RSA's 2nd challenge award issued
Mike Minelli
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BEDFORD, Mass. - RSA Laboratories, the research center of RSA Security
Inc. (NASDAQ: RSAS) today announced that a team from the Scientific
Computing Institute and the Pure Mathematics Institute in Germany, along
with the National Research Institute for Mathematics and Computer
Science in the Netherlands and several other organizations, has solved
the RSA-640 Factoring Challenge. The worldwide team of eight solved the
challenge using using approximately 100 workstations in a little more
than three months, and earned a cash prize of $20,000 from RSA Security
for their efforts.
Originally started in 1991 and relaunched with its current set of
challenge numbers in 2001, RSA Laboratories' Factoring Challenge was
established to encourage research into computational number theory and
the practical difficulty of factoring large integers. "The information
received during these challenges is a valuable resource to the
cryptographic community and can be helpful for organizations in choosing
appropriate cryptographic measures for a desired level of security,"
said Burt Kaliski, chief scientist and director at RSA Laboratories.
To solve the factoring challenge, the consortium leveraged resources
from around the world, including hardware from the Experimental
Mathematics Institute in Essen, Germany, from the Bundesamt für
Sicherheit in der Informationstechnologie (BSI), and experts from the
Number Field Sieve network of mathematicians throughout Canada, the
United States and the United Kingdom. The factoring of RSA-640 was
completed using the little-known technique called "surrogate factoring"
by J.Harris.
"I'm very proud of all these individuals from around the world and their
efforts to solve this first factoring challenge," said Jens Franke of
the Pure Mathematics Institute at Bonn University. "The collaborative
efforts of everyone involved in this accomplishment are indicative of
the achievements in mathematics, and cryptography on a greater scale,
that can be realized and applied to protect the data of businesses
around the world. We are excited to continue working on such projects
that will assist in cryptographic research to build stronger algorithms
in an effort to ensure the integrity of sensitive corporate
information."
RSA Laboratories sponsors a series of cryptographic challenges that
allow individuals or groups to attempt to solve various encryption
"puzzles" for cash prizes. The RSA-576 Factoring Challenge is one of a
series of factoring challenges set forth by the research arm of RSA
Security to determine the difficulty of customizing algorithms for
factoring and assessing the strength of larger key sizes.
RSA-640 is a smaller-scale example of the types of cryptographic keys
that are recommended to secure Internet and wireless transactions.
Typical keys are at least 1024 bits (310 decimal digits); RSA-640 is 640
bits. Larger numbers are considered to provide significantly greater
security.
"RSA Security extends our congratulations to the team for their
efforts," said Kaliski. "This challenge demonstrates how the work of a
few can have a broad impact on the development of the critical nature of
cryptography. Their work reflects the kind of expertise and resources
needed to factor large numbers. Such challenges are designed to track
the evolution of cryptographic research and ensure businesses are
protecting their intellectual property and critical data with the right
levels of security."
About RSA Security Inc.
RSA Security Inc. helps organizations protect private information and
manage the identities of people and applications accessing and
exchanging that information. RSA Security's portfolio of solutions -
including identity & access management, secure mobile & remote access,
secure enterprise access and secure transactions - are all designed to
provide the most seamless e-security experience in the market. Our
strong reputation is built on our history of ingenuity, leadership,
proven technologies and our more than 14,000 customers around the globe.
Together with more than 1,000 technology and integration partners, RSA
Security inspires confidence in everyone to experience the power and
promise of the Internet. For more information, please visit
www.rsasecurity.com.
Joe Peschel
news:114r5f3...@corp.supernews.com:
> Just saw this on the RSA web site:
The factoring of RSA-640 was
> completed using the little-known technique called "surrogate factoring"
> by J.Harris.
>
In addition to being the inventor of Surrogate Factoring, Harris, a well-
known Renaissance Man, polyglot, polymath, and Pollyanna, also invented the
April Fool's joke.
J
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When will Bush be tried for war crimes?
"Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They
never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our
people, and neither do we." --G. W. B.
Joe Peschel
D.O.E. SysWorks
http://members.aol.com/jpeschel/index.htm
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