On this day in 1983, a patent was granted to MIT for a new cryptographic algorithm: RSA. “RSA” stands for the names of its creators Rivest, Shamir, and Adlemen. RSA is a “public-key” cryptosystem. Prior to the creation of RSA, public-key cryptography was not in wide use.
Public-key cryptography
Cryptography is the study and practice of secure communication. Throughout most of its historical use, cryptographic techniques were entirely dependent on the involved parties already sharing a secret that could be used to reverse an encryption process. In early cryptography, the secret was itself the encryption process (for example, a Caesar cipher that substitutes letters in a secret message with letters a fixed number of steps down the alphabet). As cryptography became more systematic and widespread in use, it became necessary to separate cryptographic secrets from the cryptographic techniques themselves because the techniques could become known by the enemy (as well as static cryptographic schemes being more vulnerable to cryptanalysis). Regardless, there is still the issue of needing to share secrets between the communicating parties securely. This has taken many forms over the years, from word of mouth to systems of secure distribution of codebooks. But this kind of cryptography always requires an initial secure channel of communication to exchange secrets before an insecure channel can be made secure by the use of cryptography. And there is the risk of an enemy capturing keys and making the entire system worthless.
Only relatively recently has this fundamental problem been addressed in the form of public-key cryptography. In the late 20th century, it was proposed that a form of cryptography could exist where the 2 parties, seeking to communicate securely, could exchange some non-secret information (a “public” key) derived from privately held secret information (a “private” key), and use a mathematical function (a “trap-door” function) that is easy to compute in one direction (encryption) but hard to reverse without special information (decryption) to encipher messages to each other, using each other’s respective public keys, that can’t be easily decrypted without the corresponding private key. In other words, it should be easy to encipher messages to each other using a public key but hard to decrypt messages without the related private key. At the time this idea was proposed there was no known computationally-hard trap-door function that could make this possible in practice. Shortly after, several candidates and cryptosystems based upon them were described publicly 👁, including one that is still with us today…
RSA
Ron Rivest, Adi Shamir, and Leonard Adleman at MIT had made many attempts to find a suitably secure trap-door function for creating a public-key cryptosystem over a year leading up to the publication of their famous paper in 1978. Rivest and Shamir, the computer scientists of the group, would create a candidate trap-door function while Adleman, the mathematician, would try to find a way to easily reverse the function without any other information (like a public key). Supposedly, it took them 42 attempts before they created a promising new trap-door function.
As described in their 1978 paper “A method for obtaining digital signatures and public-key cryptosystems”, RSA is based upon the principle that factoring very large numbers is computationally difficult (for now!). The paper is a great read, if you’re interested in these topics. The impact of RSA can’t be understated. The security of communications on the internet have been dependent on RSA and other public-key cryptosystems since the very beginning. If you check your browser’s connection info right now, you’ll see that the cryptographic signature attached to Hexbear’s certificate is based on RSA! In the past, even the exchange of symmetric cipher keys between your web browser and the web server would have been conducted with RSA but there has been a move away from that to ensure the compromise of either side’s RSA private keys would not compromise all communications that ever happened.
The future of RSA?
In 1994, a mathematician named Peter Shor, developed an algorithm for quantum computers that would be capable of factoring the large integers used in the RSA scheme. In spite of this, RSA has seen widespead and increasing use in securing communications on the internet. Until recently, the creation of a large enough quantum computer to run Shor’s algorithm at sufficient scale was seen as very far off. With advances in practical quantum computers though, RSA is on its way out. Although current quantum computers are still a very long way off from being able to break RSA, it’s looking more and more plausable that someone could eventually build one that is capable of cracking RSA. A competition being held by the US National Institute of Standards and Technology, similar to the one that selected the Advanced Encryption Algorithm, is already underway to select standard cryptographic algorithms that can survive attacks from quantum computers.
