From: "Sheedy, E.C.C." <E.C.C.Sheedy@research.kpn.com>
Date: Fri, 25 Jul 1997 15:24:34 +0800
To: "'cypherpunks@Algebra.COM>
Subject: encryption evaluater software
Message-ID: <l=NTG3-970725081806Z-9269@ntl11.research.kpn.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain



>July 10, 1997
>
>----------
>
>
>Nikkei English News via Individual Inc. : (Nikkei Industrial Daily, July 8,
>1997) 
>
>Mitsubishi Electric Corp. said it has developed a software program which
>can be used to evaluate the security of various symmetric-key encryption
>algorithms, where the sender and recipient share the same key. 
>
>The program analyzes a given encryption technology and displays the amount
>of computing power required to deduce the key and decrypt the message. 
>
>Secure and practical data encryption is a necessary technology for the
>popularization of electronic money and electronic commerce. Mitsubishi's
>program could end up becoming an index by which to objectively evaluate the
>many new symmetric-key encryption methods being developed. 
>
>The software combines the differential decryption method developed by
>Israeli encryption expert Adi Shamir with Mitsubishi's proprietary linear
>decryption method. By attempting to deduce the key with simple
>approximations of the encryption algorithm, the program determines the
>minimal volume of computations needed to crack the code, and also shows how
>long the key should be in order to make decryption nearly impossible. 

>Mitsubishi said it has also finished development of a software program
>which uncovers the key based on the pattern of random numbers generated in
>the course of encrypting a message. 

>The next step for the company is to combine all three decryption methods
>into a comprehensive program for evaluation. Working with support from the
>Ministry of International Trade and Industry, the company hopes to finish
>and publicize its program by next spring, providing it free of charge to
>users. (More) 

________________________________                          
kpn   research                      E.C.C. Sheedy
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