🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <Bv7ID5.BHw@ibmpcug.co.uk> gtoal@ibmpcug.co.uk (Graham Toal) writes:

   May I ask an ignorant newbie question please?  It was my understanding that
   the two primes used in most of these public key systems weren't real primes
   at all, but were usually pseudo-primes that had been picked at random and
   tested with statistical methods to give a high *probability* of being prime.

If the probability of the alledged primes being composites is small
enough, the chances of nonprimality compromising security are less
than the chances that someone will simply guess the key, so it doesn't
matter.

It would be interesting to know how hard PGP works to ensure that the
apparent primes are really primes.


--
Tim Freeman <tsf@cs.cmu.edu>    CompuServe ID 71045,2267 checked occasionally.
When they took the fourth amendment, I was silent because I don't deal drugs.
When they took the sixth amendment, I kept quiet because I know I'm innocent.
When they took the second amendment, I said nothing because I don't own a gun.
Now they've come for the first amendment, and I can't say anything at all.