Megathreads and spaces to hang out:
- ❤️ Come listen to music and Watch movies with your fellow Hexbears nerd, in Cy.tube
- 💖 Come talk in the New Weekly Queer thread
- 💛 Read and talk about a current topics in the News Megathread
- ⭐️ September Movie Nominations ⭐️
reminders:
- 💚 You nerds can join specific comms to see posts about all sorts of topics
- 💙 Hexbear’s algorithm prioritizes comments over upbears
- 💜 Sorting by new you nerd
- 🌈 If you ever want to make your own megathread, you can reserve a spot here nerd
- 🐶 Join the unofficial Hexbear-adjacent Mastodon instance toots.matapacos.dog
Links To Resources (Aid and Theory):
Aid:
Theory:
New Megathread Nerds!!!
It’s my first megathread, I hope you like it! I am somewhat nervous about posting it lol
-
🐶 Join the unofficial Hexbear-adjacent Mastodon instance toots.matapacos.dog
-
🌈 If you ever want to make your own megathread, you can go here nerd
@aaaaaaadjsf@hexbear.net @Abraxiel@hexbear.net @Abstraction@hexbear.net @Acute_Engles@hexbear.net @AnarchaPrincess@hexbear.net @AntiOutsideAktion@hexbear.net @Alaskaball@hexbear.net @AlicePraxis@hexbear.net @Aliveelectricwire@hexbear.net @artificialset@hexbear.net @asa_red_heathen@hexbear.net @autismdragon@hexbear.net @Awoo@hexbear.net @bbnh69420@hexbear.net @BirdBrained@hexbear.net @buh@hexbear.net @CDommunist@hexbear.net @Cherufe@hexbear.net @ClimateChangeAnxiety@hexbear.net @clover@hexbear.net @Comp4@hexbear.net @ComradeCmdrPiggy@hexbear.net @ComradeEchidna@hexbear.net @context@hexbear.net @corgiwithalaptop@hexbear.net @CrispyFern@hexbear.net @CriticalOtaku@hexbear.net @Cromalin@hexbear.net @CyborgMarx@hexbear.net @Dirt_Owl@hexbear.net @Dolores@hexbear.net @drinkinglakewater@hexbear.net @Dryad@hexbear.net @ElChapoDeChapo@hexbear.net @ElGosso@hexbear.net @el_principito@hexbear.net @EmmaGoldman@hexbear.net @FALGSConaut@hexbear.net @Flinch@hexbear.net @forcequit@hexbear.net @Frank@hexbear.net @Frogmanfromlake@hexbear.net @FuckyWucky@hexbear.net @GalaxyBrain@hexbear.net @Goadstool@hexbear.net @GorbinOutOverHere@hexbear.net @Grownbravy@hexbear.net @GVAGUY3@hexbear.net @HarryLime@hexbear.net @hexaflexagonbear@hexbear.net @Ho_Chi_Chungus@hexbear.net @Hooray4dolphins@hexbear.net @InevitableSwing@hexbear.net @iridaniotter@hexbear.net @jabrd@hexbear.net @JamesConeZone@hexbear.net @Kaputnik@hexbear.net @kristina@hexbear.net @LesbianLiberty@hexbear.net @Magician@hexbear.net @MaxOS@hexbear.net @Melina@hexbear.net @Mindfury@hexbear.net @mkultrawide@hexbear.net @Nagarjuna@hexbear.net @Nakoichi@hexbear.net @PaulSmackage@hexbear.net @plinky@hexbear.net @Pluto@hexbear.net @PorkrollPosadist@hexbear.net @President_Obama@hexbear.net @Ram_The_Manparts@hexbear.net @Redcuban1959@hexbear.net @RION@hexbear.net @RNAi@hexbear.net @Rojo27@hexbear.net @SeventyTwoTrillion@hexbear.net @solaranus@hexbear.net @SorosFootSoldier@hexbear.net @Sickos@hexbear.net @silent_water@hexbear.net @Sphere@hexbear.net @spring_rabbit@hexbear.net @SunsetFruitbat@hexbear.net @take_five_seconds@hexbear.net @Teekeeus@hexbear.net @Tervell@hexbear.net @UlyssesT@hexbear.net @VHS@hexbear.net @viva_la_juche@hexbear.net @WhatDoYouMeanPodcast@hexbear.net @Wheaties@hexbear.net @WhyEssEff@hexbear.net @WIIHAPPYFEW@hexbear.net @wtypstanaccount04@hexbear.net @wombat@hexbear.net @Zoift@hexbear.net @Zuzak@hexbear.net
@thelastaxolotl@hexbear.net @WhoaSlowDownMaurice@hexbear.net @Quimby@hexbear.net
@CARCOSA@hexbear.net @liberal@hexbear.net @ella@hexbear.net @all_or_nothing@hexbear.net @KenBonesWildRide@hexbear.net @KiraNerys@hexbear.net @TomboyShulk@hexbear.net @DuckNuckem@hexbear.net @SapGreen@hexbear.net @Zangief@hexbear.net @scumlord@hexbear.net @COMMENT@hexbear.net @Antisocial_Socialist@hexbear.net @DOPESMOKERDENG@hexbear.net @BoarAvoir@hexbear.net
