From: Ray Arachelian <sunder@brainlink.com>
Date: Mon, 31 Mar 1997 08:03:00 -0800 (PST)
To: cypherpunks <cypherpunks@toad.com
Subject: Re: PRESS REPORT - IMPORTANT?????
In-Reply-To: <199703310825.KAA13268@spoof.bart.nl>
Message-ID: <Pine.SUN.3.91.970331110509.18046C-100000@beast.brainlink.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


Is this for real or a troll???

On Mon, 31 Mar 1997, Anonymous wrote:

> ***  London Times, 30/03/1997   ***
> 
> >Factoring problem broken:
> >
> >One of the main systems used by computer privacy
> >programs around the world such as those used on
> >the internet to prevent third parties eavesdropping
> >on credit card transactions has been proven insecure,
> >The RSA algorithm, based on the difficulty of "factoring"
> >large numbers appears to have a weakness, a press 
> >release by the IACR (International Association for cryptologic 
> >research) reads as follows:
> 
> >"Leading researcher Ari Lenstra last night announced major 
> >progress had been made towards a solution to the factoring
> >problem, a result obtained by Sergei Ripov, researcher at
> >an obscure university in the former Soviet union, shows
> >conclusively that there exists a solution to the problem 
> >that is of polynomial time complexity, although this solution
> >has yet to be found this signals the beginning of the end for
> >a number of cryptosystems based on this problem, please note
> >a trivial solution to factoring also suggests a trivial solution
> >to the ECDLP and therefore a number of other systems such as
> >Diffie-Hellman and the El-Gamal group of cryptosystems should
> >be considered insecure"
> >
> >We were unable to contact the IACR for futher information.
> >The leading internet products company Netscape refused to
> >comment saying only "We regularly review data security
> >issues concerning all of our products".
> 
> 

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