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Security expert needed to settle dispute.

Tags:
  • Programming
  • Security
  • Resolution
  • Business Computing
Last response: in Business Computing
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January 22, 2014 7:21:08 PM

I have a dispute with a friend that we could not find a resolution for on the net. It's probably because we didn't know where to look. It's a long boring argument that ended up in this statement. I said that "if one has enough characters and how they were encoded then it would be relatively easy to figure out the key code. This is no matter what the encryption algorithm was used or what RSA key size was used." He said Bollocks.

He later admitted that it was theoretically possible but it would take forever and I said hogwash.

Is there a program out there that I could test this with? Lets say I had all three parts and wanted to see how long it would take to match these three things up with each other? I tried using Gpg4win just to play around but that didn't answer my question.

Can any of you help or point me in the right direction?

More about : security expert needed settle dispute

a b L Programming
January 22, 2014 7:31:24 PM

His answer was correct. A good encryption algorithm is strong enough to keep even NSA's supercomputers busy for a while. The best algorithms can keep a high-end desktop PC busy for years.
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January 22, 2014 7:38:48 PM

I know that if they have to do it from scratch it will take an eon. That's cool. What if one has a one file of non-encoded text lets say 1000 characters long and the same file encoded with the encoding method. It should be easy to figure out the key to unlock it, right. The pattern is already in the uncoded part..
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a b L Programming
January 22, 2014 7:47:33 PM

I see, you're talking about a known-plaintext attack.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Known-plaintext_attack

You and your friend are both correct :) 
That is, with older algorithms, this attack used to work, knowing the plain text helped find the key.
With modern algorithms it doesn't work any more.
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January 22, 2014 9:55:27 PM

Attack? Uh? I guess I can see that. I'm more thinking of the enormity of the problem shrinking significantly because part of the answer is already there. I guess I am just wondering how big of a clue computers need to have in order make the last piece of the puzzle work. Kinda like a Sudoku puzzle.... Kinda.
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