Welcome back Mr. Newsman!
There you go.... isn't it easy to make girls happy!
Quote:
Crypto scientists crack prime problem
Computer scientists in India have cracked an age-old mathematical problem by designing a method for computers to quickly prove whether a figure is a prime number -- a vital step in cryptography. RSA, a popular encryption algorithm used in securing Internet commerce, is built on the assumption that when prime numbers -- those evenly divisible only by themselves and the number one -- are large enough, they're nearly impossible to generate and determine. To create encryption keys, RSA uses two huge prime numbers and multiplies them together to produce an even bigger prime. Testing then confirms whether it is in fact a prime number. The current algorithms used in so-called primality tests are speedy but have a miniscule probability of producing a wrong answer.
http://zdnet.com.com/2100-1104-949170.html
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This was a very interesting piece of news. A more efficient primality test does not break any encryption technologies but rather enhances them. Factorization of large numbers (to their prime components) is the computationally tough challenge that keeps protecting RSA security.
- tg