Remember nerds just like in the old site, no current struggle session discussion here on the new general megathread, i will ban you from the comm and remove your comment, have a good day/night :meow-coffee:
Early mega hits different
Good thread friend!
New mega, hell yeah
ok i pull up
Happy first mega!
Howdy
-
Since I know everyone here is very invested in my love life, got my first phone number from having the corgi with me on Sunday. Got a date on friday! They’re a special ed teacher (is there a better word for that? please tell me if so) that plays a lot of DnD. Pretty stoked! Promising job interview lined up for next week, and doing mutual aid work (food rescue and distro) over the weekend.
Special ed. teacher is always what my dad called his job, he is pretty old though. People that exclusively work as classroom assistants sometimes go by parapro.
Thanks!
My dog got that newly unleashed rizz something fierce.
FWIIII
Huh! Hooh! Huh! Hooh! Huh! Hooh! Huh! Hooh!baiting felix biederman onto this site with a metaphorical box-and-stick trap
FWIIII
Huh! Hooh! Huh! Hooh! Huh! Hooh!
FWIIII
Huh! Hooh! Huh! Hooh! Huh! Hooh!
we don’t have enough Dark Souls emojis
Yeah anyone who enjoys “abuser lit” like The Hungry Hungry Caterpillar is pretty sus in my eyes. My nephew is getting into it. I’m worried, it’s a straight pipeline from there to spending hours watching Koch-funded tiktok accounts.
these taglines man
I’ve just had the best shit in my life, fast and easy yet solid
what’s your secret
probably something mundane like drinking the perfect amount of water, neither too much nor too little
My partner just eats an incomprehensible amount of lettuce to get the fiber
fun fact, all is not lost when a quantum computer becomes capable of breaking factorization-based crypto algorithm. there is in fact a subfield of mathematics that is dedicated primarily to this exact question called post-quantum cryptography. it generally involves using other kinds of mathematical structures than just the integers to construct algorithms that are not vulnerable to Shor’s algorithm or some other known exploit. i had a professor during my undergrad that worked in it and claimed to have been harassed regularly when doing international travel because i guess what’s in his head qualifies as a national security interest. crazy shit.
Yeah! It’s gonna be interesting to see which algorithm wins NIST’s post-quantum cryptography competition. The math involved in the current round 4 candidates is beyond me at this time lol
i had a professor during my undergrad that worked in it and claimed to have been harassed regularly when doing international travel because i guess what’s in his head qualifies as a national security interest. crazy shit.
Wtf, that’s wild
NIST’s post-quantum cryptography competition
holy fuck, he’s on this a couple times for attacks on the submissions, that’s crazy but also not surprising.
Woah that’s awesome lol
buy tasty potato chip
goes fucking great with sour cream
see sour cream on sale
“nah I’m pretty sure we got sour cream at home”
there was not sour cream at home
God damn, I’m certain this kind of shit is the worst thing that can happen to a person in the entire world. Universe, even.
today is not a day comrades
Twitter right now is so full of reddit-ass engagement bait questions like “what song is secretly sad?” but instead of the answers being the results of a thousand people googling “famous secretly sad song” it’s 999 dogshit unrelated memes and one guy going “hey ya!”
