Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!ncrlnk!ncr-sd!hp-sdd!hplabs!hpda!hpcuhb!hpcilzb!hpcea!hpausla!cjh
From: cjh@hpausla.HP.COM (Clifford Heath)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.xenix
Subject: Re: crypt
Message-ID: <750005@hpausla.HP.COM>
Date: 30 Dec 88 02:41:04 GMT
References: <1238@amelia.nas.nasa.gov>
Organization: HP Australian Software Operation
Lines: 25

> The crypt program in the archives is a DES-based three rotor German
> enigma.  It is exportable as the code was, as I recall, written by a
> Frenchman.
> John F. Haugh II

Sorry, that's not true.  No implementation of any bidirectional
encryption program may be exported or re-exported from the US.  That's
why anyone can get the DES papers, the algorithms, but not necessarily
the programs.  Almost everyone in the world who wants programs has them
anyway, of course, but don't tell the NSA :-).  We wrote one in less than
a week direct from papers on the subject.

In any case, DES was promoted as a standard only after it was reduced to
56 bits from the original research which used 128 bits, since it is
usually possible to brute-force crack it at 56 bits.  It's unlikely that
this ploy fooled the Ruskies, though.

> The crypt program in the archives is a DES-based three rotor German

The rotor has nothing whatever to do with DES. The crypt program is
a simple triple rotor, no DES anywhere.

My opinions here have nothing whatever to do with my employer.

Clifford Heath. cjh%hpausla@hplabs.HP.COM