The RSA algorithm works because, when n is sufficiently large, deriving d from a known e and n will be an impractically long calculation — unless we know p, in which case we can use the shortcut ...

Security researchers have successfully broken one of the most secure encryption algorithms, 4096-bit RSA, by listening -- yes, with a microphone -- to a computer as it decrypts some encrypted data.

Some cryptographers are looking for RSA replacements because the algorithm is just one encryption algorithm that may be vulnerable to new machines that exploit quantum effects in electronics.

A new study shows that quantum technology will catch up with today’s encryption standards much sooner than expected. That should worry anybody who needs to store data securely for 25 years or so.

But most modern encryption technologies now use 1024- to 2048-bit integers. A 1024-bit integer has 1.797 x 10^308 possible values, while a 2048-bit integer has 3.231 x 10^616 possible values.

RSA is a public-key encryption algorithm used to encrypt and decrypt data. It relies on two different but linked keys: a public key for encryption and a private key for decryption.

A quantum computer with a million qubits would be able to crack the vital RSA encryption algorithm, and while such machines don't yet exist, that estimate could still fall further ...