CNET: Crypto researchers abuzz over flaws

Cryptography researchers showed that some of the basic formulas used to securely encode data in online transactions aren't as secure as many thought. In a series of papers, different research groups have made significant inroads on a variety of the algorithms commonly used around public key encryption. The weaknesses are obscure and unlikely to cause an immediate vulnerability to a widespread attack. But they do emphasize what cryptographers have been saying for decades: codes need to be open and evolve, and assuming any one part of it is uncrackable is dangerous.