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Science 3 September 1999:
Vol. 285. no. 5433, pp. 1472 - 1473
DOI: 10.1126/science.285.5433.1472b
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News of the Week

COMPUTER SCIENCE:
Internet Security Code Is Cracked

Alexander Hellemans

A popular encryption tool for keeping credit card numbers and other information secret on the Internet has been cracked. Last week, scientists announced at a press conference in Amsterdam that, using a sophisticated mathematical algorithm and cleverly written software, they had broken the RSA-155 code, which protects credit card transactions and secure e-mail in Europe. The number-crunching legerdemain suggests that anyone trafficking in confidential information on the Internet may soon have to switch to more sophisticated encryption software.

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Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)