23 June 1998

    Thanks to Ed Roback, NIST:

    http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Jun1998/b06231998_bt316-98.html

    DoD Press Release, June 23, 1998:

    No. 316-78
    IMMEDIATE RELEASE
    June 23, 1998
    (703)695-0192(media)
    (703)697-5737(public/industry)

               ENCRYPTION FORMULAS DECLASSIFIED

    The Department of Defense today announced the decision by the
    National Security Agency to declassify both the Key Exchange
    Algorithm and the SKIPJACK encryption algorithm used in the
    FORTEZZA(tm) personal computer card. FORTEZZA(tm) provides
    security at the desktop in the Defense Message System and other
    DoD applications. This marks the first time that the NSA has
    declassified such information and made it commercially available.

    This declassification is an essential part of the Department of
    Defense's efforts to work with commercial industry in developing
    reasonably priced computer protection products. This
    declassification decision will enable industry to develop software
    and smartcard based security products, which are interoperable
    with FORTEZZA(tm). The availability of such products will enhance
    the protection of DoD's sensitive but unclassified and critical
    non-mission communications.

    The decision to release SKIPJACK (an 80 bit encryption algorithm
    that is not extensible to higher key lengths) and KEA (a 1024 bit
    key exchange algorithm) is restricted to these particular
    algorithms, and does not apply to other classified NSA algorithms.
    The SKIPJACK and KEA algorithms and their source codes have been
    declassified pursuant to Executive Order 12958.

    Vendors interested in obtaining more information on this matter
    should contact the National Security Agency Public Affairs Office
    at 301-688-6524.

    [End]