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Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!duke!mcnc!mcg@aat.UUCP
From: mcg@aat.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.crypt
Subject: Public Key Crypto-Systems
Message-ID: <195@aat.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 30-Nov-83 11:12:28 EST
Article-I.D.: aat.195
Posted: Wed Nov 30 11:12:28 1983
Date-Received: Fri, 2-Dec-83 05:51:38 EST
Organization: Ann Arbor Terminals
Lines: 20


Could someone give me a reference (or even better, *code*, or an
algorithm description) for a public-key encryption system. To the
best of my knowledge, these systems are based on the distribution
of very large pseudo-prime numbers, i.e. large numbers with
exactly two large prime factors. The psuedo-prime can be distributed
in a "phonebook", but the factors are kept secret. The sender
encrypts the outgoing message using the pseudo-prime, but the factors
are required to decode it.  It has a side benefit of unforgeably
identifying the sender of any given message.  I am interested in
implementing one such system for UNIX.

The National Security Agency has been trying to supress scholarly
discussion on this topic, reportedly because this is an encryption
system that even they do not have the resources to break (unlike DES).
[This from the recent book, "The Puzzle Palace"].

S. McGeady
cbosg!cbosgd!aat!mcg
tektronix!psu-cs!aat!mcg