[nycbug-talk] RSA/DSA for encryption: has it's time come?

Isaac (.ike) Levy ike at blackskyresearch.net
Fri Sep 6 12:26:10 EDT 2013


On September 6, 2013 09:36:15 AM EDT, Justin Dearing 
<zippy1981 at gmail.com> wrote:

>> From Schneier <http://www.theguardian.com/profile/bruceschneier>'s Guardian
> article today:
> http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/sep/05/nsa-how-to-remain-secure-surveillance
>
>> Prefer conventional discrete-log-based systems over elliptic-curve
> systems; the latter have constants that the NSA influences when they can.
> I'm ignorant of the inner working of elliptic-curve systems. Obviously
> Bruce is an authority, but is he right here? Are the older algorithms safer
> from NSA evesdropping?

He dives into the bits a bit more in his blog,
http://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2013/09/the_nsas_crypto_1.html

But in this post, his rationale apears to merely be well-informed conjecture:
"Certainly the fact that the NSA is pushing elliptic-curve cryptography 
is some indication that it can break them more easily."

Would I trust Schneier on this?  Heck yeah.  Do I want more concrete 
information, ABSOLUTELY.

--
In the meantime, everyone has multiple keys- of different algorithms, 
in places which matter, right?  :)

Rocket-
.ike





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