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NIST Elliptic Curves Seeds Bounty (2023)

7 hours ago
  • A bounty of $12,288 (or $36,864 to charity) is offered for cracking five NIST elliptic curve seeds.
  • The seeds were generated by Jerry Solinas in 1997 by hashing English phrases, which were later forgotten.
  • The bounty is funded by 11 individuals and inspired by Steve Weis's research.
  • The NIST curves (P-192 to P-521) are widely used in cryptography, and finding the seeds aims to clear up fears about their security.
  • The pre-seeds are likely English phrases with a counter, possibly with variations in format.
  • The bounty pays $6,144 for the first pre-seed and $6,144 for the first full set of five.
  • Submissions should be sent to seeds@filippo.io with the subject containing 'ANTISPAM'.
  • The bounty expires when the seeds are publicly known, with a six-month notice for changes.
  • Finding the seeds can be done by any method, and a charity option triples the payout if legally allowed.
  • The author believes the fears about NSA weakness are unfounded, and cracking the seeds would increase the curves' rigidity.