IP: NSA RESPONSE TO KEY LENGTH REPORT

[Perry E. Metzger]

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...

Perry