Create key's over 4096 bit ????

Johan Wevers johanw at vulcan.xs4all.nl
Thu Dec 22 11:47:18 CET 2005


Ludwig wrote:

>> for encryption, currently the 256 bit algo's are the strongest.

>Please don't mix symmetrical encryption strength (I suppose you are
>referring to the session key length/encryption algo) with asymmetrical
>encryption strength.
>
>A chain is only as strong as its weakest element.

Indeed. And the stmmetrical algorithms are currently certainly not the
weakest element. A symmetrical algo with no better than brute force attacs
and 128 bits is comparable to a RSA or DH key of about 2400 bits. The 256
bit symmetrical algo's are of course stronger, I don't know how much
compared with public key strength. And anyway, because breaking the pubkey
algo allows one to read all ancrypted messages and breaking the symmetric
key to read only one it makes sense to try to make the pubkey algo the
strongest element.

-- 
ir. J.C.A. Wevers         //  Physics and science fiction site:
johanw at vulcan.xs4all.nl   //  http://www.xs4all.nl/~johanw/index.html
PGP/GPG public keys at http://www.xs4all.nl/~johanw/pgpkeys.html



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