Re: How long to break a 512 bit RSA key?
From: Phil Carmody (thefatphil_demunged_at_yahoo.co.uk)
Date: 10/31/03
- Next message: Joerg Platte: "Re: counter mode and data integrity"
- Previous message: ink: "Re: Johnny Mnemonic"
- In reply to: Hyper4S: "How long to break a 512 bit RSA key?"
- Messages sorted by: [ date ] [ thread ] [ subject ] [ author ] [ attachment ]
Date: 31 Oct 2003 17:41:57 +0200
"Hyper4S" <Hyper4S@hotmail.com> writes:
> Hello,
>
> I was wondering how secure 512 bit RSA keys are, and some "googling" showed
> me that "they can be broken".
> Moreover, it seems that this can be done rather *easily*, in a *reasonable*
> amount of time.
>
> But I couldnt figure out what's exactly meant by that "easily" and
> "reasonable".
>
> So, what would it take to break a 512 bit RSA key? A massive network of
> high-end computers? A simple desktop pc? And how long would it take? 10
> seconds? More than a year?
>
> Of course the time needed depends on the computerpower used...
> So more specific:
> How long would it take to break a 512 bit RSA key on, say, a desktop pc with
> 1 GB RAM and 3 Mhz processor speed?
Longer than the capacitors on the motherboard would last.
Individuals aren't the threat. Basically, if you're a company with a
HP superdome or similar then you can probably crack 512-bit keys in
less than a year. Looking at the top500 list you can only conclude
that if companies and universities were prepared to dedicate computer
resourses to GNFS sieving, there would be hundreds of institutions
which could perform the task. And if hundreds can be done per year,
that means that one can be done per day (throughput, not latency).
(And when I say individuals aren't the threat, I mean individuals.
NFSnet _isn't_ an individual.)
> Could you refer to the words of some authority in this field, who has
> "proven" this? Some founded references?
Look at the effort that was required to crack similarly-sized
numbers in the past. That's about as good an estimate as
you'll find.
Phil
-- Unpatched IE vulnerability: Security zone transfer Description: Automatically opening IE + Executing attachments Published: March 22nd 2002 Reference: http://security.greymagic.com/adv/gm002-ie/
- Next message: Joerg Platte: "Re: counter mode and data integrity"
- Previous message: ink: "Re: Johnny Mnemonic"
- In reply to: Hyper4S: "How long to break a 512 bit RSA key?"
- Messages sorted by: [ date ] [ thread ] [ subject ] [ author ] [ attachment ]
Relevant Pages
|
|
