On Wed, 2007-01-17 at 11:50 -0600, Marc Schwartz wrote: Snip > > And that is dedicating the entire 17 TFLOP system just to break _one_ key. > > > The current concensus age of the universe in years: > > 1.37e+10 > > > Nuff said? snip No one has ever broken a crypto system by pure brute force, no matter what you may think. This is an argument put up by the uninitiated to substantiate their belief that they are secure. There are dozens of different algorithms used, purmutations of how systems are broken and in any event encryption is not just the XOR of a random stream with data any longer (although that is used in some moderately secure systems). Anyway, if you feel secure, good for you. I, however, feel that we all are vulnerable, and that each of us needs to make our own assessment. My knowledge was hard won, and is valid. Perhaps yours is just as valid to you. I wish you all the best. I hope that the people concerned do their homework and help all of us attain the state you now enjoy. Regards, Les H
