Skipjack (cipher)
| General | |
|---|---|
| Designers | NSA |
| First published | 1998 (declassified) |
| Cipher detail | |
| Key sizes | 80 bits |
| Block sizes | 64 bits |
| Structure | unbalanced Feistel network |
| Rounds | 32 |
| Best public cryptanalysis | |
| ECRYPT II recommendations note that, as of 2012, ciphers with a key size of 80 bits provide only "Very short-term protection against agencies". NIST recommends not to use Skipjack after 2010. Impossible differential cryptanalysis breaks 31 rounds (but only slightly faster than exhaustive search). | |
In cryptography, Skipjack is a block cipher—an algorithm for encryption—developed by the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA). Initially classified, it was originally intended for use in the controversial Clipper chip. Subsequently, the algorithm was declassified.