-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- In article <Pine.LNX.3.91.950819123758.27374A-100000@zifi.genetics.utah.edu>, zinc@zifi.genetics.utah.edu (zinc) wrote:

why did the govt pick 64 bits? is this length still within the range of the NSA if they really wanted to read something but didn't feel the need or want the exposure of obtaining a key from escrow?

i'm curious if anyone thinks this gives us a little more info on the capabilities of the NSA regarding brute forcing a key. additionally, since this *is* an escrow system, why didn't the gov't just go with the unbreakable 128 bit key length?

I think the obvious conclusion would be because 64bits is crackable if need be and if you have the resources the goverment has. Not for routine monitoring of undesirables, but for those special cases where they don't want to expose their activities by requesting a warrant. - -- - -- Lucky Green <mailto:shamrock@netcom.com> PGP encrypted mail preferred. - --- [This message has been signed by an auto-signing service. A valid signature means only that it has been received at the address corresponding to the signature and forwarded.] -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: 2.6.2 Comment: Gratis auto-signing service iQBFAwUBMDY3jSoZzwIn1bdtAQGV3gGA26/BZOnXiuMuO8IDgGCnnONVhVtL4/o1 5HVVD3Mqfjp3Sr7QJMQMrfD4JRWRphTL =evHi -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----