Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!bu.edu!att!cbnews!res
From: res@cbnews.att.com (Robert E. Stampfli)
Newsgroups: comp.org.eff.talk
Subject: Re: Encrypting your data to keep it private
Summary: Is DES safe?
Message-ID: <1991Jan5.035738.1673@cbnews.att.com>
Date: 5 Jan 91 03:57:38 GMT
References: <14474@hoptoad.uucp> <4579@apricot30.UUCP>
Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories
Lines: 18

In article <4579@apricot30.UUCP>, duerr@motcid.UUCP (Michael L. Duerr) writes:
> 
> Is DES Safe?  I vaguely recall a comment that a ( very expensive ) machine
> exists that can crack it in about 10 minutes ...  I also seem to recall
> that the length of the key was cut in half, at the urging 
> of the NSA.  Can anyone verify this? 

Even if you don't believe in the security of DES, ask yourself:  Would the
NSA choose to reveal -- even to another government agency -- that it
could break DES, just to aid that agency or the courts in the prosecution of
what it would most likely consider a minor criminal?   I suspect your
data would be quite safe in any event.

PS: Let's not turn this thread into a discussion of the strength of DES.
It has been discussed in great detail in sci.crypt.
-- 
Rob Stampfli		614-860-4268 (work)	614-864-9377 (home)
kd8wk@n8jyv.oh (ham)	stampfli@att.com	osu-cis!kd8wk!res