D O G S H I T C E P T I O N
edit: thanks for the gold kind stranger
Which hot take has you in the gallows
FWIIII
Huh! Hooh! Huh! Hooh! Huh! Hooh!I really like the :cool: emotes, always nice to see new ones
thanks @Grebgreb@hexbear.net
Nice!
I haven’t played the games - are the microplastics throwing pikmin at the other things, or are the other things throwing pikmin at the microplastics?
Also what happens if you get hit by pikmin?
I haven’t played them either but from what little I’ve seen of them, Olimar (the dude on the left) commands the pikmin (a species of kinda ant-like creatures) to carry shit around and fight shit on his behalf in order to complete the level and rebuild his spaceship, or something?
can lemmy add a way to automatically unpin and lock the old megathread please
every second the new mega is not pinned the division in the left grows /j
I’ve talked before about how much Tamir Rice stuck with me and changed me. But something I’ve never spoken about is the second hand trauma that it gave me once. Listen, I’m just a white guy (a white ND guy, so not zero risk lol, but yaknow) so I can’t even begin to fathom 1% of the trauma such incidents put on the black community. But… I’ll put the rest under spoiler tags
spoiler
I clearly remember sitting on the bus at my old job a couple years after the Tamir incident. I looked over fondly to one of my older black boys. I sweet kid, bit of a brat but it was always banter and not actual rudeness with him so I enjoyed working with him, which was rare for boys on the older end and me. Boys 10-14 are where I struggle most connecting as a childcare provider usually. He was like 10 at the time, and I was suddenly struck with this gripping fear of losing him to an incident like that. Like it just washed over me and I was suddenly really fucking afraid. Idk. I dont think we talk enough about the collective trauma we feel over something like a 12 year old being gunned down in a park in broad daylight with no consequences for the murderer. :::
doing devious things. not gonna explain them because then they’d stop being devious
all these new emojis make me feel the same way the lexicon of the youth does. Swag yolo cap drip rizz fr
I promise this is a piece constructed with meaning
Suicide mention, alcoholism
My major in college makes me want to fucking die. I’m an environmental sciences major and every fucking day I’m reminded just how little time we have left. I’ve got to do a reading about how climate change is effecting the region in which I live and it’s giving me existential dread and I’ve got to do an assignment based off of this reading and it’s due in less than 2 hours and I just want to fucking cry reading this. My state is going to be one of the hardest hit in the country and I won’t be able to live here for the rest of my life. My home city, basically the only place I’ve lived for any significant time, where I’ve been for well over 20 years, is going to eventually be uninhabitable. Despite living here all my life I already am having a really hard time dealing with the heat and it’s only going to get fucking worse.
The one and only thing I can do to feel better is get drunk but I can’t even do that right now because I told people I’d take a 30 day break. I got in the habit of doing homework while drunk and now that I can’t I’m struggling with assignments. Why does it even fucking matter to people if I do that, I’m going to die of dehydration or heatstroke or get hate-crimed for being trans years before my liver gives out. I don’t care if it kills me, I just wish people around me would like me die in a way that makes me happy
It’s only been 5 fucking days and I don’t think I can go the full 30. I have no idea what to fucking do. I need to change majors but even then I won’t be able to stop thinking about climate change because I can fucking feel and see it every single day. I’m scheduled to start therapy next week but I don’t think it will help. No amount of mindfulness or whatever bullshit they’re going to tell me is going to stop the planet from dying.
I’ve been essentially sober for years, alcohol for a decade. I find it valuable to think that if there were anything to be done about your circumstances, if you had any chance of not being a slave to fate, that course of action would necessarily be easier to follow while sober. You’d have more coordination, you wouldn’t be hungover, you could make calculations faster, you’d be less tired, etc.
may I ask which state it is?