From: Erik.Lindano@ofa123.fidonet.org
Newsgroups: sci.crypt
Subject: New Encryption - a Challenge!
X-Sender: newtout 0.02 Nov 17 1992
Date: 18 Nov 92  21:29:58

                                 
                                  Wed  11-18-1992  
 
 This is a public answer to various e-mail messages addressed to me
 at ofa123.fidonet.org.
                           Erik.Lindano@ofa123.fidonet.org
 =================================================================
 
 To those who kindly replied in e-mail regarding the new encryption 
 challenge, thanks.  Please bear in mind that the e-mail system seems 
 little unorthodox here. I am not sure that I can reply reliably.
 I will be providing the materials shortly. All test materials will
 be publicly available.
 
 To those who sent messages telling me to shut up: nothing doing.
 
 I am now authorized to say that NuCrypt relies on the use of 
 embedded, 2048-bit shifting keys. In our mind, the encryption seems 
 very strong.  To those who wondered whether the cyphertext was 
 descipherable (!), yes, of course it is  :-)  NuCrypt encrypts and 
 decrypts reliably and unambiguously.  It is also very fast in both 
 directions and very compact.  It could easily fit in cramped 
 firmware, for example and could be readily applied to real-time 
 encryption in high-speed data transmission links or storage- 
 retrieval devices. 
 
 To the fellow who said I should just make a posting of the test 
 materials, and let those who wanted take a potshot at them, why 
 not? I'd be glad to do that. We just wanted to get some input on 
 exactly what format people wanted to have - wasn't trying to make 
 anyone beg for them. That's the main reason I haven't posted any 
 test materials yet. Also, posting in article format might reasonably 
 limit the size of the test material, and I wasn't sure whether that 
 would be acceptable.  Most correspondents have already asked for 
 test files larger than I could easily post from here.
 
 To the gentleman who proposed a special testing method involving 
 slowly-changing, large text files, OK, you're on.  Don't think that 
 I should really circulate many such size files over USENET, but we 
 might be able to make an ftp upload somewhere and leave the files 
 there for anyone who wants them. I'll need some time to prepare the 
 materials you described. We do need to make them public, since the
 challenge is open to all.
 
 To the same gentleman, who was wondering whether the various test 
 files would always be prepared using exactly the same algorithm, 
 without additional user input, yes, they would be. However, out of
 fairness I must add that, because NuCrypt uses embedded keys which
 shift continuously, it might be fair to say that all test files 
 (and even all portions of each test file!) will be encrypted in a 
 "changeable" fashion. They will be encrypted by the same *program*,
 but the program is designed to shift its embedded key during use
 so, in a way, it modifies itself in use.  If you call that the 
 "same algorithm", that's fine with us.
 
 Matter of definition, really, but we want to be scrupulously 
 fair, although we cannot be as candid as some want.
 

--- Maximus 2.00