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List:       cryptography
Subject:    Re: Status of Fortezza and/or Smart Card Encryption Technology
From:       "Arnold G. Reinhold" <reinhold () world ! std ! com>
Date:       1999-03-28 5:26:01
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At 5:28 PM -0500 3/26/99, Steve McGee wrote:
>http://www.jya.com/fort-cancel.htm
>
>This URL is somewhat contradictory to what is written below.
>

The URL you cite is NSA's cancellation of Fortezza 2.0 in August 1997. NSA
explains fairly clearly in the document that Fortezza 2.0 was to have been
an overarching security architecture that they hoped would be widely
adopted, and why they chose to abandon that effort. There is no suggestion
that NSA is abandoning the existing Fortezza program.

I can't see any contradiction, unless perhaps you are confusing Fortezza
2.0 and Fortezza Plus.  The latter is apparently the classic Fortezza card
with the addition of "Type 1" algorithms (i.e. the good stuff) and works
with existing Fortezza applications. (If I recall correctly, there there
were some minor modifications to support longer keys etc.)

Arnold Reinhold

>"Arnold G. Reinhold" wrote:
>
>> At 8:17 AM -0500 3/25/99, Roberts Teddy wrote:
>> >Does anyone know what the current ((March 99) status of fortezza
>> >encryption?  The NSA waiver for using this card to protect classified
>> >data over unclassifed networks has expired.  Does this mean that
>> >Fortezza no longer provides "adequate" protection for sensitive data?
>> >Or...how strong is fortezza now?
>> >
>> >  Are there any other cards presently out there that are sanctioned for
>> >use to protect classified data over unclassified networks?
>> >
>>
>> From NSA's home page: http://www.nsa.gov:8080/programs/missi/frt+.html
>>
>> >FORTEZZA® Plus (KOV-14)
>> ...
>> >
>> >FORTEZZA Plus is an evolutionary member of the FORTEZZA PC card family,
>> >providing additional security
>> >capabilities. The Government algorithms employed in the FORTEZZA Plus card
>> >can provide security services to
>> >protect information of any classification level, although system security
>> >capabilities depend on many other
>> >components. The FORTEZZA Plus algorithm set maintains backward
>> >interoperability with the FORTEZZA Sensitive
>> >But Unclassified (SBU) security services.
>>
>> See also Mykotronx's Fortezza Plus page:
>> http://www.rnbo.com/MYKOWEB/fzplcard.htm
>> The performance numbers are interesting.
>>
>> Arnold Reinhold
>
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>Attachment converted: Arnold's 6500:stevemcgee.vcf 2 (TEXT/ttxt) (0003482D)

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