Talk:Cryptography/Key Lengths

"Key length is directly proportional to security."

This seems misleading to me.

First, it falls into the trap that many snake-oil companies use: download our new amazing cryptosystem, that uses 9000-bit keys!!!!

Second, it misses the fact that different types of crypto need different length keys to achieve the same level of security. A public-key system using a 4096-bit key is not 32 times more secure than AES with a 128 bit key.

Most generally, it's taking a point about the mathematics of a brute-force search and claiming, incorrectly, that brute-force resistance is equivalent to security. Since every system in use today uses keys large enough to make brute-force impossible, this is especially untrue.

--- Did you read the second and third paragraphs? This is all covered extensively there.

The second paragraph does a good job of clarifying. The 3rd paragraph, I don't understand what it's trying to say.