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Newsgroups: sci.crypt
Subject: Re: Crypto papers on the net.
Message-ID: <1993Apr25.153235.20292@cs.aukuni.ac.nz>
From: pgut1@cs.aukuni.ac.nz (Peter Gutmann)
Date: Sun, 25 Apr 1993 15:32:35 GMT
References: <16BB91429.C445585@mizzou1.missouri.edu>
Organization: Computer Science Dept. University of Auckland
Lines: 26

In <16BB91429.C445585@mizzou1.missouri.edu> C445585@mizzou1.missouri.edu (John Kelsey) writes:

>   I've recently been reading a paper of Merkle's (publixhed only on the
>net, I think) discussing three potential replacements for DES.  Was
>anyting ever done with these?  Are Khufu, Khafre, and/or Snefru still
>being discussed anywhere?  (I know Snefru is referenced in the RSA
>FAQ, and I think it may also be in the sci.crypt FAQ.)

The paper was distributed (against the wishes of the NSA - I have a copy
with a few 'illicit distribution' footnotes scribbled on it :-), and eventually
published at one of the crypto conferences.  Things were looking good.

Then Xerox patented the algorithms.  <Plonk!>

I don't know of anything which uses them.  Also, Khafre was broken at a
later conference and from work on a related algorithm I don't think the
existing Khufu would hold up too well against a converted differential
cryptanalysis attack, although it can probably be changed to resist this
type of attack....

Peter.

[In case you don't know what the <Plonk> is about, check _The New Hacker's
 Dictionary_.  It's the sound someone makes when they fall to the bottom
 of a killfile]

