crypto implementation for small footprint devices

[Xiao, Peter]

-----Original Message-----
From: Josh Richards [mailto:jrichard at cubicle.net]
Sent: Tuesday, January 09, 2001 6:21 PM
To: coderpunks at toad.com; cypherpunks at toad.com
Subject: Re: crypto implementation for small footprint devices


* Xiao, Peter <pxiao at Liberate.com> [20010109 16:01]:
> 
> I am currently looking for crypto implementation that can fit into small
> footprint (in the order of 50K or less) devices. Ideally, an SSL type of
> protocol meets my requirements but it is almost impossible to implement it
> within 50K even with selected cipher suites. So, I am looking for
> alternatives (either symmetric key or public key based). I was thinking
> about WTLS but looks like its implementation can not be significantly
> smaller than that of TLS since it is also based on Public Key cryptography
> (I am wondering how it fits into a cellphone). Can any one tell me what is
> the approximate size of the client implementation of WTLS. Also, would
> anyone send some pointers to me regarding what I am looking for.

How small of footprint?  50K (presuming you mean in currency) isn't really
a measurement of footprint size to me. :)  Would something along the lines
of a Java iButton <URL:http://www.ibutton.com/> match your requirements?  
It truly depends on what you need the device to be capable of...and I don't 
just mean the crypto implementation but is this a device to be self-powered?
How do you need to interface with it?  Etc.

The device is a DCT2000 set-top box with very limited footprint. Since the
box needs to run a lot of other applications, 50K is the space that we would
like to spend on the security purpose. The platform supports C interface.

-jr

----
Josh Richards [JTR38/JR539-ARIN]
<jrichard at geekresearch.com/cubicle.net/fix.net/freedom.gen.ca.us>
Geek Research LLC - <URL:http://www.geekresearch.com/>
IP Network Engineering and Consulting