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From: Anthony Appleyard <XPUM04@prime-a.central-services.umist.ac.uk>
To: DAVIDF@cs.heriot-watt.ac.uk
Date:         Tue, 19 Jun 90 09:38:36 BST 
Message-Id:   <$TGWFCWKBBCTC at UMPA>
Subject:      Here is Virus-L vol 0 #0905



Virus-L Digest Mon, 5 Sep 88, Volume 0 : Issue #0905

Today's Topics

DES security (was: DES vs. CRC)

------------------------------

Date:         Mon, 5 Sep 88 11:50:00 URZ
From:         BG0@DHDURZ2
Subject:      DES security (was: DES vs. CRC)

Hi folks,
some people mentioned that the DES is insecure because it only allows a  56
bit  key.  That's  not correct: DES allows a 768 (!!!!) bit key! How to use
this key length? Skip the key schedule routine and  fill  in  your  own  16
48-bit-keys  K1,...,K16.  Going  this  way,  you have 16 times 48-bit = 768
bits. I really believe that the NSA, sorry the NBS dropped DES not  because
of  its  insecurity  but because its *too* secure (you know what I mean :-)
The NSA declared to develop its own encryption standard without  help  from
firm  outside (like IBM in the case of DES). So nobody will be able to have
a look on the algorithms. So the NSA can do what she want....  for  example
to make sure that they can read everything they want to read....
All the best, Bernd.
+----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Bernd Fix          |   EARN:   BG0@DHDURZ2  or  BG0@DHDURZ1          |
| Bergheimer Str.105 |   UUCP: ...!pyramid!altger!doitcr!rnihd!bernd   |
| 6900 Heidelberg    |         ...!unido!tmpmbx!/                      |
| West Germany       | (from BITNET):     bernd%rnihd%tmpmbx@DB0TUI6   |
|                    |  VNET (VoiceNET):  +49 6221 164196              |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| " ... 10010010011010100100110100100100101001110110100101101010 ...   |
|   This doesn't look like a cry for help, more like a warning!      " |
|                                                   From ALIEN, part I |
+----------------------------------------------------------------------+

--------------------

*** end of Virus-L issue ***