Jul 19, 2021 19:00:00

Will government agencies kill me if I develop an 'algorithm that can factor a huge number of digits into prime factors'?

RSA cryptography , which is one of the typical public key cryptosystems , is a cryptosystem based on the fact that it is difficult to factor a composite number with a large number of digits into prime factors. Therefore, if an 'algorithm that enables prime factorization of a huge number of digits' is developed, its safety will be shaken. On Quora , a real-name Q & A site, various people have shared their own views on what would happen if they developed an 'algorithm that enables prime factorization of huge numbers of digits.'

If I solve integer factorization, will I get killed because I would have broken cryptography? --Quora
https://www.quora.com/If-I-solve-integer-factorization-will-I-get-killed-because-I-would-have-broken-cryptography

In response to a question posted on Quora, 'If I solve the prime factorization problem, will I be killed because the cryptosystem will be broken?' At the University of Texas at Dallas , Mathematics and Computer Science Tim Farage, a professor at Quora, supposes that he 'found an algorithm that factors a 2048-bit number, which is the product of 1024-bit prime numbers, into prime factors in one hour.' Although it is unlikely that such an epoch-making prime factorization algorithm will actually be found, it has nothing to do with this question.

'What should you do, assuming you are an American citizen? Talk to a good lawyer and get a lawyer or group of lawyers to contact the National Security Agency (NSA). Let's find out. Your lawyer will tell the NSA what you can do, and the lawyer will tell you that you are a patriot and will not sell the algorithm abroad. ' Insists that you should consult with.

Of course, it's unlikely that the NSA will believe in the algorithm from the beginning, but Farage points out that if the discoverer demonstrates the effectiveness of the algorithm, the NSA's agents will be stunned for 10 to 15 minutes. 'When they wake up, they say,'We really, really, really like this algorithm and want it to be kept secret until we change the encryption algorithm.'' I did.

After that, negotiations will be held between the lawyer and the NSA, and we expect to receive a $ 100 million reward in exchange for the algorithm. 'You can be a millionaire and a patriot at the same time.' 'The bottom line is that you get rich and the NSA is happy with you. Whatever movie you watch, unless they are traitors. , The US government will not dispatch special operations agents to kill US citizens with specific knowledge, 'Faraj replies.

Finally, Farage tells an anecdote about the death of

mathematician John von Neumann , who was involved in the Manhattan Project, an American nuclear bomb development project. Neumann worked hard for the government until just before his death, but shortly before he died of cancer he was given painkillers to relieve his pain. The government reportedly dispatched military personnel to guard the hospital room because Neumann was afraid to mutter confidential matters in a whisper.

Answers to this question have also been received from people other than Mr. Farage. Amateur mathematician Ross Rheingans-Yoo said, 'Once you publish your results, there's nothing you can do to kill you,' and if you take the initiative to publish it, you could be assassinated by a government agency. Claims to lose sex.

An anonymous user also claims that 'I think it will be a big headache in many confidential communications for a few weeks, but I don't think it will be killed.' For anonymous users, RSA cryptography is certainly broken when an efficient integer factorization algorithm is developed, but RSA cryptography is not the only public key cryptosystem, so it is difficult, but it can be handled by switching the encryption method. Pointed out that it is possible. In fact, in the latest version of TLS , which is a data transmission / reception protocol, 'TLS 1.3 ', RSA encryption cannot be used for key exchange, and a movement to replace RSA encryption is underway.

In addition to what Farage et al. Answered, I also posted a question to Quora, 'What would you do if you solved the prime factorization (actually 4096 bits or more)? How would you responsibly disclose it?' It has been. Cryptographic entrepreneur Alon Amit responded to this question by arguing that trying to cover up new discoveries would be more harmful than good. Therefore, the discoverer replied that writing the results as a treatise and submitting it to a well-known journal in a legitimate manner is the most rational and responsible action.