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NIST Proposes Abandoning DES

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the thanks-for-all-your-hard-work dept.

Mr. Manometer writes "With little fan-fare, NIST proposed yesterday to withdraw the Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) for the Data Encryption Standard (DES) with a Federal Register notice (pdf). NIST is encouraging federal agencies to use the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) instead since they feel that DES is 'now vulnerable to key exhaustion using massive parallel computations.' We all knew this day would come as computers got faster & cheaper... and this should put more pressure on folks to use stronger encryption techniques with is a good thing." Some would argue that DES has been insufficient for some time now.

15 of 205 comments (clear)

  1. arrggghh... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny


    .... I was going to write a long, well thought out reply to this story but the IT colour scheme is causing acid flashbacks.

    The horror... the horror...

  2. Now I'm going to have to go back to ... by burgburgburg · · Score: 4, Funny
    social engineering, keystroke capturing and torture to get information, instead of relying on key exhaustion.

    Wait, ...ugh..., I didn't write that and more importantly, you didn't read it. It never happened. Nothing to see here. Just move on now.

    1. Re:Now I'm going to have to go back to ... by SpaceLifeForm · · Score: 2, Funny

      Damn man, you sound like the bush administration.

      --
      You are being MICROattacked, from various angles, in a SOFT manner.
  3. As a self-appointed representative of ... by burgburgburg · · Score: 4, Funny
    America's LSD Manufacturers, I'd like to point out that at it's worst (as regards quality control), no US produced acid would ever have created colors like this.

    I'm not one to point fingers, but if they do have to be pointed, they should be pointed at Mushrooms or toad licking. Not acid.

  4. Man, they are cruel by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    They want me to abandon DES and Internet Explorer? Please, NIST, why do you keep recommending against my favorite applications.

    Let's hope we'll never see ICQ and Windows ME on that list.

  5. Which is why... by baudilus · · Score: 5, Funny

    Which is why we have to invent an unrealistic encryption scheme. Then we can use it forever.

    1. Re:Which is why... by mattjb0010 · · Score: 4, Funny

      Which is why we have to invent an unrealistic encryption scheme. Then we can use it forever.

      You mean a one time pad?

  6. YES!!! by Tenebrious1 · · Score: 4, Funny

    Oh yeah! Now foreign powers will have to go back to sending sexy spies to seduce the secrets out of us instead of just breaking the codes!

    --
    -- If god wanted me to have a sig, he'd have given me a sense of humor.
    1. Re:YES!!! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      I, for one, welcome our new sexy spy overlords.

    2. Re:YES!!! by dj245 · · Score: 2, Funny
      Oh yeah! Now foreign powers will have to go back to sending sexy spies to seduce the secrets out of us instead of just breaking the codes!

      In a related story, a mysterious female named "Alotta Patootie" was detained at a northern border crossing on suspicion of ill intent. Formal charges have not been anounced, but the woman did try to seduce four CBP (Customs and Border Protection) agents and succeeded in kicking a fifth in the tallywhacker.

      --
      Even those who arrange and design shrubberies are under considerable economic stress at this period in history.
  7. noooo! by Destoo · · Score: 1, Funny

    Or maybe they should drop it for me, Destoo.

    I've been using that handle since around '89

    --
    Nouvelles de jeux et technologies en français. TC
  8. Good! by l0ungeb0y · · Score: 3, Funny

    Nice to hear they got some good consulting.

    I've been using AES-256 on all my projects that deal with sensitive data since ohhh -- 2001.

    Considering that DES has been relegated to hack toy status for some time now and triple-DES is only marginally better since it's just DES encryption done threefold I think this is a very wise but belated move.

    And when Hollywood even makes fun of an encryption grade by showing a guy breaking it in 60 seconds while getting a BLOWJOB, you KNOW it's time to stop using it!

  9. Say what you will about DES, but please ... by burgburgburg · · Score: 2, Funny
    don't cast aspersions on the practice of putting on more and more duct tape over a hole. Not only is this a sound, well-respected engineering practice (as is evidenced by my saying it), but America's Duct Tape Manufacturers need your every effort to keep our business on steady financial ground.

    Whenever this is any doubt about the structural integrity of any item (from little glass figurine to 18 wheeler transporting corrosive chemicals), slap some duct tape on it. And then a little bit more. You'll be glad you did.

    1. Re:Say what you will about DES, but please ... by SpaceLifeForm · · Score: 2, Funny
      Man, you really are part of the bush administration.

      But, hey, get with the program dude, you forgot to mention the plastic.

      And don't forget, WD-40 has a role also.

      --
      You are being MICROattacked, from various angles, in a SOFT manner.
  10. of course DES should be abandoned by tahini · · Score: 2, Funny

    It's a strong estrogen and a causative factor in several forms of cancer, in infertility and reproductive abnormalities in those exposed in utero and even in their progeny.

    Diethylstilbestrol is, like most hormones, a hazard to those who handle it, and there's precious few excuses for using it anymore; its use as an anti-abortive was based on faulty evidence.