At 12:58 PM 8/21/96 -0700, Jeff Davis wrote:
I assume then that the Netscape encryption is Symetric Key, so how do RC4 RC2 and MD5 compare and contast? TIA
RC2 and RC4 are both both variable key length cyphers developed by Ron Rivest for RSA Data Security Inc. They were both protected by trade secret, but both have been reverse engineered and posted to the net. Both of them have fast-path export approval if their key length is 40 bits or less. MD5 (Message Digest 5) is not a cypher but a secure hash. If takes an input of variable length and computes a 128 bit hash. Recently some weaknesses have been found in MD5 leading to the recomendation that new applications be coded to use SHA1 instead. As a note: Any good secure hash can be used as a symetric key cypher. Usually doing so involves considerably more computation than a symetric cypher of equal strength. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Bill Frantz | Cave ab homine unius lebri | Periwinkle -- Consulting (408)356-8506 | [Beware the man of one | 16345 Englewood Ave. frantz@netcom.com | book] - Anonymous Latin | Los Gatos, CA 95032, USA