Re: A secure, trustworthy Win XP compitable encryption program with GUI interface?

From: Benjamin Choi (nospam_at_technosoft21.com)
Date: 03/02/04 

Date: 2 Mar 2004 04:57:39 -0800

"MacGregor K. Phillips" <mkp@topsecretcrypto.com> wrote in message news:<c20q1d$1m0v90$1@ID-201989.news.uni-berlin.de>...
> Read the documentation. I recommend face to face exchange.

It doesn't say anything about difficulty of factoring 16kbit RSA. The
only reference which suggests that 128-bit symmetric encryption is
broken is

"Rainbow Six by Tom Clancy - © 1998 - paperback edition pages 436 and
437. Here Tom Clancy writes that the NSA, with the application of
quantum theory to communications security can decipher codes with 128
bit keys, and it appears from his writing that it hardly takes any
time at all. The conventional key used by PGP™ is only 128 bits. Does
Tom Clancy know something we do not, and has he incorporated this
knowledge into his novel?"

Which is clearly fiction... besides, doesn't recent versions of PGP
allow for 256-bit keys (AES and Twofish algorithms in addition to the
100+ bit key algorithms CAST (128-bit), IDEA (128-bit), 3DES
(112-bit)).

"The Optiset E privacy module offered by Siemens AG for voice
encryption over the telephone "uses one of 10 to the 38th power keys
for each call" which works out to only a 128 bit key. 2 to the 128th
power equals 3.4028 times 10 to the 38th power. Do you think the NSA
can break this one too?"

Why do you think the NSA can break this one too besides the references
I quoted above? 

--
Benjamin Choi

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