chatroom encryption

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  • linksterman
    New Member
    • Jul 2007
    • 38

    chatroom encryption

    for my first quarter introduction to java class, i made a chat server + gui client, but for Q2, i want to make the messages encrypted....

    so I thought of this:
    have an RSA encryption work on a symmetrical key...

    then use the key to encrypt messages w/ symmetric encryption...

    change keys often.


    I dont know how secure this is. my teacher worked for a certain government institution, and he got mad when i said i might use less than a 1024bit RSA key.

    obviously for a chat server, encrypting every message with RSA is not practical, but symmetrical encryption probably would be. Thus i send the symmetrical key extremely encrypted with RSA, and then send all my messages not so encrypted, but change keys often.

    i just dont know how secure it is because my teacher says unless it is 100%, then dont bother.

    Of course, i could probably direct my own and my group's resources to other aspects of the chat program, such as networked games, and stuff like that.
  • BigDaddyLH
    Recognized Expert Top Contributor
    • Dec 2007
    • 1216

    #2
    Originally posted by linksterman
    i just dont know how secure it is because my teacher says unless it is 100%, then dont bother.
    We await the definition of 100% secure.

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    • linksterman
      New Member
      • Jul 2007
      • 38

      #3
      Originally posted by BigDaddyLH
      We await the definition of 100% secure.
      not being able to be cracked in the lifetime of the sun

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      • BigDaddyLH
        Recognized Expert Top Contributor
        • Dec 2007
        • 1216

        #4
        Originally posted by linksterman
        not being able to be cracked in the lifetime of the sun
        Not good enough. At the very least, you have to suppose a computer the size of the universe with parts the size of sub atomic particles that runs at the speed of light and that has been trying to crack the encryption since the big bang. Okay? Well, it should still be compiling the encryption cracking program!

        Comment

        • linksterman
          New Member
          • Jul 2007
          • 38

          #5
          Originally posted by BigDaddyLH
          Not good enough. At the very least, you have to suppose a computer the size of the universe with parts the size of sub atomic particles that runs at the speed of light and that has been trying to crack the encryption since the big bang. Okay? Well, it should still be compiling the encryption cracking program!
          i meant by today's current usable computers.

          Comment

          • BigDaddyLH
            Recognized Expert Top Contributor
            • Dec 2007
            • 1216

            #6
            Just joking.

            You could try to design things so that the method or level encryption was configurable -- so that you could change it without having to rewrite other parts of the application.

            That would be more impressive than just ramming down any one particular solution.

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