Re: NIST publishes new DSA draft

[Jon Callas <[e-mail]>]

> note that 3-DES is now referred to as TDEA
> should this perhaps be included in rfc 2440 when 3-DES is
> mentioned?
> i.e.
> when 3-DES is first mentioned,
> it should be referred to as 3-DES(also known as TDEA)

They're not the same. There is DES and DEA, just as there is DSA and  
DSS. In each pair, there is an Algorithm and a Standard. The standard  
is the algorithm plus other stuff. In the case of DES, it specifies  
that the low bit of each byte (excuse me, octet) of the key is a  
parity bit (and possibly other stuff I don't remember). Everyone uses  
DES, not DEA. What we use is 3DES, not TDEA. In the case of DSS, we  
*do* mean DSA because there were people who wanted (for example) to  
use RIPE-MD/160 with DSA, not SHA-1, as DSS.

I suppose we could call it "TDES," but it's been called "3DES" or  
"Triple-DES" for ages. If all of a sudden we start calling it TDES,  
there will be many people who will rightly mutter, "TDES? What the % 
$@! is TDES? Oh, *3DES*, why didn't you say so?"

	Jon