private key. The elliptic curves for the Level II
Challenges meet the stringent security requirements imposed by forthcoming
ANSI banking standards, specifically ANSI X9.62 and X9.63. 

Visit Certicom's web site for ongoing status report of the ECC Challenge. 

                   Go to the Certicom ECC Challenge 

                   For more information about ECC, check out Certicom's ECC 
Tutorials and
                   Whitepapers. 


===
E-mail: amp@pobox.com
Date: 11/21/97
Time: 04:36:03
Visit me at http://www.pobox.com/~amp

     -export-a-crypto-system-sig -RSA-3-lines-PERL
#!/bin/perl -sp0777i<X+d*lMLa^*lN%0]dsXx++lMlN/dsM0<j]dsj
$/=unpack('H*',$_);$_=`echo 16dio\U$k"SK$/SM$n\EsN0p[lN*1
lK[d2%Sa2/d0$^Ixp"|dc`;s/\W//g;$_=pack('H*',/((..)*)$/)

Have you seen  http://www.public-action.com/SkyWriter/WacoMuseum
===