From: Michael Paul Johnson <mpj@netcom.com>
Date: Wed, 20 Dec 95 15:48:44 PST
To: cypherpunks@toad.com
Subject: Ruby Block Cipher
Message-ID: <Pine.SUN.3.91.951220154441.5757B-100000@netcom4>
MIME-Version: 1.0
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The Ruby Block Cipher has just been published.  It is not a general block
cipher in that it cannot be used in Electronic Codebook (ECB) mode.  It is
more like a cryptographic hash function with a block size of only 64 bits. Of
course, 64 bits is too short for a cryptographic hash function intended for
digital signature use, but it is just fine for a quick block cipher.

This may be a good reference for those folks who want a quick & easy
encryption algorithm that need not withstand nuclear attack but can provide
something better than common weak encryption methods in use in the software
industry.

Your comments and suggestions on this rather strange little cipher are
welcome.

Information on the Ruby Block Cipher is available as

ftp://ftp.csn.net/mpj/public/ruby_m4.ps

and, if you are in the USA or Canada, a reference implementation is in

ftp://ftp.csn.net/mpj/I_will_not_export/crypto_???????/mpj/rubycode.zip
where the ??????? is revealed in
ftp://ftp.csn.net/mpj/README

rubycode.zip is also available on the Colorado Catacombs BBS at 303-772-1062.

Note: this is not a product for sale (it is free and probably worth at least
as much as you pay for it).  It is also not a prepublication (it is THE
publication in electronic form with no paper publication anticpated in the
near future).

                  ___________________________________________________________
                 |                                                           |
 |\  /| |        | Michael Paul Johnson  Colorado Catacombs BBS 303-772-1062 |
 | \/ |o|        | PO Box 1151, Longmont CO 80502-1151 USA   Jesus is alive! |
 |    | | /  _   | mpj@csn.net aka mpj@netcom.com m.p.johnson@ieee.org       |
 |    |||/  /_\  | ftp://ftp.csn.net/mpj/README.MPJ          CIS: 71331,2332 |
 |    |||\  (    | http://www.csn.net/~mpj                 -. --- ----- .... |
 |    ||| \ \_/  | PGPprint=F2 5E A1 C1 A6 CF EF 71  12 1F 91 92 6A ED AE A9 |
                 |___________________________________________________________|


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P. S. -- I don't normally read this list, so please send a copy of 
follow-ups directly to me.  Thanks!