IP: NSA RESPONSE TO KEY LENGTH REPORT

[Mike Duvos]

Perry comments:

> Mike Duvos writes:
> > Matt Blaze <mab at research.att.com> writes:
> >  > Finally, the NSA report offers estimates of the time
> >  > required to perform exhaustive search using a Cray model T3D
> >  > supercomputer.  This is a curious choice, for as our report
> >  > notes, general-purpose supercomputers of this type make poor
> >  > (and uneconomical) key search engines.
> > 
> > A tiny nit to pick here.  The Cray T3D and T3E computers are
> > massively parallel machines consisting of DEC Alpha chips hooked
> > up in a 3D Torus configuration.  They would probably make pretty
> > decent key search engines,
> 
> Not compared to programmable logic devices, they wouldn't...
> 
> And that is, after all, the point...

My point was that the T3D is not a "general-purpose supercomputer."

--
     Mike Duvos         $    PGP 2.6 Public Key available     $
     mpd at netcom.com     $    via Finger.                      $