I find the story very telling. The NSA is one of the largest employers of mathematicians, and yet it appears that the NSA has had more success simply by using backdoors.
I have to wonder if academic progress (like defeating cryptographic algorithms) can be achieved under a climate of secrecy. Without the free exchange of ideas and knowledge, how much progress can be had?
Math can only get so far..for example RSA keys have a brute force weakness..25% of the keys can be brute force guessed if you do not worry about validating primes when using one of five methods for guessing primes and just rely on huge computation power...hence US gov entities in 2010 suggesting the move to other key systems.
Whereas the new key system relies on hardening of packaging to offset any flaws in the one-way functions.
I have to wonder if academic progress (like defeating cryptographic algorithms) can be achieved under a climate of secrecy. Without the free exchange of ideas and knowledge, how much progress can be had?