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{{Short description|Cryptography contest}}
⚫
The '''RSA Secret-Key Challenge''' is a series of [[cryptographic]] contests that were started by [[RSA Laboratories]] on January 28, 1997 with the intent of helping to demonstrate the relative security of different encryption algorithms. For each contest, RSA has posted on its website a block of ciphertext and the random [[initialization vector]] used for encryption. To win, a contestant must break the code by finding the original plaintext and the [[cryptographic key]] that will generate the posted ciphertext from the plaintext. The challenge consists of one [[Data Encryption Standard|DES]] contest and twelve contests based around the block cipher [[RC5]].
The '''RSA Secret-Key Challenge''' was a series of [[cryptographic]] contests organised by [[RSA Laboratories]] with the intent of helping to demonstrate the relative security of different [[encryption algorithm]]s. The challenge ran from 28 January 1997 until May 2007.<ref name="termination">{{cite web
| url = http://blogs.distributed.net/2007/05/21/04/34/bovine/
| title = <nowiki>bovine [21-May-2007 @ 04:34]</nowiki>
| first = Jeff
| last = Lawson
| date = 2007-05-21
| work = blogs.distributed.net
| accessdate = 2010-08-01
| quote = It is with great sadness that we must announce that RSA Labs has decided to terminate the RSA Secret-Key Challenge
}}</ref>


==Contest details==
⚫
The contests are associated with the [[distributed.net]] group, which has actively participated in the challenge by making use of [[distributed computing]] to perform a [[brute force attack]].


⚫
For each contest, RSA had posted on its website a block of ciphertext and the random [[initialization vector]] used for encryption. To win, a contestant would have had to break the code by finding the original plaintext and the [[cryptographic key]] that will generate the posted ciphertext from the plaintext. The challenge consisted of one [[Data Encryption Standard|DES]] contest and twelve contests based around the block cipher [[RC5]].
⚫
Each of the RC5-* contests is named after the variant of the [[RC5]] cipher used. The name ''RC5-w/r/b'' indicates that the cipher used ''w''-bit words, ''r'' rounds, and a key made up of ''b'' bytes. The contests are often referred to by the names of the corresponding distributed.net projects, for example RC5-32/12/9 is often known as RC5-72 due to the 72-bit key size.


⚫
Each of the RC5 contests is named after the variant of the [[RC5]] cipher used. The name ''RC5-w/r/b'' indicates that the cipher used ''w''-bit words, ''r'' rounds, and a key made up of ''b'' bytes. The contests are often referred to by the names of the corresponding distributed.net projects, for example RC5-32/12/9 is often known as RC5-72 due to the 72-bit key size.
⚫
The first contest was '''DES Challenge III''' (and was also part of the [[DES Challenges]]), and was completed in just 22 hours 15 minutes by distributed.net and the [[Electronic Frontier Foundation|EFF]]'s [[EFF DES cracker|Deep Crack]] machine.


⚫
The first contest was DES Challenge III (and was also part of the [[DES Challenges]]) and was completed in 22 hours 15 minutes by distributed.net and the [[Electronic Frontier Foundation|EFF]]'s [[EFF DES cracker|Deep Crack]] machine.
⚫
'''RC5-32/12/7''' was completed on 19 October 1997, with distributed.net finding the winning key in 250 days and winning the US$10,000 prize. The recovered plaintext was: ''The unknown message is: It's time to move to a longer key length''.


In May 2007 RSA Laboratories announced the termination of the challenge, stating that they would not disclose the solutions to the remaining contents, and nor would they confirm or reward prize money for future solutions.<ref name="termination" /> On 8 September 2008 [[distributed.net]] announced that they would fund a prize of $4000 for the RC5-32/12/9 contest.<ref>{{cite web
⚫
'''RC5-32/12/8''' also carried a US$10,000 prize and was completed by distributed.net on 14 July 2002. It took the group 1,757 days to locate the key, revealing the plaintext: ''The unknown message is: Some things are better left unread''.
| url = http://blogs.distributed.net/2008/09/08/02/09/bovine/
| title = <nowiki>bovine [08-Sep-2008 @ 02:09]</nowiki>
| first = Jeff
| last = Lawson
| date = 2008-09-08
| work = blogs.distributed.net
| accessdate = 2010-08-01
| quote = Effective with this announcement, will officially fund the prize using the same distribution ratios that we would have originally used
}}</ref>


==Distributed.net==
There are still eight remaining contests that have not yet been solved, '''RC5/32/12/9''' through to '''RC5/32/12/16''', each of which has a US$10,000 prize. Distributed.net is working on '''RC5-32/12/9''' and is over 0.3% through ([[As of 2006|as of March 2006]]).
{{Main|Distributed.net}}
⚫
The contests are associated with the [[distributed.net]] group, which had actively participated in the challenge by making use of [[distributed computing]] to perform a [[brute force attack]].


⚫
RC5-32/12/7 was completed on 19 October 1997, with distributed.net finding the winning key in 250 days and winning the US$10,000 prize. The recovered plaintext was: ''The unknown message is: It's time to move to a longer key length''.

