Why not use RSA alone rather than a hybrid mix of IDEA, MD5, & RSA?
• Two reasons: First, the IDEA encryption algorithm used in PGP is actually MUCH stronger than RSA given the same key length. Even with a 1024 bit RSA key, it is believed that IDEA encryption is still stronger, and, since a chain is no stronger than its weakest link, it is believed that RSA is actually the weakest part of the RSA – IDEA approach. Second, RSA encryption is MUCH slower than IDEA. The only purpose of RSA in most public key schemes is for the transfer of session keys to be used in the conventional secret key algorithm, or to encode signatures. Go to Table of Contents • 3.20. Aren’t all of these security procedures a little paranoid? • That all depends on how much your privacy means to you! Even apart from the government, there are many people out there who would just love to read your private mail. And many of these individuals would be willing to go to great lengths to compromise your mail. Look at the amount of work that has been put into some of the virus programs that
• Two reasons: First, the IDEA encryption algorithm used in PGP is actually MUCH stronger than RSA given the same key length. Even with a 1024 bit RSA key, it is believed that IDEA encryption is still stronger, and, since a chain is no stronger than its weakest link, it is believed that RSA is actually the weakest part of the RSA – IDEA approach. Second, RSA encryption is MUCH slower than IDEA. The only purpose of RSA in most public key schemes is for the transfer of session keys to be used in the conventional secret key algorithm, or to encode signatures. Go to Table of Contents • 3.20. Aren’t all of these security procedures a little paranoid? • That all depends on how much your privacy means to you! Even apart from the government, there are many people out there who would just love to read your private mail. And many of these individuals would be willing to go to great lengths to compromise your mail. Look at the amount of work that has been put into some of the virus programs that
