[109465] in Cypherpunks
Re: Is PGP crackable
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Snow Crash)
Thu Mar 25 02:46:44 1999
In-Reply-To: <v03130305b309d84cbd13@[209.66.100.86]>
Date: Thu, 25 Mar 1999 00:44:10 -0600
To: cypherpunks@algebra.com
From: Snow Crash <snow@smoke.suba.com>
Cc: Benjamin.Edwards@DIGIFONE.COM
Reply-To: Snow Crash <snow@smoke.suba.com>
Because of the level of regard I have for "Journalists" in this country, I
feel that I must add:
>At 5:04 AM -0800 3/8/99, Edwards, Benjamin () wrote:
>>I am writing an article about PGP and have one simple question. Can PGP
>>keys be cracked. Someone I worked for used to (allegedly) work for the US
>>army. He (allegedly) says the army got comms equipment 6 years before it
>>was commercially available. If this was the case with computer hardware I
>>guess the question would be 'Would it be possible to crack a 4k key if we
>>had the computer equipment that would be available in 6 years from now?'
>Yes, all of this is true.
>The Army was able to use its time travel technology to obtain computers
>based on the Pentium chip a full 5 years before Intel saw first silicon!
>Even now, the Army is testing computers based on the Pentium V (Department
>of Rendundancy Department), which Intel does not expect to even design for
>another 4 years!
>
>Using the same technology, a 4K key which would normally require more
>computers than there are quarks in the universe, running for a kalpa, can
>be cracked in minutes.
>
>Journalists like yourself should be proud of your understanding of technology.
Benjanmin, Mr. May is attempting to use "sarcasm" to make the point
that what your buddy was talking about isn't possible. PGP runs on
_standard_ PC hardware, not the specialized hardware the military gets.
It is no longer the case that the Military gets the cool shit
before the public. It may be that the boys and girls and Ft. Meade get
first shot at plaing with any new technologies developed, but even they
can't get consumer/commercial equipment before the public, as market
pressures ensure (insure?) that Chip Makers get their hottest stuff out the
door NOW.
Really Tim, you ought to know better than to bait journalists like
that, after all, if they'll believe the Government, who knows WHAT they'll
buy into next.
--
Five seconds later, I'm getting the upside of 15Kv across the nipples.
(These ambulance guys sure know how to party).
The Ideal we strive for: http://www.iinet.net.au/~bofh/bofh/bofh11.html
