Yes, the one-time pad. However, I wondered if Smith
was hinting at another cipher(s) not yet publicized,
perhaps computational -- or more exotic technology
such as quantum, DNA, ultra-spectral and beyond.
The workshop's purpose was to discuss what security
standards might be established to assure industry
of adequate protection. The unspoken question was
what the USG could do to help industry without making
its own intelligence-gathering and law enforcement
more difficult and its information security means and
methods more vulnerable.
That Smith downplayed the weakness of DES is odd.
Surely he knows of the DES cracks and Cracker. Still,
crackable systems help governments covert.
Are there clues of covert cryptanalysis in Smith's table
of the strength of selected algorithms:
http://csrc.nist.gov/csspab/june13-15/Smith.pdf
-------------------------------------------------
Metric DES 3 DES SKIPJACK
Key 56 112 80
Attack 1.37x10^11 1.25x10^28 2.56x10^18
Time
A Steps 2^56 2^112 2^80
Rounds 16 48 32
Strength CS CS CS
-------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------------------------
Metric RC5 RSA
Key 64 1024
Attack 3.61x10^13 2.40x10^17
Time
A Steps 2^56 Factoring
Rounds 16 N/A
Strength CCS CCS
-------------------------------------------------
Note correction of previously cited examples: SKIPJACK
is in the CS category, and RC5 should have been in CCS.
