Suppose I have some data that has been encrypted with a known, secure algorithm and a key k. I want to distribute "pieces" of the key to n of my colleagues, and only be able to access the data when all keys are used.
I create a one time pad and XOR the key, then give that OTP to colleague 1, and reapeat this for each colleague. I have a couple questions about this:
- Once the key has been encrypted, does it matter which piece was originally the key, or are all pieces now equal?
- Suppose my colleagues all meet without me, for a total of n-1 keys, is there anything they can do with the collective data?
- Could creating so many one time pads somehow create a vulnerability, or does the strength of an OTP hold with each subsequent piece created?