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Las Vegas -- Within five years the math for cracking encryption algorithms could become so efficient that it may render today's commonly used RSA public key cryptography algorithm obsolete, Black Hat attendees were told.
While it might take longer, the end of RSA as an effective tool is inevitable, says Alex Stamos, CTO of the Artemis division of NCC Group. "It almost certainly will happen before we retire," he told the group attending his briefing on the topic.
BACKGROUND: Spy-proof enterprise encryption is possible, but daunting
OTHER OPTIONS: MIT researchers advance cloud security with end-to-end encryption
MORE BLACK HAT: Top 20 hack-attack tools
He likened the situation to a scene in the science fiction movie Deep Impact. "We're in the movie and the general has given Morgan Freeman the picture that says the asteroid has a 10% chance of hitting the Earth,"...