$200,000

[Ensign Paris]

Anyone think they could break this?

RSA Security is offering a $200,000 cash prize to the person who cracks a 2048-bit encryption key. That's only 32 317 006 071 311 007 300 714 876 688 669 951 960 444 102 669 715 484 032 130 345 427 524 655 138 867 890 893 197 201 411 522 913 463 688 717 960 921 898 019 494 119 559 150 490 921 095 088 152 386 448 283 120 630 877 367 300 996 091 750 197 750 389 652 106 796 057 638 384 067 568 276 792 218 642 619 756 161 838 094 338 476 170 470 581 645 852 036 305 042 887 575 891 541 065 808 607 552 399 123 930 385 521 914 333 389 668 342 420 684 974 786 564 569 494 856 176 035 326 322 058 077 805 659 331 026 192 708 460 314 150 258 592 864 177 116 725 943 603 718 461 857 357 598 351 152 301 645 904 403 697 613 233 287 231 227 125 684 710 820 209 725 157 101 726 931 323 469 678 542 580 656 697 935 045 997 268 352 998 638 215 525 166 389 437 335 543 602 135 433 229 604 645 318 478 604 952 148 193 555 853 611 059 596 230 656 possible keys. (pretend those spaces are commas or pretend you're in France...)

Ensign

 

[mac15]

Get the kid of mercury rising
he did it but thats just impossible
couldn't someone create an app to do or get a hacker app or something to do it

 

[Ensign Paris]

WTF 'Get the kid of mercury rising'?

I have no idea how to even start with a code breaking app, I might try looking into it later but I think processing power might be a problem, I just stick with AppleScript

Ensign

 

[Macmaniac]

OMG

That is freaking scary!

 

[edesignuk]

Yup, done it! No problem...yeah right!

 

[eyelikeart]

I wonder if John Nash could break it??

 

[Backtothemac]

Oh, man, that was easy.... ha!

Man, that is just freaky. One of my computer science professors said that it would take longer to break 128 bit encryption that the sun will last! This is just nasty. I wonder if Steven Hawkins could do it?

 

[britboy]

Originally posted by Ensign Paris
WTF 'Get the kid of mercury rising'?

Mercury Rising was a film with this kid who just looked at this top-secret code and read it like normal english. He had some brain disorder which made him look at things differently.

You got a link to the page about this offer?

 

[Mr. Anderson]

You'll need a different type of computer than what's currently available. That big a number is just ludicrous, it won't happen with the current level of deincription technology available. Its just a challenge to see if someone has a way to beat the current system.

I read a book last year all about the history of encription, from a simple Ceasar shift, to the Enigma Machine, to the future of encryption and the possible use of quatum encryption. Pretty nuts. Currently we have unbreakable codes, but history has shown that its always in a state of change.

 

[jelloshotsrule]

if it's as hard as all you geeks are saying...

$200,000 is nothing.

offer up a couple million and maybe i'll have another look

 

[Ensign Paris]

There is only one way (as far as I can see) of doing a totally secure encryption and that is:

1. Encrypt the file you are going to send somebody
2. Send the file but DON'T TELL THE RECIEVER THE KEY
3. Let the reciever apply his/her own encryption code to it.
4. Let the reciever send it back to you
5. Decrypt the document and send it back
6. The reciever decodes it for the final time and has the perfect key.

I am not aware of the site, i got it in an e-mail.

Does anybody no if Encryption will come back into osx? (Similar to the way it was implemented in OS9)

Ensign

 

[cleo]

Originally posted by dukestreet
You'll need a different type of computer than what's currently available. That big a number is just ludicrous, it won't happen with the current level of deincription technology available. Its just a challenge to see if someone has a way to beat the current system.

I read a book last year all about the history of encription, from a simple Ceasar shift, to the Enigma Machine, to the future of encryption and the possible use of quatum encryption. Pretty nuts. Currently we have unbreakable codes, but history has shown that its always in a state of change.

Do you have the name of the book/author? That sounds like a good read... maybe I'll put it on my birthday wish list.

 

[AlphaTech]

job for an über Xserve cluster

Get a few racks (8') full of Xserve's (loaded DP models), cluster them and put them on the task. It shouldn't take them long with that much computing power.

I believe that the statement of "that it would take longer to break 128 bit encryption that the sun will last! " applies to a single computer attempting the task. I wonder how long it would take 210 Xserve's clustered (that would be 420 processors) in five racks to crack it. Granted it would cost more then the prize to get all the systems, but it would be worth it for bragging rights along.

 

[AlphaTech]

Originally posted by dukestreet
Currently we have unbreakable codes, but history has shown that its always in a state of change.

