🚀 go-pugleaf

Charles Hannum (mycroft@hal.gnu.ai.mit.edu) wrote:
: 
: In article <1422@eouk9.eoe.co.uk> ahaley@eoe.co.uk (Andrew Haley)
: writes:
: >
: > On the other hand, AFAIK PGP only uses a 128 bit hash to protect its
: > key certificates, so an attack on the hash function would be easier
: > than attacking the modulus.  Am I wrong about PGP in this respect?
: > Does PGP use some extra method to protect its certificates?
: 
: The signature is also encrypted with the signer's secret key.  Thus,
: you'd need to attack the modulus anyway.

Not necessarily.  If you could generate the same hash from two
different keys, you could get a certifying authority to sign one (e.g.
if you were a disgruntled employee).  You could then broadcast a
completely different key, one that only you could use, and it would be
indistinguishable from the genuine key.

Andrew.