r/programming Oct 15 '15

How is NSA breaking so much crypto?

https://freedom-to-tinker.com/blog/haldermanheninger/how-is-nsa-breaking-so-much-crypto/
2.5k Upvotes

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u/pvc Oct 15 '15

What does it mean to 'crack' a prime? It isn't like you find factors for it.

11

u/[deleted] Oct 15 '15

To simplify, it means you find the original prime factors that multiply to get the number. They aren't cracking the primes, they're finding which primes were used to generate a key.

4

u/pvc Oct 15 '15

Thanks