• 0

My Encryption Algorithm...


Question

I was unsure what forum to post this in...

I've been working on an encryption algorithm for sometime now which I simply call Cypher. The problem is the max keylength is 131072 bytes (128k). Because of this, I worry that it would be illegal to release this algorithm.

Back in Jan '04, a friend opened up a Sourceforge project for me, located here. Because of the 'legal' issues, I have yet to upload anything to this page. And due to the inactivity, somebody has put in a request to take the project name "Cypher". Details on that can be found here. I'm unsure if I should let them take over the project or not.

I was hoping to find someone here on Neowin who might know a thing or two about this. I need to know if it would be worth the trouble, if there might be some chance that it would be legal for me to upload source files for Cypher.

Please don't bring up issues about security. I personally have no proof that the algorithm is secure, other than my own recognition. I'm sure no one here trusts me, and I don't blame you either. I can assure you this is much more than just some crappy XOR encryption though...

Link to comment
https://www.neowin.net/forum/topic/336243-my-encryption-algorithm/
Share on other sites

8 answers to this question

Recommended Posts

  • 0

IANAL, but in general, it should be OK, because ITAR no longer classifies strong cryptography as arms. Although you said don't mention security... I don't want to be to discouraging, but cipher design should really be left to the experts...

Also, http://www.rsasecurity.com/rsalabs/node.asp?id=2327 has some more notes about this subject.

  • 0

Thanks for the reply zeta.

Quoted from the link:

Today, any cryptographic product is exportable under a license exception (that is, without a license) unless the end-users are foreign governments or embargoed destinations (Cuba, Iran, Iraq, Libya, North Korea, Serbia, Sudan, Syria, and Taleban-controlled areas of Afghanistan as of January 2000).

I'm not sure what they would consider 'exporting' under these laws. For example, if I were to upload code to a server, and a person from one of those areas downloads it, could I get in trouble for that?

  • 0
  xinok said:
Thanks for the reply zeta.

Quoted from the link:

Today, any cryptographic product is exportable under a license exception (that is, without a license) unless the end-users are foreign governments or embargoed destinations (Cuba, Iran, Iraq, Libya, North Korea, Serbia, Sudan, Syria, and Taleban-controlled areas of Afghanistan as of January 2000).

I'm not sure what they would consider 'exporting' under these laws. For example, if I were to upload code to a server, and a person from one of those areas downloads it, could I get in trouble for that?

586114988[/snapback]

put a licence agrement on it, basically saying do not use if you are in these countrys

  • 0

I *think* it's safe to export source code, but it was illegal to export actual strong encryption software. Now these rules are changed to the ones mentioned above.

This trick was used by PGP to circumvent the export restriction. The code was exported, compiled in another country but the US and the imported in binary form. This way it was legal.

So I think it's perfectly safe to upload your sources to sourceforge. (but don't hold me liable if this is not 100 percent accurate)

  • 0
  MurrayF1 said:
put a licence agrement on it, basically saying do not use if you are in these countrys

586115012[/snapback]

Sounds good :)

For now, I'm going to reclaim my Cypher project on Sourceforge. Then I should probably find somebody to write a license agreement for me, as I'm sure I would mess it up :blink:

I'm still gonna hold back on releasing source code until I'm absolutely sure its safe, but hopefully I'll be able to do so soon enough.

  • 0
  code_monkey said:
http://www.crypto.com/exports/ - Send the email and you should be fine.

586115204[/snapback]

Thanks a lot for that link. So just to be sure, I simply send an email with a URL to where the source code will be available? And should I wait for a reply in my email or anything before uploading the code?
  • 0
  xinok said:
Thanks a lot for that link. So just to be sure, I simply send an email with a URL to where the source code will be available? And should I wait for a reply in my email or anything before uploading the code?

586115329[/snapback]

I've fairly certain that its just notification, you don't need a confirmation.

