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| Title: | Mathematics at DEC |
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| Moderator: | RUSURE::EDP |
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| Created: | Mon Feb 03 1986 |
| Last Modified: | Fri Jun 06 1997 |
| Last Successful Update: | Fri Jun 06 1997 |
| Number of topics: | 2083 |
| Total number of notes: | 14613 |
235.0. "Public Key Encrypt. Impl." by TAV02::NITSAN () Sun Mar 10 1985 06:42
It's probably the wrong place to put the question, but...
...two friends of mine (Phd students, NOT digital employees) have implemented
the "RSA" public key encryption method. They used several math tricks (invented
by them) to speed up the algorithm (especially the initial key generation), and
they actually do it hundreds of times faster than the best result known so far
(2-3 minutes for 512 bit key generation, high encrypt/decrypt rate).
They did all that on an [hmmm..] IBM PC, and it's easy to convert to a Rainbow
application. In fact, they are sort of interested in "selling" it as a product
(to whoever wants it).
Question is: Does Digital need a "Public Key Encryption" application?
Considering the size of the Enet, the need for mathematically safe encryption
method, the fact that the subject is relatively new, and so on...
Anyhow, if nothing comes out of it, I lost nothing by putting this note here,
haven't I ?
| T.R | Title | User | Personal
Name | Date | Lines |
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| 235.1 | | AURORA::HALLYB | | Sun Mar 10 1985 17:41 | 11 |
| I've thought of developing a public-key system using my IXP package.
It seems unlikely that DEC would want to BUY such a system, although
your friends might be able to sell it via DCS ("Digital Classified Software").
RSA-stlye systems have a certain appeal with network authentication, but
our current approach in DEC will concentrate on a link-level hardware DES
system. Steve ULTRA::LIPNER is developing that product (for which I claim
partial credit, but that's another story).
It would seem reasonable that your friends could develop a "secure file
transfer" PC<-->mainframe utility.
John
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| 235.2 | | METOO::YARBROUGH | | Mon Mar 11 1985 11:35 | 3 |
| DES encryption is available as a layered product (within the US) on VS V3.6
and VMS V4. However, if they are able to get substantial improvements in speed
DEC may want to buy the patent rights to the algorithm.
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| 235.3 | | TAV02::NITSAN | | Wed Mar 13 1985 01:15 | 6 |
| Is there anybody else I (or them) should talk to, except the DCS people?
Remember we are on the "other side" of the world...
P.S. I heard they're going to talk to IBM people too.
Nitsan D.
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| 235.4 | | ULTRA::HERBISON | | Wed Mar 13 1985 13:56 | 14 |
| The VMS version 4 ENCRYPT facility documentation talks about four
encryption algorithms -- DES, Null, VPA (the VMS password encryption
algorithm), and RSA. However, only DES is implemented in the
initial release. That would seem to imply that they need an
implementation of RSA.
The actual code would probably not be that helpful because it is
written for a different machine and would have to be munged to use
the ENCRYPT interface, but they might be interested in the short
cuts.
I suggest you try to find and contact the ENCRYPT facility.
B.J.
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