A2.9
Part II, 2004
(i) Describe how a stream cypher operates. What is a one-time pad?
A one-time pad is used to send the message which is encoded as 0101011. By mistake, it is reused to send the message which is encoded as 0100010. Show that is one of two possible messages, and find the two possibilities.
(ii) Describe the RSA system associated with a public key , a private key and the product of two large primes.
Give a simple example of how the system is vulnerable to a homomorphism attack. Explain how a signature system prevents such an attack. [You are not asked to give an explicit signature system.]
Explain how to factorise when and are known.