Rivest et al. patented (US) RSA. RSA forms the basis of most public encryption systems. It describes a public key encryption algorithm and certification process, which protects user data over networks. The patent expired in September 2000 and now is available for general use. According to Marketsandmarkets.com, the global network encryption market size is expected to grow from USD 2.9 billion in 2018 to USD 4.6 billion by 2023, at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.8%. Major growth drivers for the market include increasing adoption of optical transmission, an increasing demand to meet various regulatory compliances and a growing focus on shielding organizations from network security breaches. In short, RSA forms the basis of almost all public encryption systems. This, however, is not without risk. This chapter explores some of these vulnerabilities in a mathematical context and provides the reader with an appreciation of the strength of RSA.
Part of the book: Modern Cryptography