No code is unbreakable... it is just a matter of time before it gets cracked.

 

[pc_convert?]

cleo said

Do you have the name of the book/author? That sounds like a good read... maybe I'll put it on my birthday wish list

I'm not sure if it's the same book but it sounds like

The Code Book by Simon Singh

ISBN 1-85702-889-9

It's all about the history of encryption and code breaking v.interesting

 

[Mr. Anderson]

Originally posted by pc_convert?

The Code Book by Simon Singh

ISBN 1-85702-889-9

It's all about the history of encryption and code breaking v.interesting

That's it, thanks, I was just going to post it. Here's the link to Amazon for you.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/A...1918754/sr=2-3/ref=sr_2_3/002-1665880-4593642

Uifo xf dbo ubml dpef!

That's a simple Ceasar shift, each letter is actually the one preceeding it. It wasn't developed by Ceasar, but used by him enough to get his name associated with it.

D

 

[King Cobra]

Originally posted by Backtothemac
One of my computer science professors said that it would take longer to break 128 bit encryption that the sun will last! This is just nasty. I wonder if Steven Hawkins could do it?

I am pretty sure that is accurate. I remember a debate some college students held at my USA 1 class last year, saying that 128-bit encryption would take 1x10^22 years to break. And the sun is supposed to die in about 5x10^9 years. Unless you are trying to break the code using today's technology in outer space, and you have 9.999999999995x10^21 years to waste, do not wait up for it.
__________________

Any time is a great time for iPod.
Working on avatar and new signature...

 

[Mr. Anderson]

Originally posted by King Cobra

I am pretty sure that is accurate. I remember a debate some college students held at my USA 1 class last year, saying that 128-bit encryption would take 1x10^22 years to break. And the sun is supposed to die in about 5x10^9 years. Unless you are trying to break the code using today's technology in outer space, and you have 9.999999999995x10^21 years to waste, do not wait up for it.

But this is all for the current level of the computer processing power we have. There will be a time that 128 bit won't be enough. Imagine what computers will be like 100 years from now? You can't, but I'd guess that that 10^22 years would be reduce by quite a few orders of magnitude.

 

[King Cobra]

That is why we have the Japaneese Supercomputer (search on Cnet or one of the older forums, it's somewhere).

I don't think that I would be around in 100 years, but wouldn't it be scary if the technology of computers progressed muchfaster than security? We would have to bring security to some sort of order.

What would come out after 128-bit security? And is it hard to integrate into a program for protection?
__________________

Any time is a great time for iPod.
Working on avatar and new signature...

 

[ftaok]

I got it ...

It's the question whose answer is 42.

 

[TypeR389]

Originally posted by dukestreet


But this is all for the current level of the computer processing power we have. There will be a time that 128 bit won't be enough. Imagine what computers will be like 100 years from now? You can't, but I'd guess that that 10^22 years would be reduce by quite a few orders of magnitude.

I agree, I really do not see 128 bit as being unbreakable. in a purely theoretical world, it is VERY though, but when you add the human factor of doing stupid things to the information which makes is possible to find patterns and them break it down, it is much easier. I PGP everything at 1024 bit keys, which is very safe. the main thing with encryption is you have to make breaking the code at least one order of magnitude more difficult than the encoded information is worth. If I want to send a coded message using my apple jacks secret decoder ring, so be it as long as I don't really care if somebody does go through the work of buying a box of cereal to break it. my credit card number however is worth 128bit, as the amount of money they could steal from it would not pay the amount of time required to break it.

 

[mymemory]

I got it

32 317 006 071 311 007 300 714 876 688 669 951 960 444 102 669 715 484 032 130 345 427 524 655 138 867 890 893 197 201 411 522 913 463 688 717 960 921 898 019 494 119 559 150 490 921 095 088 152 386 448 283 120 630 877 367 300 996 091 750 197 750 389 652 106 796 057 638 384 067 568 276 792 218 642 619 756 161 838 094 338 476 170 470 581 645 852 036 305 042 887 575 891 541 065 808 607 552 399 123 930 385 521 914 333 389 668 342 420 684 974 786 564 569 494 856 176 035 326 322 058 077 805 659 331 026 192 708 460 314 150 258 592 864 177 116 725 943 603 718 461 857 357 598 351 152 301 645 904 403 697 613 233 287 231 227 125 684 710 820 209 725 157 101 726 931 323 469 678 542 580 656 697 935 045 997 268 352 998 638 215 525 166 389 437 335 543 602 135 433 229 604 645 318 478 604 952 148 193 555 853 611 059 596 230 656 is more or less what a G5 is gonna cost in my country if the devaluation continue like this