This topic is now closed to further replies.
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Posts

    • How can all of these Neowin deals be "an all time low price". I find that pretty hard to believe.
    • Oh wow, a patch for an Unreal game to improve performance? We'll see...
    • Get this massive 4TB WD_BLACK SN7100 SSD at a new all-time low price by Taras Buria Xbox owners recently received a new storage upgrade option, which allows them to equip the Xbox Series X|S with 4TB of extra space. That card, however, has an eye-watering price tag—nearly as much as the 1TB Xbox Series S. On the PC side, though, things are much better. Right now, if you need a 4TB SSD without selling a kidney, you can get the WD_BLACK SN7100 PCIe Gen4 SSD. It is now available on Amazon at a new all-time low price after a 16% discount (nearly half the cost of the new 4TB Xbox Storage Expansion Card). The SN7100 is a fast, reliable, and, more importantly, affordable Gen4 solid-state drive. Its speeds are rated up to 7,000MB/s sequential read and 6,700MB/s sequential write, while random input-output speeds are rated at 900K IOPS read and 1,350K IOPS write. These specs are not record-breaking, but they are fast enough for modern gaming (DirectStorage is supported), fast loading times in games and apps, and quick file transfer. The WD_BLACK SN7100 has a limited five-year warranty and endurance rating up to 2,400 TBW. You can monitor the health of your drive in the WD_Black Dashboard app on Windows. As for compatibility, you can use the SN7100 in any PC that accommodates M.2 2280 PCIe Gen4 drives, including PlayStation 5. It is compatible with PCIe Gen3 systems, but the maximum speeds will be limited. 4TB WD_BLACK SN7100 PCIe Gen4 Solid-State Drive - $249.99 | 16% off on Amazon US This Amazon deal is US-specific and not available in other regions unless specified. If you don't like it or want to look at more options, check out the Amazon US deals page here. Get Prime (SNAP), Prime Video, Audible Plus or Kindle / Music Unlimited. Free for 30 days. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.
    • Snagit 2025.2.0 by Razvan Serea Snagit is the most complete screen capture utility available. Showing someone exactly what you see on your screen is sometimes the quickest and clearest way to communicate. With Snagit, you can select anything on your screen – an area, image, article, Web page, or error message – and capture it. Then, save the screen capture to a file, send it to Snagit​'s editor to add professional effects, share it by e-mail, or drop it into PowerPoint®, Word®, or another favorite application. Capture and share images, text or video from your PC. Create beautiful presentations, flawless documentation and quickly save online content. The latest version of Snagit offers a totally new interface and workflow - making SnagIt easier for beginners to use, while still providing maximum convenience and flexibility for the screen capture experts. Snagit 2025.2.0 changelog: Edit Images from Camtasia Snagit can now be used to seamlessly edit images from Camtasia. Requires Camtasia version 2025.2.0 or later. In the Camtasia Media Bin, right-click an image and select the Edit in Snagit option. In Snagit, make your edits. When finished, click Send in the "Send changes to Camtasia" notification to replace the image on your Camtasia timeline. Step Capture Improved the Step Capture template to accommodate longer auto-populated step text. Annotations such as Callout or Arrow tool objects now anchor to and move with sections as sections are added to, reordered, or deleted from templates. Subscription Software Updated the Account dropdown to open automatically when new subscription related messages are present. Performance Improvements Improved the startup time for Snagit Capture application. Updates for IT Administrators Updated BouncyCastle.Cryptography package to address CVE-2024-29857 and CVE-2024-30172. Removed dependency on Xceed Zip. Updated LeadTools DLLs. Fixed an issue where Snagit might not recognize offline subscription activation. Fixed an issue where the video recording toolbar could be hidden from users when using Snagit in virtual environments or with remote desktop applications. Bug Fixes Fixed an issue where using Step Capture with the Share destination set to File in the Capture Window could result in data loss. Fixed a crash that could occur when capturing on some HDR monitors. Fixed an issue where the cursor object in a capture might include some of the background image in certain situations. Fixed an issue with the Box share destination to use the default browser for authentication. Fixed an issue where the Blur tool Color property could show when the blur or pixelate Type was selected. Fixed an issue where the privacy policy link in Snagit's installer might not open in the expected language. (PONRPD) Download: Snagit 64-bit | 419.0 MB (Shareware) Links: SnagIt Home Page | Release Notes Get alerted to all of our Software updates on Twitter at @NeowinSoftware
  • Recent Achievements

    • Week One Done
      jfam earned a badge
      Week One Done
    • First Post
      survivor303 earned a badge
      First Post
    • Week One Done
      CHUNWEI earned a badge
      Week One Done
    • One Year In
      survivor303 earned a badge
      One Year In
    • Week One Done
      jbatch earned a badge
      Week One Done
  • Popular Contributors

    1. 1
      +primortal
      420
    2. 2
      +FloatingFatMan
      185
    3. 3
      snowy owl
      183
    4. 4
      ATLien_0
      179
    5. 5
      Xenon
      140
  • Tell a friend

    Love Neowin? Tell a friend!