Cylink Corporation to Submit SAFER+

[David Honig <honig@alum.mit.edu>]

http://www.newspage.com/cgi-bin/NA.GetStory?story=b0414070.403&date=19980415
&level1=46545&level2=46549&level3=626

Cylink Corporation to Submit SAFER+
Algorithm to the National Institute of
Standards and Technology 

April 15, 1998


SUNNYVALE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE) via NewsEdge Corporation -- 

Non-Proprietary, Royalty-Free Algorithm will be Evaluated 

as a Replacement for Current Data Encryption Standard 

Demonstrating once again its commitment to deliver freely available encryption
technology to the market, Cylink Corporation (NASDAQ:CYLK), a pioneer in
commercial
cryptography, today announces it plans to submit the SAFER+ algorithm to
the National
Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). 

NIST is reviewing encryption algorithms that will replace the current Data
Encryption
Standard (DES) which has been used for more than 20 years. The new standard
is called
AES, or Advanced Encryption Standard. The evaluation will take
approximately two
years. 

SAFER+ is a royalty-free, non-proprietary encryption algorithm. Developed by
world-class and world-wide cryptographers, SAFER+ is an enhancement of SAFER,
which was first published in 1993. Since then, SAFER survived the scrutiny
of many of
the world's top cryptographers. Built on the proven track record of SAFER,
SAFER+ is
designed to meet the next generation of security requirements. Cylink
estimates SAFER+
to be five times faster than DES, and ten times faster than Triple-DES. 

"Once again, Cylink is delighted to offer break-through technology to NIST
and the
information security community," said Chuck Williams, chief scientist at
Cylink.
"SAFER+ is the most recent example of our legacy of pioneering the use of
cryptography in practical business solutions, including public key, SAFER,
triple-DES,
key recovery." 

SAFER was originally developed by Professor James Massey, a Cylink founder,
and
funded by Cylink. SAFER+ was sponsored by Cylink and jointly developed by
Massey
and Dr. Lily Chen, chief cryptographer at Cylink Corporation. 

Cylink is recognized as a pioneer in commercial cryptography since its
commercial
implementation of Diffie-Hellman public key management in 1984. It has: 

-- Developed the first public key management co-processor application specific
integrated circuit (ASIC) for public key management acceleration; 

-- Brought to market the first triple DES (data encryption standard)
encryption algorithm
ASIC, and the first high-speed triple DES encryptor. 

-- Introduced several new products including a certificate-based access
control system,
a certificate-based LAN security system, and the world's first asynchronous
transfer
mode (ATM) cell encryptor. 

About Cylink and Algorithmic Research 

Cylink Corporation and its wholly owned subsidiary, Algorithmic Research,
are leading
providers of encryption-based network security solutions. Their products
enable the
secure transmission of data over networks, including local-area networks
(LANs),
wide-area networks (WANs), and public packet-switched networks such as the
Internet.
Cylink and Algorithmic Research serve Fortune 500 companies, multinational
financial
institutions, and government agencies worldwide. For more information,
visit our web
sites at http://www.cylink.com and http://www.arx.com. 

------------------------------------------------------------
      David Honig                   Orbit Technology
     honig@otc.net                  Intaanetto Jigyoubu

	Steel : Meatspace :: Encryption : Virtual space