Assume Eve has captured a message from Alice, and that she knows it is an encrypted salary figure in the range 10,000 to 1,000,000. Further assume the figure is encrypted with Bob’s public key using a direct implementation of the RSA algorithm (i.e., no PKCS).
(a) Explain how Eve can learn what the encrypted figure is.
(b) Explain in detail how PKCS (Public-Key Cryptography Standard), when combined with the RSA algorithm, can thwart Eve’s attempt at discovering the encrypted figure.
Question 3 Marking scale
– Identification of the simplest method Eve can use to decrypt the message
– Identification of the section in the PKCS standard that will prevent this, and the reasons why
– Correct spelling and grammar
– Use of at least one supporting reference
– Correct APA referencing style
