[51598] in Cypherpunks
Re: TET cryptosystem
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (B. Schneier)
Thu Mar 7 12:33:50 1996
From: "B. Schneier" <bs208@newton.cam.ac.uk>
To: cypherpunks@toad.com
Date: Thu, 7 Mar 1996 17:19:49 +0000 (GMT)
In-Reply-To: <199603071529.HAA04759@well.com> from "Brian D Williams" at Mar 7, 96 07:29:56 am
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> Teledyne (TET) is out marketing a "new" crypto system as a
> competitor against DES and what TET calls "linear" cryptosystems.
> They are claiming a non-linear approach in which (as best I can
> tell) they are permuting the s-boxes and using 4 bit/16 entry
> substitution tables.
>
> They are also asserting that these "key generated substitution
> tables and inter-round permutations" are supported by "nonlinear
> orthomorphic mappings generated from arbitrary key" (and that this
> is patented) and "row-complete Latin Squares generated from an
> arbitrary key" (and that this is also patented).
>
> The claimed benefits include being invulnerable to differential and
> "linear" cryptanalysis, no linear key/data interaction to hide,
> that this results in the tables and permutations being
> "transient/secret," and that fewer rounds are needed (fewer than
> what, I don't know) to attain "resistance to cryptanalysis."
This explanation is so laced with nonsensical buzzwords that the algorithm
is probably absolute nonsense. I can't tell you (because of NDAs) how
many times I've seen proprietary algorithms that make all sorts of
grandeose claims of security and are actually terrible.
Bruce
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* Bruce Schneier
* Counterpane Systems For a good prime, call 391581 * 2^216193 - 1
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