A file encryption scheme uses the product of two distinct large prime numbers to generate a key; If the primes are too close, what occurs?

💡 Explanation

When primes are close together, trial division or Fermat's factorization method becomes more efficient, because the search space is reduced; therefore, the key is weakened, rather than strengthened as might be assumed, since a smaller difference between the primes makes factorization easier.

• What happens to the accuracy of a medical diagnostic test when the pre-test probability of disease decreases significantly in a population?
• In a distributed ledger system, which mechanism ensures a miner's proposed block is valid without revealing the block's contents to every node on the network?
• If a manufacturing system incorrectly infers a universal statement from limited observations during quality control, which problem arises?
• In a robotic swarm executing a foraging mission, which outcome indicates the swarm has converged to a Nash Equilibrium?
• What happens to computational complexity when a compiler uses a formal grammar to parse a source code file?
• If a decision tree, classifying bank loan applicants, splits a node based on 'credit score', which consequence follows for model complexity?