Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Prime Numbers and Code Writing for the CIA
Prime Numbers for CIA Code writing pg. 12 (Andrew D: March 26th, 2008)As Christopher tells us, "prime numbers are useful for writing codes, and in America they are classified as Military Material and if you find one over 100 digits long you have to tell the CIA and they buy it off you for $10,000" (p. 12).Prime Numbers are special numbers that are only divisible by themselves and one. Finding such a long prime number would be very difficult, because there is no known pattern for finding prime numbers. This is why "it would not be a very good way of making a living" (p. 12).Due to the fact that the CIA uses these numbers in codes, there are certain prime numbers that are considered "Illegal Primes". These are prime numbers that the CIA owns, and are therefore illegal to publish. Weather or not somebody would actually be punished is open for interpretation because a case has yet to appear. Another reason that a prime number may be considered illegal is because it may, if used properly, be used to break encryptions on DVD's or other copyrighted material.The codes that Christopher refers to are actually encryption schemes used to encode messages. Two prime numbers are used to generate the code, and the code's difficulty to break increases with the size of the prime numbers. This method is widely known as RSA (a name based on the initials of it's creator). The mathematics required to understand (let alone use) RSA are incredibly complex, and are therefore facilitated by the use of a computer.The CIA will buy such a prime number from you for $10000 because if they are in possession of such a large prime number that nobody else knows about, they will theoretically have an unbreakable (or at least very difficult to break) code.RSA, however, is not the only method of encoding using Prime numbers, just the most simple. The general method of encoding using prime numbers is known as Public Key encryption systems.
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3 comments:
unfortunately, many of the statements made by Ms Vincent are incorrect or skewed. for example:
the CIA does not "own" any numbers. in fact, the government does pay for numbers (a simple Google search will confirm that). your statement that the definition of a 'illegal prime number' is one that can not be published, while romantic, completely false. 'illegal primes' are a subset of 'illegal numbers', numbers which facilitate in crime (such as the DRM cracking you were referring to). many 'pattern' or algorithms, as we math-geeks like to call them), do actually exist for finding primes. one of the simplest is that the number must be odd (with the exception of 2) because any even number is divisible by 2. RSA, is an encryption algorithm, not a method of breaking codes. the name RSA is derived from the first letter of the last name of its 3 contributors: Rivest, Shamir and Adleman, not the first middle and last name of its sole creator as you had stated.
you state that RSA is the "most simple" way of encryption using primes, you then go on to sate that "The general method of encoding using prime numbers" is Public-key cryptography. this is one of the more ghastly of mistakes as both statements are utterly false. Public-key cryptography take input often a number (not always a prime) and give both a public and a privet key. simply looking at the image attached to the wiki article you linked to will show this.
while i applaud your effort to spread the information covered in your English class into other subjects, at least read the wiki page. a simple skim of the summery would do the trick.
sorry for dredging up a 3 year old post, but i felt it necessary to clarify these points to all the students you imagine read your blog
-- a concerned special education student who you've never met.
*Whether
Whether?
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