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RSA Algorithm

The RSA algorithm is a form of asymmetric cryptography that allows secure communication by using two keys: a public key for encoding messages and a private key for decoding them. It relies on number theory and the properties of large prime numbers to ensure that messages remain secure and unbreakable. This mathematical approach, initially seen as purely theoretical, has practical applications in protecting digital communications from eavesdropping.

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Snehashish Chowdhury
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2 views

RSA Algorithm

The RSA algorithm is a form of asymmetric cryptography that allows secure communication by using two keys: a public key for encoding messages and a private key for decoding them. It relies on number theory and the properties of large prime numbers to ensure that messages remain secure and unbreakable. This mathematical approach, initially seen as purely theoretical, has practical applications in protecting digital communications from eavesdropping.

Uploaded by

Snehashish Chowdhury
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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THE RSA ALGORITHM by Muntasir Mahmud

12615071

Have you ever wondered how all your messages are protected from any nosy
eavesdropper? It is done by a process called encryption. Let’s try to
understand it by an example.
Suppose person A and person B want to communicate online and person C
wants to know what they are talking about. In digital communication, just like
the real one it is possible to intercept messages. In fact it might even be
possible just by being close to the receiver. So A and B decided to write their
message in code. Let’s say they want to use the Caesar Cipher. What it
basically does is it shifts all the letters of a message by a certain number. If the
number is 3 then ‘a’ will become ‘d’, ‘b’ will become ‘e’ and so on. You can
easily decode the message by using the same number backwards. Now A and
B have found a way to write in code but how can they tell each other what
number they are using? If they write the secret number in a coded message
then the other party won’t be able to decipher it. And if they send the number
directly C will know the way to decode it too. This dilemma arises in any
encryption method that uses the same “key” to code and decode a message.
That’s where asymmetric cryptography comes in.
Asymmetric cryptography is a process where a message is coded using one
key and decoded using another one. It’s like you have one key for locking the
door but another one for opening it. So you can give the first key to anyone
because they can only lock the door without, hence called public key and keep
the other one with you so that only you can open it hence called private key.
But the problem is how do you make a system where anybody can create a
code that only you can crack?
To solve this problem of the 20th century a branch of mathematics was used.
A branch that was practised for a long time but there was no practical use. I
am talking about number theory here. It is a branch of mathematics studied
purely out of curiosity. It hardly had any practical use. But it appeared as a god
send for this specific problem.
The RSA algorithm invented in 1977 uses the properties of prime number and
modular arithmetic which was primarily introduced by Carl Fredric Gauss in
1801.
First you take two extremely large prime numbers. Let them be p and q. Now
let Least Common Multiple of p-1 and q-1 be n and pq equals to m and e be
any number greater than 1 coprime to n. Then we find d such that d*e is
congruent to 1 mod n. Our job is done. Now we give anyone the number m
and e and tell them that if they want to send an encoded message to us they
need to send us the number raised to the power e modulo m. And to decode
it we simply raise whatever they send us to the power d modulo m. And this
method is unbreakable if the prime numbers p and q are large enough.
Because then it would be impossible to find the value of p and q from m and
hence impossible to find the value of d without which decoding is impossible.
And by large prime numbers it only has to be like 340 digits long which may
sound like a lot but considering the largest prime found up till now is
41,024,320 digits long that should not be a problem.
Thus you can safely communicate online without the fear of getting
eavesdropped thanks to something that was never meant to have any
practical use created only to satisfy curiosity. That is the beauty of
mathematics. We don’t need to look for its uses. It’s all around us .We just
need to discover more and be astonished at the fact that how much more
there is left to discover.

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