Screwy Pirates IRL

Many of you will know this, but I thought it interesting enough to mention.

M-out-of-N votes are implemented in real life security systems by making (let's say) the smallest real root of an M-degree polynomial be the effective key while giving each of the N keyholders a subkey {rand(), P(rand())}.

Any M of them together enter their subkeys, and viola!

The difficulties of rubberhosing M individuals simultaneously motivate this design.

Ed Kaulakis
Wednesday, March 20, 2002

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