Data Encryption Standard

ALSO CALLED: Data Encryption Algorithm, FIPS PUB 46-1, Triple Data Encryption Standard, DES, Triple DES, 3DES, FIPS PUB 46-2, Data Encryption Protocols, Symmetric Cryptography, DEA, FIPS PUB 44-2, Encryption Protocols, Digital Encryption Standards
DEFINITION: Data Encryption Standard (DES) is a widely-used method of data encryption using a private (secret) key that was judged so difficult to break by the U.S. government that it was restricted for exportation to other countries. There are 72,000,000,000,000,000 (72 quadrillion) or more possible encryption keys that can be used. For each given message, the key is chosen at random from among this enormous  … 
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DATA ENCRYPTION STANDARD DEFINITION (continued): …  number of keys. Like other private key cryptographic methods, both the sender and the receiver must know and use the same private key.DES applies a 56-bit key to each 64-bit block of data. The process can run in several modes and involves 16 rounds or operations. Although this is considered "strong" encryption, many companies use "triple DES", which applies three keys in succession. This is not to say that a DES-encrypted message cannot be "broken." Early in 1997, Rivest-Shamir-Adleman, owners of another encryption approach, offered a $10,000 reward for breaking a DES message. A cooperative … 
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