The UNB Crytography Group helped in the international effort to crack the DES encryption algorithm. Using a large number of computers working together in a distributed computing system, and using a brute force attack (trying all possible keys), the distributed.net cracked the DES algorithm in RSA's third DES challenge.

If you are interesting in getting more information about the DES-II challenge click here.

DES-II-2 RESULTS

The challenge was won by the EFF (Electronic Frontier Foundation) in only 56 hours using a custom built hardware machine. More information can be found here.

The winning key to the challenge was detected and submitted to RSA Labs at 00:03 GMT on Monday, 16-Jul-1998.

The correct key, 3E CD A1 5E 70 4F B3 1C, revealed the encrypted text: "The secret message is: It's time for those 128-, 192-, and 256-bit keys."

Distributed.Net Project statistics:

        Start of contest:                       July 13, 1998 at 09:00 PST
        End of Contest:                         July 15, 1998 at 17:03 PST

        Size of keyspace:                       72,057,594,037,927,936

        Total blocks (2^29) to search:          134,217,728
        Total blocks checked:                   29,803,075
        Keyspace Exhausted:                     22.205%
        Total keys checked:                     16000 Trillion
        Time Working:                           4 days
        Overall Rate:                           46,297,465 kkeys/sec

        11452818 blocks were completed yesterday (8.5330% of the keyspace)
        at a sustained rate of 71165334 kkeys/sec!

UNB DES-II-2 STATISTICS

Team UNB:

Current Ranking:         261
Total blocks to search:  134,217,728
Total blocks checked:    16,023
Keyspace Exhausted:      0.011938%
Total keys checked:      8.60 Trillion
Time Working:            4 days
Overall Rate:            24,890.86 kkeys/sec

5,098 blocks were completed yesterday (0.00379831% of the keyspace)
at a sustained rate of 31,677.87 kkeys/sec!



Team/Email            Total   Member   Last     Days     Key Rate
                      Blocks  Since    Seen     Active   kkeys/sec

jeffg@nbnet.nb.ca     10375   13 Jul   16 Jul   4 days   21375.42
jterhune@nbnet.nb.ca   1653   13 Jul   16 Jul   4 days    2957.76
c000n@unb.ca           1278   14 Jul   16 Jul   3 days    1665.29
labby@nbnet.nb.ca      1210   14 Jul   16 Jul   3 days    2883.20
bcs@nbnet.nb.ca         799   13 Jul   16 Jul   4 days    1143.34
o6yrg@unb.ca            708   13 Jul   16 Jul   4 days    1652.87