At 11:41 AM 10/10/96 -0700, you wrote:
Perhaps they are referring to
Mitsuri Matsui, ``New Structure of Block Ciphers with Provable Security against Differential and Linear Cryptanalysis'', Fast Software Encryption '96, LNCS 1039, Springer-Verlag, 1996.
which provides specifications, test vectors, analysis, etc. of a new cipher from Matsui?
----- That is surely accurate: a c'punk linked Matsui to MYSTY a while back. Below is a year-old announcement on Mitsubishi's MISTY encryption algorithm. We have requested information on the October 8 announcement that the algorithm is to be released for third-party evaluation along with a sample program for doing so (see E-mail address below for inquiries). ----- http://www.melco.co.jp/rd_home/new/crypt_e.html Mitsubishi Electric Develops New Encryption System "MISTY", More Powerful Than DES (Data Encryption Standard) for Communication Networks -- Security Strictly Evaluated in World's First Practical Block Ciphers -- Tokyo, October 27, 1995 -- Mitsubishi Electric has developed a new block cipher algorithm for an encryption system, which is essential technology for protecting the privacy of individuals and confidential information in communication networks, that makes both strength and speed compatible. The encryption algorithm is based on a cipher strength evaluation index, which applies the "linear cryptanalysis", a powerful decoding method unique to Mitsubishi Electric, and the "differential cryptanalysis", considered to be an effective decoding method next to the linear cryptanalysis. Mitsubishi Electric has succeeded in strictly evaluating the security of this encryption algorithm against these decoding methods. Background: Using ciphers on wide-area networks requires a method to maintain security as long as its encryption key (password commonly shared by a sender and a receiver) is kept secret, even if the mechanism of the encryption is made public. However, possibilities of unauthorized access will increase when the encryption mechanism is made public. In fact, several encryption algorithms, whose specifications were made public, have been compelled to make specification changes, and to sacrifice their encryption speed in return for an increased cipher strength to protect against recent decoding methods. This is why an encryption system whose security against these decoding methods is strictly evaluated at the design stage has been required. Security of encryption is formulated as the lower limit of the number of calculations needed for decoding. A powerful decoding method leads to a stricter safety index in that it reduces the number of calculations needed for decoding. At present, the "linear cryptanalysis" is considered to be the most effective general-purpose decoding method. A decoding method called the "differential cryptanalysis" is another widely known decoding method next to the "linear cryptanalysis". A evaluation based on the linear and differential cryptanalysis is therefore considered to be the most reliable among strength indexes of block ciphers.*1 *1 Block ciphers : Plain texts and cipher texts that are processed by being grouped into units called blocks; most widely used at present. Outline of Development: Since announcing the linear cryptanalysis, Mitsubishi Electric has been making efforts to develop encryption technology backed by adequate security. In January 1994, Mitsubishi Electric performed the first successful experiment to decode the Data Encryption Standard (DES), an American standard commercial encryption system, to quantitavely evaluate its strength using this linear cryptanalysis. Using this evaluation technology, Mitsubishi Electric has developed an encryption algorithm that quantitavely provides sufficient security to linear and differential cryptanalysis and achieves a practical encryption speed. The encryption algorithm can clarify the relationships between encryption speed and strength and allow users to use an encryption that meets their security needs. Mitsubishi Electric plans to develop software tool products and hardware products (LSIs) using this encryption algorithm. Mitsubishi Electric will make the specification of this encryption algorithm public and will also promote its use. Address questions or comments to: www-rd@hat.hon.melco.co.jp [End of announcement] Note: Mistubishi is developing LSI chips at two specialty laboratories at Itami. Sparse information is available by links from Mitsubishi's home page at: http://www.melco.co.jp An inscrutable (^^) image of an LSI encryption chip is at: http://www.melco.co.jp/rd_home/map/j_s/item/pat1/uf1-7-e.html