Using lava lamps to break RSA
4 months ago
- #lava lamps
- #encryption
- #RSA
- The security of the internet relies on RSA encryption, which depends on the difficulty of factoring large numbers.
- Cloudflare uses a wall of lava lamps to generate random numbers for encryption, but this system is vulnerable because images of the lamps are publicly available.
- A novel technique is presented that uses images of lava lamps to calculate prime factors, exploiting the chaotic behavior of the lamps.
- The method involves downloading an image of lava lamps, reducing its entropy using cryptographic algorithms, and then extracting prime factors from the processed data.
- Results show high success rates in factoring small numbers, with potential for improvement to factor a larger percentage of integers.
- The source code for the technique is provided, with commercial use prohibited.