From: markh@wimsey.bc.ca (Mark C. Henderson)
Date: Thu, 17 Mar 94 09:38:00 PST
To: nowhere@bsu-cs.bsu.edu>
Subject: Re: NSA and PGP rabblerousing
Message-ID: <m0phLwS-00003HC@vanbc.wimsey.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


> Note that doubling the key size from 1024 to 2048 bits is also
> probably a ruse, since it dramatically increases computation time (I
> think).  1024 bits are a lot of bits as it is.
On the other hand, with
1. the right algorithms for multiple precision arithmetic
2. a little assembler code for time critical sections
3. reasonable hardware (say an intel 486DX/33. Nothing 'state of the art')

encryption, decryption, signing &c. with a 2048 bit modulus can be 
quite practical (or at least tolerable).

But yes, it does increase computation time considerably, so one has 
to be a lot more careful about how one does things if RSA is still 
going to be practical.

Can you afford to wait 15 seconds to sign a message? What is the time 
limit for us to consider RSA practical? 

Mark 

-- 
Mark Henderson      markh@wimsey.bc.ca (personal account)
RIPEM MD5OfPublicKey: F1F5F0C3984CBEAF3889ADAFA2437433
ViaCrypt PGP Key Fingerprint: 21 F6 AF 2B 6A 8A 0B E1  A1 2A 2A 06 4A D5 92 46
cryptography archive maintainer -- anon ftp -- wimsey.bc.ca:/pub/crypto