Ahh, you must not compare Apples and computers (pun!).
128-bit encryption in Win2k is symetrical, using a RSA style negotiation setup. 128bits is more than enough for a symetrical key, as it still takes a long, long time to check all the possible 2^128 numbers against a block.
Public key (RSA) style for general encryption, OTOH, requires a much greater keylength because you are giving away some information. You can't choose low-order polynomials, as it would make it trivial to break your data. You have to keep your "key window" in a much higher area, which is perfectly fine until someone figures out a quick way of factoring super huge numbers:-)
So two different styles of encryption, two different optimal key lengths.. ---
Re: Mitnick's encrypted files (Score:2)
128-bit encryption in Win2k is symetrical, using a RSA style negotiation setup. 128bits is more than enough for a symetrical key, as it still takes a long, long time to check all the possible 2^128 numbers against a block.
Public key (RSA) style for general encryption, OTOH, requires a much greater keylength because you are giving away some information. You can't choose low-order polynomials, as it would make it trivial to break your data. You have to keep your "key window" in a much higher area, which is perfectly fine until someone figures out a quick way of factoring super huge numbers
So two different styles of encryption, two different optimal key lengths..
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