Application of elliptic curve cryptography in pretty good privacy (PGP)

Abstract

Cryptographic Security is not so much an understandable term. Those who understand it realize its significance and the role that it plays in various domains including finance, e-commerce, browsing the web, wireless security, nuclear researches, etc. Cryptographers have already realized that the conventional public cryptographic schemes based on RSA are bound to fail, keeping in mind the rising demand and usage of mobile devices running on low power, as well as the emergence of newer technology and specialized algorithms that can solve the problem of factoring large primes quickly and effectively. RSA which is based on the problem of factoring large primes is surely doomed because of these reasons. Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC) is hence the need of the hour. Not only is it suitable for mobile devices running on low power, as it can provide an equivalent security at lower key sizes, but also it is equally difficult to break, owing to a better trapdoor function and difficult mathematics, provided that it is implemented correctly with strong parameters. In this paper, we discuss about the application of ECC in an area of Electronic Mail Security, Pretty Good Privacy (PGP), showing how it can replace RSA completely in this field. I have also discussed the need of switching to this new scheme and the possible domains where ECC can replace RSA, partially if not completely, in the near future. © 2016 IEEE.