| The ever-growing dependency of modern society on computers and digital communication requires a continuous validation of the main cryptosystems used for the safeguarding of these systems. RSA, the archetype public-key cryptosystem, depends on the difficulty of factoring large numbers. Therefore the aim of this research project is to push the current (September 2006) world factoring record from 665 bits (200 decimal digits) to 768 bits (232 decimal digits), a commonly used key size in RSA. A realisation of this aim will set a new standard for what is the current unsafe/safe choice of the key size in RSA. To reach this ambitious goal, an arsenal of the best known algorithmic and software optimization techniques will be combined with the fastest available hardware. |
