[3048] in cryptography@c2.net mail archive
Re: DES Applicability Statement for Historic Status
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Arnold G. Reinhold)
Thu Jul 23 00:32:34 1998
In-Reply-To: <v03130300b1dbcfdb2bef@[207.75.184.71]>
Date: Wed, 22 Jul 1998 20:27:05 -0400
To: William Allen Simpson <wsimpson@greendragon.com>
From: "Arnold G. Reinhold" <reinhold@world.std.com>
Cc: cryptography@c2.net
>I'm looking for additional references and comments for this prospective draft,
>although it must be kept as blunt and concise as possible. Any ideas?
>
Very nice work. A few comments:
1. You should explicitly say that you are not recommending against use of
triple DES in either its two key (112 bit) or three key implementation.
There has already been confusion about the implications of the recent 56
hour crack on 3DES.
2. You need to defend the 80 bit minimum for short lived Internet data,
perhaps referencing the crypto experts' report on key length. I think you
are on shakier ground here than in the rest of the document. Some might
think 64 bit or 72 bit keys are adequate for short term data if keys are
changed frequently. I expect 80 bit keys to be good for a couple of decades.
3. What is the implication for Unix password encryption?
4. You might want to mention RSA's parent company for a full reference.
Regards,
Arnold Reinhold
