Pair Claim Cracking Cellular Code

[mea culpa <jericho () DIMENSIONAL COM>]

Forwarded From: "Vanna P. Rella" <vamprella () chickmail com>


http://wire.ap.org/APnews/main.html?FRONTID=TECHNOLOGY&STORYID=APIS71749D80

DECEMBER 08, 06:44 EST

Pair Claim Cracking Cellular Code

By JESSIE SEYFER
Associated Press Writer

SAN FRANCISCO (AP)   Two Israeli researchers say they have cracked an
encryption method protecting the privacy of conversations and data used by
millions of digital cellular customers worldwide.

Adi Shamir and Alex Biryukov of the Weizman Institute in Rehovot, Israel,
did not formally announce their findings. Shamir confirmed the claim
Tuesday in a telephone interview from his office in Israel.

Shamir declined to comment on his findings until he has completed a paper
on the subject.

One cellular provider called the claim ``garbage.'' A consortium of
providers dismissed it as an ``academic exercise'' on an outdated formula.

An abstract for the upcoming paper says Shamir cracked a formula that is
used to encrypt wireless digital communications for some 100 million
customers in Europe. The formula, known as A5/1, is a mathematical
algorithm.

Shamir said he and Biryukov were able to ``attack'' the algorithm for a
digital cell phone conversation in less than a second, using an ordinary
personal computer with 128 megabytes of RAM and two 73-gigabyte hard
disks.

However, Shamir points out the version of A5/1 he successfully attacked
may not be the actual A5/1 algorithm used in phones.

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