Limits RegistryPUBLIC RECORD
Limits RegistryWhitfield Diffie and Martin Hellman's paper 'New Directions in Cryptography', published in the IEEE Transactions on Information Theory in November 1976, introduced public-key cryptography to the open literature with a key exchange based on the difficulty of discrete logarithms. (GCHQ researchers had found related ideas earlier but kept them classified until 1997.)
The question, scope, and sources behind this Registry record.
Whitfield Diffie and Martin Hellman's paper 'New Directions in Cryptography', published in the IEEE Transactions on Information Theory in November 1976, introduced public-key cryptography to the open literature with a key exchange based on the difficulty of discrete logarithms. (GCHQ researchers had found related ideas earlier but kept them classified until 1997.)
The year Whitfield Diffie and Martin Hellman published a method for two parties to agree on a secret key over a public channel.
Change a parameter to stress-test whether a proposed result is still inside the published specification. This is an audit aid, not a proof checker.
This record has no editable parameters. Read the formal question and assumptions before challenging it.
Current frontiers derived from accepted Claims.
An observed or demonstrated result; no opposing bound is implied.
The frontier is not sacred
Most progress starts with a disagreement that survives contact with evidence. If you can push the known lower bound up or pull the upper bound down, show us the work.
≥ when you have shown that at least this value is achievable.≤ when you have shown that anything above this value is impossible.No vibes. State the value, define the scope, and link the paper, proof, code, or reproduction that lets another person check it. Editors review every challenge before the public record changes.
Challenge this recordAssertions tied to evidence, attribution, and review.
The frontier as it changed over time.
Only accepted Claims matching the current specification contribute to the displayed bounds. Strict inequalities remain open; contradictory Claims require editorial review.
1 accepted Claim, with 1 linked evidence records.
Permanent ID limitsregistry.com/limits/LR-DIFFIE-HELLMAN-PUBLICATION
No active verified bounties are linked to this Limit.
View verified bounty tracker ↗No accepted machine-checked reproductions are recorded for this Limit.
Limits Registry. LR-DIFFIE-HELLMAN-PUBLICATION. First published public-key key exchange (Diffie–Hellman). 2026.