From: Jim Gillogly <jim@rand.org>
Date: Wed, 20 Apr 94 15:42:45 PDT
To: cypherpunks@toad.com
Subject: Re: simple_crypt comparison
In-Reply-To: <9404201745.ZM3835@atlanta>
Message-ID: <9404202242.AA23891@mycroft.rand.org>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain



> "Buckley Collum" <buckley@wavefront.wti.com> writes:
> For those who can determine crackability:
> 
> Recently a message was posted which included source for a chaos-based crypt
> routine.  How does this compare to the one-rotor crypt routine which is found
> in /bin?  I.e., Which one would be easier to crack, and why?

The rotor machine is harder to crack, and both are relatively easy.  As it
happens, the chaos-based one is the one I just posted about, broken shortly
after it was posted with very small ciphertext-only.  The rotor machine is
broken with a program called cbw (Crypt-Breaker's Workbench), available
all over the net and findable with Archie.  It's straightforward, but
I understand you need to work a bit at it, and it helps to have known
plaintext.  I haven't used it myself, and would welcome insight from people
who have.  The NSA version of the crypt (1) man page had an entry under
bugs as follows:

BUGS
     Uses a Hagelin encryption algorithm.

	Jim Gillogly
	Sterday, 29 Astron S.R. 1994, 22:38