Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/5/84; site randvax.UUCP
Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!cbosgd!ukma!psuvm.bitnet!psuvax1!burdvax!sdcrdcf!randvax!jim
From: jim@randvax.UUCP (Jim Gillogly)
Newsgroups: net.math,net.crypt
Subject: Re: factoring algorithms and RSA public key code
Message-ID: <38@randvax.UUCP>
Date: Sun, 16-Feb-86 18:24:47 EST
Article-I.D.: randvax.38
Posted: Sun Feb 16 18:24:47 1986
Date-Received: Wed, 19-Feb-86 00:45:49 EST
References: <5083@stolaf.UUCP> <1404@panda.UUCP>
Distribution: net
Organization: Banzai Institute
Lines: 24
Xref: watmath net.math:2857 net.crypt:543

In article <1404@panda.UUCP> plw@panda.UUCP (Pete Williamson) writes:
>I recently heard (second hand) that RSA has been rendered effectively
>useless due to an advance in the strategy of factoring large numbers.
>Apparently the general factoring problem remains "difficult", but
>factoring large numbers that contain large prime factors is now provably
>"easy".  I believe that the advance comes from MIT but I do not know
>who the researchers are.  The National Security Agency also has known
>about this for some time, I have heard.
>
>Hope this helps.

It doesn't, actually.  I know that there are recent results in proving
that large numbers are prime (rather than "statistically almost certainly
prime"), but haven't seen anything authoritative that tells who's come
up with this algorithm, what it's based on, or in fact whether it really
exists.  Would somebody who would know whether it's been done (like
David Cantor at UCLA, for example) please post either positive or negative
*real* information?

Thanks.
--
        Jim Gillogly
        {decvax, vortex}!randvax!jim
        jim@rand-unix.arpa