Q4 (Question 4 of 20) Choose the public-key cryptosystem that utilizes the fact that the...
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(Question 4 of 20)
Choose the public-key cryptosystem that utilizes the fact that the complexity does not fit within polynomial time.
Show answer & explanation
RSA is a public-key cryptosystem whose security relies on the computational intractability of integer factorization—a problem believed to require super-polynomial (exponential) time to solve with classical algorithms. IDEA and AES are symmetric-key ciphers, not public-key systems. DSA is a public-key signature scheme, but its security relies on the discrete logarithm problem rather than factorization complexity.
Step-by-step Derivation:
RSA security = hard factorization problem (no known polynomial-time algorithm). IDEA = symmetric cipher (block cipher, not public-key). AES = symmetric cipher (block cipher, not public-key). DSA = public-key signature scheme, but based on discrete log (different hard problem). Answer: A (RSA).