NSA Declassifies Algos

[John Young <jya@pipeline.com>]

Thanks to Ed Roback, NIST:


http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Jun1998/b06231998_bt316-98.html

DoD Press Release, June 23, 1998:

No. 316-78
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 23, 1998
(703)695-0192(media)
(703)697-5737(public/industry)

           ENCRYPTION FORMULAS DECLASSIFIED

The Department of Defense today announced the decision by the 
National Security Agency to declassify both the Key Exchange 
Algorithm and the SKIPJACK encryption algorithm used in the 
FORTEZZA(tm) personal computer card. FORTEZZA(tm) provides 
security at the desktop in the Defense Message System and other 
DoD applications. This marks the first time that the NSA has 
declassified such information and made it commercially available. 

This declassification is an essential part of the Department of 
Defense's efforts to work with commercial industry in developing 
reasonably priced computer protection products. This 
declassification decision will enable industry to develop software 
and smartcard based security products, which are interoperable 
with FORTEZZA(tm). The availability of such products will enhance 
the protection of DoD's sensitive but unclassified and critical 
non-mission communications. 

The decision to release SKIPJACK (an 80 bit encryption algorithm 
that is not extensible to higher key lengths) and KEA (a 1024 bit 
key exchange algorithm) is restricted to these particular 
algorithms, and does not apply to other classified NSA algorithms. 
The SKIPJACK and KEA algorithms and their source codes have been 
declassified pursuant to Executive Order 12958. 

Vendors interested in obtaining more information on this matter 
should contact the National Security Agency Public Affairs Office 
at 301-688-6524. 

[End]

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Note: We called NSA Public Affairs who said that more information 
will be available tomorrow afternoon on NIST's Web site (no specific 
URL):

   http://www.nist.gov

In the meantime NSA will respond to faxed questions; send to:

   Vanessa Talieri
   Office of Public Affairs
   National Security Agency
   Fax: 301-497-2844