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Re: patented vs secret (was Re: RC4)
>>
>> By the way, since RSA is such a vocal opponent of the Clipper chip on the
>> grounds of its secret Skipjack algorithm, why does it market secret
>> algorithms like RC4 and RC2? Does this seen like a double face to anyone
>> else?
>>
>> -----------------------------------------------------------
>> Russell Ross email: [email protected]
>> 1260 N 1280 W voice: (801)628-8146
>> St. George, UT 84770-4953
>
>Patented does not equal secret. The argument against Clipper (at least one
>of them ;-), is that it has not been subjected to review outside of the NSA.
>
>I believe the code for RC4 and RC2 is accessible and has been subjected to
>review by many in the crypto field - you just can't use it legally without
>a license.
>
>Noam
Source code for them is available for $25,000, but only binaries are
available otherwise. The source code for RC4 was leaked or
reverse-engineered, so it is widely known now, but RSA has never released
the algorithm officially. I have found no documentation on the algorithm
behind RC2. They are in fact secret, proprietary algorithms, with the
exception of the unofficial RC4 code.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Russell Ross email: [email protected]
1260 N 1280 W voice: (801)628-8146
St. George, UT 84770-4953