RSA Key Strength Calculator
Calculate RSA key strength, equivalent symmetric key length, brute force time, and security margins.
Inputs
Results
Security Level
112 bits
Equivalent Symmetric Key
112 bits
Brute Force Time
164,500,000,000,000 years
How to Use This Calculator
- Enter the RSA key size in bits (1024, 2048, 3072, 4096).
- Set the attacker factoring compute budget (current hardware or projected future).
- Review the equivalent symmetric security level in bits.
- Verify that 2048-bit keys provide about 112-bit security -- the current NIST minimum for new systems.
- Plan migration to 3072+ bits by 2030 per NIST SP 800-131A recommendations.
How the result changes with Key Length
| Key Length | Security Level | Equivalent Symmetric Key | Brute Force Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2,099 | 112.8 bits | 112.8 bits | 285,900,000,000,000 years |
| 6,067 | 168.6 bits | 168.6 bits | 17,930,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 years |
| 10,829 | 218.2 bits | 218.2 bits | 15,780,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 years |
| 14,797 | 251.3 bits | 251.3 bits | 142,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 years |
What each input means
- Key Length
- RSA key length in bits
- Algorithm
- Cryptographic algorithm
How this is calculated
Formula
Security level per NIST SP 800-57 lookup (e.g., RSA-2048 ≈ 112-bit security)Worked example, using the default values
- Identify Input ParametersKey Length = 2048, Algorithm = 0 = 2 input(s) provided
- Calculate Security LevelSecurity Level112 = 112
- Calculate Equivalent Symmetric KeyEquivalent Symmetric Key112 = 112
- Calculate Brute Force TimeBrute Force Time = Number.isFinite(bruteForceTimeYears)164500000000000 = 164500000000000
- Calculate ECC Equivalent Key LengthECC Equivalent Key Length224 = 224
- Calculate Key SpaceKey Space2048 = 2048
Engine last updated . Checked against 1 independently-derived test — how we verify calculators.
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