hes@ncsu.UUCP (Henry Schaffer) (02/04/86)
<>The Sept. '84 National Security Decision Directive 145 (signed by Pres. Reagan) gave the NSA the responsibility for both commercial and military information systems. The NSA says it won't approve the DES algorithm when it comes up for review as a federal standard in 1988. <>The NSA is working to have new methods developed for its Comsec (communications security) program. Only companies which NSA qualifies can develop and sell the new methods/devices, and they can only provide applications information and sample parts with NSA approval. <>I read about this in a Special Report in the Feb. 3, '86 issue of Electronics (pp. 27-31.) The NSA seems to have been given broad powers affecting the civilian (commercial) sector. --henry schaffer n c state univ
tgl@a.sei.cmu.edu (Tom Lane) (02/08/86)
NSA's ComSec program is apparently geared to developing new communications *hardware*. They are interested in certifying new cryptographic algorithms and hardware implementations of same, but seemingly not in certifying software. (we tried...) This seems a mite peculiar to me, as an algorithm is an algorithm whether expressed in software or silicon. Possibly they have some idea of restricting the spread of knowledge by only allowing new algorithms to be implemented in chips (much harder to examine than programs). If anyone has more info on the charter of the ComSec program, and especially on whether they have any actual authority over civilian work, I'd be interested to hear it. tom lane (lane@cmu-cs-a.ARPA)