From: Mutant Rob <wlkngowl@unix.asb.com>
Date: Sun, 3 Mar 1996 11:06:21 +0800
To: cypherpunks@toad.com
Subject: Re: Truelly Random Numbers
Message-ID: <199603030243.VAA16849@bb.hks.net>
MIME-Version: 1.0
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Timothy C. May wrote:
[..]
> Now, is the modulus, n = pq, any more factorable than if a "more
> random" source of p and q were used?
> 
> (I am actually asking this as a real question. Does anyone know if
> factoring is significantly easier for such not-completely-random
> numbers? I would expect that in theory it is, but in practice this is
> not a useful point of entry into factoring n. Just a hunch.)
> 

Only if I can have a good enough idea of the non-random method for
generating numbers, or if I can find some useful statistical correlations
in your numbers.  (And then again, what do you mean by "significantly
easier"?  Knowing 1 bit reduces the work by half, but with orders or
thousands of bits, it's not much help.)

Whether I can realisitically reproduce or work with that non-random
method of key generation is another matter, though.

Rob.
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