Basic HTML version of Foils prepared April 7 1998

Foil 42 Some Math behind RSA Algorithm -I

From Basic Principles of Java and Internet Security CPS616 Web Technologies -- Spring 98. by Geoffrey C. Fox
RSA stands for inventors: Rivest Shamir and Adleman
Take a number n = p * q where p and q are primes
Choose a "suitable" number e
Public key is <e,n> and basic encryption algorithm takes message m to be encrypted and forms
  • c = me mod(n)
Decryption involves private key d which is found so that
  • d * e = 1 mod((p-1)(q-1))
Then m = cd mod(n)
As factorization is computationally infeasible (for n of 512 bits in length or more), this encryption cannot be broken.

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