How secure is the conventional cryptography (-c) option?
• Assuming that you are using a good strong random pass phrase, it is actually much stronger than the normal mode of encryption because you have removed RSA which is believed to be the weakest link in the chain. Of course, in this mode, you will need to exchange secret keys ahead of time with each of the recipients using some other secure method of communication, such as an in- person meeting or trusted courier. Go to Table of Contents • 3.4. Can the NSA crack RSA? • This question has been asked many times. If the NSA were able to crack RSA, you would probably never hear about it from them. The best defense against this is the fact the algorithm for RSA is known worldwide. There are many competent mathematicians and cryptographers outside the NSA and there is much research being done in the field right now. If any of them were to discover a hole in RSA, I’m sure that we would hear about it from them. I think that it would be hard to hide such a discovery. For this reason, when you read
