> Arnold G. Reinhold[SMTP:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] wrote: > > It's worth remembering that the original WEP used 40 bit keys. For > some time, RC4 with 40 bit keys was the only crypto system that could > be exported without a license. It's hard for me to believe that > export concerns were not the primary factor in the initial choice of > RC4. > > Arnold Reinhold > > If I recall correctly (dee3: Can you help?) WEP is actually derived from the encryption system used in the Apple Mobile Messaging System, a PCMCIA paging card made for the Newton in the mid-90s. This used 40 bit RC4.
Though only a few years have passed, it's difficult to remember now what an encumberance the ITAR export regulations were. Essentially, there was a (very short) list of ciphers and modes you could export. 40-bit RC4 was relatively easy to export. Anything better,or anything which had not been already approved by the NSA, faced a bureaucratic nightmare and huge delays if it was approved at all. Peter Trei --------------------------------------------------------------------- The Cryptography Mailing List Unsubscribe by sending "unsubscribe cryptography" to [EMAIL PROTECTED]