Basic HTML version of Foils prepared August 4 1997

Foil 50 Some Math behind RSA Algorithm -I

From Remarks on Java and Internet Security Web Certificate CPS616 Enhancement -- Summer 1997 . 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 &#060e,n&#062 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.

© Northeast Parallel Architectures Center, Syracuse University, npac@npac.syr.edu

If you have any comments about this server, send e-mail to webmaster@npac.syr.edu.

Page produced by wwwfoil on Wed Apr 1 1998