Can I ask some questions related to "ethical" hacking? A friend of mine is implementing algorithms related to security of the data, and uses (for speed of development) a 64-bit encryption to protect the data he is working with. His experiments are made as fighting the self - he encodes the data and then tries to break the code as if he would try to break the code. However, as he processes the experiment on such low-level encryption, he needs to find out a way to figure out how to speed up the sessions (since his encryption is already strong enough to wait the time), as well as to find ways to "outfox" himself, so he could not exploit some other things he is already familiar about. To be clear the talk here is not about commonly known algorithms, that make use of more secured 128, 256 or even 512 encryption key. He also said that he tried to conduct the experiments on lower bit encryption, but figured out that they are too "simple", so they can be cracked with no tools, just a brute forcing against them in just few seconds. From his input, I also figured out that he's expecting that something like 8xRTX 3090 could overcome the task of speeding up, however, before investing in such amount of money, he wants to figure out if there are common solutions for his problem or either to render this solution, again, unusable so such "simple" installations wouldn't work. What is the task also is to estimate the computational cost of brute forcing his encryption algorithm. For instance, he gives as an example that using just a processor, it would take to crack his code in 2 years. But if he would use the 8xRTX 3090 setup, it would take him a week. However, he says he sees that outfoxing the self is not a viable solution, because he could not predict the way how someone would have approached his task, if it was scaled up to a more complex task, e.g. 128 or 256-bit encryption.
Your friend's approach of implementing algorithms related to security of the data is a good one. Here are some suggestions that might help him in his experiments:

1. Use a stronger encryption algorithm: While his current 64-bit encryption might be sufficient for his development purposes, it is not secure enough for real-world applications. He should consider using a stronger encryption algorithm such as AES-256, which is widely used and considered secure.

2. Use longer keys: Even with a strong encryption algorithm, the length of the encryption key is critical to the security of the data. He should consider using longer keys, such as 128-bit or 256-bit keys, to make the encryption more secure.

3. Use randomization: To make the encryption even more secure, he should consider using randomization techniques such as initialization vectors (IVs) or salts. These techniques make it more difficult for an attacker to find patterns in the encrypted data.

4. Use a secure hash function: To ensure the integrity of the data, he should consider using a secure hash function such as SHA-256 or SHA-512. This will make it more difficult for an attacker to modify the data without detection.

5. Consider using a hardware security module (HSM): For added security, he could consider using a hardware security module to store and protect the encryption keys. HSMs are designed to provide hardware-based protection for sensitive data and can make it more difficult for an attacker to access the keys.

In terms of estimating the computational cost of brute forcing his encryption algorithm, it is difficult to provide an exact estimate without more information about the algorithm and the specific hardware being used. However, in general, the computational cost of brute forcing an encryption algorithm increases exponentially with the length of the encryption key.

For example, if his current 64-bit encryption key takes two years to crack using just a processor, then a 128-bit encryption key would take approximately 2^64 times longer, or about 1.2 x 10^19 years. Even with a powerful setup like 8xRTX 3090, cracking a 128-bit encryption key would take an astronomical amount of time and resources.

In conclusion, your friend's approach to security is a good one, and he should continue to experiment with different algorithms and techniques to improve the security of his data. However, he should also keep in mind that security is an ongoing process, and as new threats emerge, he may need to continue to update and improve his security measures.