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posted by martyb on Saturday August 24 2019, @05:12AM   Printer-friendly
from the what-the-factoring dept.

From ArsTechnica . . .

Alleged "Snake Oil" Crypto Company Sues Over Boos at Black Hat:

Grant's presentation, entitled "Discovery of Quasi-Prime Numbers: What Does this Mean for Encryption," was based on a paper called "Accurate and Infinite Prime Prediction from a Novel Quasi-PrimeAnalytical Methodology." That work was published in March of 2019 through Cornell University's arXiv.org by Grant's co-author Talal Ghannam—a physicist who has self-published a book called The Mystery of Numbers: Revealed through their Digital Root as well as a comic book called The Chronicles of Maroof the Knight: The Byzantine. The paper, a slim five pages, focuses on the use of digital root analysis (a type of calculation that has been used in occult numerology) to rapidly identify prime numbers and a sort of multiplication table for factoring primes.

[...] The Black Hat talk did not go smoothly. People had to be ejected from the room by security because they were heckling and booing Grant.

[...] Cryptographers were extremely skeptical, with some referring to the talk as "snake oil crypto." Even before the event, Mark Carney, a PhD candidate at the University of Leeds, wrote a paper refuting the claims Grant and Ghannam had made in theirs.

Well that could have gone better. Maybe the court trial will be more orderly.


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  • (Score: 3, Informative) by FatPhil on Saturday August 24 2019, @12:38PM (8 children)

    by FatPhil (863) <pc-soylentNO@SPAMasdf.fi> on Saturday August 24 2019, @12:38PM (#884692) Homepage
    The paper shows he has no mathematical chops at all. None. Zero, zip, nada. He's basically at the "counting on fingers" level.
    Best example of which is probably this:
    "
    For example, having number 1 as the last digit for
    the number we are trying to factorize informs us
    regarding the last digits of its two prime factors;
    namely that they can only be 3 and 7 or both are
    equal to 1. This will further restrict the size of the
    Q-grid requiring search analysis.
    "
    To which I offer the lengthy counter-argument:
    "
    551
    "
    --
    Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves
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  • (Score: 3, Funny) by BsAtHome on Saturday August 24 2019, @02:02PM

    by BsAtHome (889) on Saturday August 24 2019, @02:02PM (#884728)

    You are not supposed to debunk this shit^H^H^H^H finely digested residue. This stuff is required to prevent the aliens from attacking. We need hummmms and yadayadas to counter the modern factual baseline.
    I am just hoping that these guys will be making a new kind of numero(il)logical GPS device and let them drive straight into the pond. All their followers will automagically fill the pond for recycling. When it ends well, all is well.

  • (Score: 1, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday August 24 2019, @05:09PM (6 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Saturday August 24 2019, @05:09PM (#884818)

    my counterargument is shorter: "81".

    • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday August 24 2019, @05:26PM (2 children)

      by Anonymous Coward on Saturday August 24 2019, @05:26PM (#884825)

      But the prime factors of 81 do all end in the digit '3' because they are 3.

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday August 25 2019, @02:13AM (1 child)

        by Anonymous Coward on Sunday August 25 2019, @02:13AM (#885028)

        Math is hard.

        • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday August 25 2019, @03:08AM

          by Anonymous Coward on Sunday August 25 2019, @03:08AM (#885049)

          The dumb fucks can't spell either: "The number 5 is also excluded lest the number is devisable by 5 and hence not a prime."

    • (Score: 2) by FatPhil on Saturday August 24 2019, @06:53PM (2 children)

      by FatPhil (863) <pc-soylentNO@SPAMasdf.fi> on Saturday August 24 2019, @06:53PM (#884862) Homepage
      Not a product of 2 primes, and specifically rejected as an example by the paper itself.

      Did you read the paper?

      I hope not, because I debunked it enough, I hope, such that you shouldn't.

      If you did - you're a fucking idiot, because you didn't understand it (sub-retard, very bad class to fall into)
      If you didn't - you're a fucking idiot, because you're talking out of your arse.
      --
      Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people; the smallest discuss themselves
      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday August 24 2019, @07:10PM

        by Anonymous Coward on Saturday August 24 2019, @07:10PM (#884867)

        well. at least you didn't call me a masturbating idiot. I may have sued.

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday August 24 2019, @11:30PM

        by Anonymous Coward on Saturday August 24 2019, @11:30PM (#884966)

        I shouldn't read a paper because some idiot on the internet said he already debunked it? Ha! I think now I just have to read it!