The bolding is mine, because if in fact the agency did crack the encryption schemes used for bank transactions (the Times is somewhat unclear on that point), then in doing so it may have solved a math ...

Internet security firm RSA Security is challenging individuals to test the strength of its algorithms in its latest crypto Factoring Challenge, with cash prizes of up to $200,000 at stake.

Encryption, the transformation of data into a form that prevents anyone unauthorized from understanding that data, is a fundamental technology that enables online commerce, secure communication, and ...