Horible public key tricks
Summary
The article explores the idea of vanity public keys within TLS certificates as a form of protest, arguing that the certificate issuance process is burdensome. It describes manipulating RSA parameters to embed a message in the public key and discusses potential security risks, including reduced entropy and the possibility of easier factoring, while noting this approach is not recommended for important security use. The piece provides historical references and practical examples, emphasizing ethical considerations and the limits of such tricks.