Blowfish
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Blowfish



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DEFINITION - Blowfish is an encryption algorithm that can be used as a replacement for the DES or IDEA algorithms. It is a symmetric (that is, a secret or private key) block cipher that uses a variable-length key, from 32 bits to 448 bits, making it useful for both domestic and exportable use. (The U. S. government forbids the exportation of encryption software using keys larger than 40 bits except in special cases.) Blowfish was designed in 1993 by Bruce Schneier as an alternative to existing encryption algorithms. Designed with 32-bit instruction processors in mind, it is significantly faster than DES. Since its origin, it has been analyzed considerably. Blowfish is unpatented, license-free, and available free for all uses.

CONTRIBUTORS: Orion Pronk
LAST UPDATED: 20 Apr 2005

Read more about Blowfish:
- There is a special page on The Blowfish Encryption Algorithm .
- RSA has an excellent FAQ on Cryptography that mentions Blowfish among several alternatives to DES.
- Go to SearchSecurity.com for security-specific information on Blowfish.


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