At 08:56 PM 12/16/97 -0800, Bill Frantz wrote:
At 3:01 AM -0800 12/16/97, Vin McLellan wrote:
Norton Secret Stuff secures the data using the 32-bit Blowfish encryption algorithm -- which is why it's approved for unrestricted export outside the US by the U.S. government.
This is the first I've heard of a Blowfish based produce being approved for export. Since Blowfish has about 9 bits worth of protection against brute force searches in its key schedule, this is about a 41 bit approval. Does anyone know of an export permit for a version of Blowfish with a key longer than 32 bits?
Blowfish with a 32-bit key has been approved for export before. The argument is that the long key setup time makes 32-bit Blowfish as weak as 40-bit anything else. I don't particularly agree, but there you have it. Bruce ********************************************************************** Bruce Schneier, President, Counterpane Systems Phone: 612-823-1098 101 E Minnehaha Parkway, Minneapolis,MN 55419 Fax: 612-823-1590 http://www.counterpane.com