On the Equivalence of RSA and Factoring Regarding Generic Ring Algorithms

To prove or disprove the computational equivalence of solving the RSA problem and factoring integers is a longstanding open problem in cryptography. This paper provides some evidence towards the validity of this equivalence. We show that any e cient generic ring algorithm which solves the ( exible) low-exponent RSA problem can be converted into an e cient factoring algorithm. Thus, the low-exponent RSA problem is intractable w.r.t. generic ring algorithms provided that factoring is hard.