Re: Critics blast Windows 2000's quiet use of DES instead of3DES

[Andrew Loewenstern]

David Honig wrote:
> The *only* reason for using DES (or 3DES) is legacy systems, ie, backwards
> interop.  IPSec stacks (like *all* crypto things) should come with, and
> negotiate to use, better crypto when they can.  Which should be most of the
> time, given how new both sides of most links will be.   (Most of the
> computers ever built are alive today..)

This is not true.  DES is the most intensely scrutinized block cipher available
to us.  I would think most security professionals would trust 3DES more than any
of the AES candidates, for instance, which have received much less analysis. 
For now, many people accept the lesser performance of 3DES in exchange for the
reduced risk.  Relatively inexpensive 3DES IPSEC hardware is readily available
which makes performance less of a concern.


andrew