SecurityWeek – (International) Fujitsu Labs and NICT break 278-digit pairing-based cryptography. June 18, Fujitsu Laboratories, the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT), and Kyushu University announced they successfully performed a full cryptanalysis of a 278-digit (923-bit)-long pairing-based cryptography. Up to this point, cryptanalysis of pairing-based cryptography of such a length was thought to be impossible. It was assumed that to do so would require massive effort and several hundred thousand years. After some work, Fujitsu and NICT proved it could actually be broken in 148.2 days. “This result is used as the basis of selecting secure encryption technology, and is proving useful in the standardization of next-generation cryptography in electronic government systems in Japan and international standardization organizations,” an announcement explained.
Source: http://www.securityweek.com/fujitsu-labs-and-nict-break-278-digit-pairing-based-cryptography