::scr tales from the crypto

[Chris Ball]

>>>>> "Simon" == Simon Kinahan <simon@flatnet.demon.co.uk> writes:

    Simon> it is very hard (NP-complete, actually) to find those
    Simon> numbers.

Nope.  It's not even proven NP-hard; though I don't have a cite, so feel
free to find a backup.  It is guessed to be NP-complete, but that
doesn't mean much when there are $bignun of the smartest mathematicians
working on it in random security agencies, and we don't know whether
they'll find a better algorithm than ourselves.  I suppose we have to
trust that centuries of very smart people haven't managed it, so it must
be okay.

- Chris.
-- 
$a="printf.net"; Chris Ball | chris@void.$a | www.$a | finger: chris@$a
As to luck, there's the old miners' proverb: Gold is where you find it.