Distributed.net Rc5-72

TallBill

Lifer
Apr 29, 2001
46,044
62
91
Yup, read about it earlier. I personally brain farted every time I tried the client and couldn't get it working.
 

ultimatebob

Lifer
Jul 1, 2001
25,135
2,445
126
I'm not too surprised by this. Distributed.net has been working at cracking a 72 bit key for years now, and they probably nowhere close to finishing it.

RSA definitely made it's point that it was trying to make 10 years ago by starting this contest... 128 bit keys are a hell of a lot more secure than 40 bit and 56 bit DES keys.
 

ViRGE

Elite Member, Moderator Emeritus
Oct 9, 1999
31,516
167
106
:(

I'm especially disappointed that RSA isn't going to release the secret messages.:(
 

NicColt

Diamond Member
Jul 23, 2000
4,362
0
71
Originally posted by: ultimatebob
I'm not too surprised by this. Distributed.net has been working at cracking a 72 bit key for years now, and they probably nowhere close to finishing it.

RSA definitely made it's point that it was trying to make 10 years ago by starting this contest... 128 bit keys are a hell of a lot more secure than 40 bit and 56 bit DES keys.


0.419% done in 1,643 days. 6059 were active yesterday, this also means that we'll hit 100% in 438,227 days at yesterday's rate. This says it all.

The Good - RC5-64 was a pioneering DC project of it's time.
I started crunching with this one I was in TACube, who can remember the few scandals along the way like the RC5 master recruiter (i forget his name) who was kicked from the forums for doing impersonations, and dmcowen (bless his heart) The mini teams, even you ViRGE I think you were close to the top.

The Bad - RC5-72 was/is the most useless DC project known to humans.

I'm not really sad to see it go, of all the DC projects in existence this has got to be the worst. On the first day this project started I called it "the most useless project known to humans". Let's all just take a moment and think of how much time (by time I mean about 1000 years at yesterday's rate) resources and cost it would have taken to complete and all this to find a key where none of us today would be alive to see.

The project may still not be over, just the prize money won't be awarded. IMO they should still have given the prize money and put it in some sort of savings/investment account and who knows in about 100 years it could be worth a few million.

"We intend to continue operating the OGRp2 project, and are currently in the development stages of additional types of projects. More details regarding these future projects will be announced at a later date."

I hope that they do come back with a more useful and realistic project.
 

ViRGE

Elite Member, Moderator Emeritus
Oct 9, 1999
31,516
167
106
Originally posted by: NicColt
0.419% done in 1,643 days. 6059 were active yesterday, this also means that we'll hit 100% in 438,227 days at yesterday's rate. This says it all.

The Good - RC5-64 was a pioneering DC project of it's time.
I started crunching with this one I was in TACube, who can remember the few scandals along the way like the RC5 master recruiter (i forget his name) who was kicked from the forums for doing impersonations, and dmcowen (bless his heart) The mini teams, even you ViRGE I think you were close to the top.
I only did as well as I did in RC5-64 because some jerk had used the Dnet client as malware and was using my address, along with those of several other major TA RC5 members.:( :|
"We intend to continue operating the OGRp2 project, and are currently in the development stages of additional types of projects. More details regarding these future projects will be announced at a later date."

I hope that they do come back with a more useful and realistic project.
Since Dnet and UD were so closely related, it's possible we'll see some old UD stuff funnel in to the Dnet research.