Cryptography and data security overview of panel discussion

Abstract

Cryptography is the science of secret writing. It has been used since the dawn of writing itself to conceal messages from an adversary. Throughout history, the use of cryptography has been largely confined to diplomatic and military communications. But in the last 10 years the tremendous advances in communication technology have created a serious need for cryptographic protection of private sector communications. Electronic funds transfer systems and satellite voice/digital networks are particularly vulnerable to compromise, without the use of cryptography. Recognizing the need for data protection apart from national security concerns, the National Bureau of Standards issued a call for a data encryption algorithm in 1973. During the subsequent discussions and debates, the mathematicians and computer scientists involved realized that cryptography was not an established science in the unclassified literature. They began the task of creating the foundations for this young discipline. In 1977, the NBS published the Data Encryption Standard (DES). Its use is required to protect sensitive governmental information not related to national security. Several national and international standards organizations have also adopted the DES.