⚫
RC5-32/12/8 also carried a US$10,000 prize and was completed by distributed.net on 14 July 2002. It took the group 1,757 days to locate the key, revealing the plaintext: ''The unknown message is: Some things are better left unread''.

There were eight contests that had not yet been solved, RC5/32/12/9 through RC5/32/12/16, each of which was a US$10,000 prize. Distributed.net is working on RC5-32/12/9 and were at 12.298% as of July 13 2024 (7.559% as of March 22 2021, 6.700% as of 20 June 2020, 5.329% as of 18 September 2018, 4.356% as of 7 January 2017).<ref>{{Cite web|title=stats.distributed.net - RC5-72 Overall Project Stats|url=http://stats.distributed.net/projects.php?project_id=8|access-date=2020-06-21|website=stats.distributed.net}}</ref>
==See also==
==See also==
* [[RSA Factoring Challenge]]
* [[RSA Factoring Challenge]]

* [[DES Challenges]]
==References==
<references />


==External links==
==External links==
*[http://www.rsasecurity.com/rsalabs/node.asp?id=2100 Official contest page on the RSA website]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20170417095446/http://www.emc.com/emc-plus/rsa-labs/historical/the-rsa-laboratories-secret-key-challenge.htm Official contest page on the RSA website]
*[http://www.rsasecurity.com/rsalabs/node.asp?id=2103 Current status of all contests within the challenge]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20160320010029/http://www.emc.com/emc-plus/rsa-labs/historical/status-and-prizes.htm Current status of all contests within the challenge]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20090720092702/http://www.rsa.com/rsalabs/node.asp?id=2106 Encrypted messages from contest]
*[http://distributed.net/rc5 Unofficial status page on Distributed.net]
*[http://distributed.net/RC5 Unofficial status page on Distributed.net]
*[http://stats.distributed.net/projects.php?project_id=8 Distributed.net's RC5-72 Project Statistics]
*[http://stats.distributed.net/projects.php?project_id=8 Distributed.net's RC5-72 Project Statistics]



[[Category:Cryptography contests]]
[[Category:Cryptography contests]]
[[Category:Recurring events established in 1997]]
[[Category:Recurring events disestablished in 2007]]

Latest revision as of 20:26, 13 July 2024

The RSA Secret-Key Challenge was a series of cryptographic contests organised by RSA Laboratories with the intent of helping to demonstrate the relative security of different encryption algorithms. The challenge ran from 28 January 1997 until May 2007.[1]

Contest details

[edit]

For each contest, RSA had posted on its website a block of ciphertext and the random initialization vector used for encryption. To win, a contestant would have had to break the code by finding the original plaintext and the cryptographic key that will generate the posted ciphertext from the plaintext. The challenge consisted of one DES contest and twelve contests based around the block cipher RC5.

Each of the RC5 contests is named after the variant of the RC5 cipher used. The name RC5-w/r/b indicates that the cipher used w-bit words, r rounds, and a key made up of b bytes. The contests are often referred to by the names of the corresponding distributed.net projects, for example RC5-32/12/9 is often known as RC5-72 due to the 72-bit key size.

The first contest was DES Challenge III (and was also part of the DES Challenges) and was completed in 22 hours 15 minutes by distributed.net and the EFF's Deep Crack machine.

In May 2007 RSA Laboratories announced the termination of the challenge, stating that they would not disclose the solutions to the remaining contents, and nor would they confirm or reward prize money for future solutions.[1] On 8 September 2008 distributed.net announced that they would fund a prize of $4000 for the RC5-32/12/9 contest.[2]

Distributed.net

[edit]
Main article: Distributed.net

The contests are associated with the distributed.net group, which had actively participated in the challenge by making use of distributed computing to perform a brute force attack.

RC5-32/12/7 was completed on 19 October 1997, with distributed.net finding the winning key in 250 days and winning the US$10,000 prize. The recovered plaintext was: The unknown message is: It's time to move to a longer key length.

RC5-32/12/8 also carried a US$10,000 prize and was completed by distributed.net on 14 July 2002. It took the group 1,757 days to locate the key, revealing the plaintext: The unknown message is: Some things are better left unread.

There were eight contests that had not yet been solved, RC5/32/12/9 through RC5/32/12/16, each of which was a US$10,000 prize. Distributed.net is working on RC5-32/12/9 and were at 12.298% as of July 13 2024 (7.559% as of March 22 2021, 6.700% as of 20 June 2020, 5.329% as of 18 September 2018, 4.356% as of 7 January 2017).[3]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b Lawson, Jeff (2007-05-21). "bovine [21-May-2007 @ 04:34]". blogs.distributed.net. Retrieved 2010-08-01. It is with great sadness that we must announce that RSA Labs has decided to terminate the RSA Secret-Key Challenge
  2. ^ Lawson, Jeff (2008-09-08). "bovine [08-Sep-2008 @ 02:09]". blogs.distributed.net. Retrieved 2010-08-01. Effective with this announcement, will officially fund the prize using the same distribution ratios that we would have originally used
  3. ^ "stats.distributed.net - RC5-72 Overall Project Stats". stats.distributed.net. Retrieved 2020-06-21.
[edit]
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