Ahh, yes I wasn't clear enough. There are two distinct issues here. I observed more than one reaction to the original news, where a tech journalist type was clearly experiencing "reasonably informed confusion" about RSA.
And then, the degree of "knowing what you're doing" is important too, because I'm pretty sure I have a better background in algebra than some professional cryptographers, but human blind spots can get pretty subtle.
The difference between a PRNG and an asymmetric cipher is easy to understand. The cognitive load of associating RSA the company with RSA the algorithm (and ECDRBG the PRNG with ECC the PKI for that matter) is difficult to overcome even when you're aware of the potential bias.
And then, the degree of "knowing what you're doing" is important too, because I'm pretty sure I have a better background in algebra than some professional cryptographers, but human blind spots can get pretty subtle.
The difference between a PRNG and an asymmetric cipher is easy to understand. The cognitive load of associating RSA the company with RSA the algorithm (and ECDRBG the PRNG with ECC the PKI for that matter) is difficult to overcome even when you're aware of the potential bias.