RSAnøkkelstørrelse

RSAnøkkelstørrelse refers to the length of the public or private key used in the RSA cryptosystem, measured in bits. This size is a critical factor in determining the security strength of RSA encryption. A larger key size generally translates to a higher level of security, as it makes the mathematical problem of factoring the large number (the product of two large primes) exponentially harder for attackers.

Historically, RSA key sizes have increased over time to keep pace with advancements in computing power and cryptanalysis techniques. Common key sizes have evolved from 512 bits in the early days to 1024, 2048, and now 3072 and 4096 bits are widely recommended and used for new deployments. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) provides guidelines on recommended key lengths based on security requirements and projected future threats.

Choosing an appropriate RSAnøkkelstørrelse involves a trade-off between security and performance. Larger keys offer greater security but require more computational resources for encryption and decryption, leading to slower processing times. For most current applications, 2048 bits is considered a minimum acceptable key size, while 3072 or 4096 bits are preferred for enhanced long-term security. The ongoing development of quantum computing poses a future threat to RSA's security, prompting research into post-quantum cryptography with potentially larger key sizes or entirely different cryptographic algorithms.