Security in Computing, Third Edition

2.5. The Data Encryption Standard (DES)

The Data Encryption Standard (DES) [NBS77], a system developed for the U.S. government, was intended for use by the general public. It has been officially accepted as a cryptographic standard both in the United States and abroad. Moreover, many hardware and software systems have been designed with the DES. However, recently its adequacy has been questioned.

Background and History

In the early 1970s, the U.S. National Bureau of Standards (NBS) recognized that the general public needed a secure encryption technique for protecting sensitive information. Historically, the U.S. Department of Defense and the Department of State had had continuing interest in encryption systems; it was thought that these departments ...