[Federal Register Volume 70, Number 96 (Thursday, May 19, 2005)]
[Notices]
[Pages 28907-28908]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 05-9945]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Institute of Standards and Technology

[Docket No. 040602169-5002-02]


Announcing Approval of the Withdrawal of Federal Information 
Processing Standard (FIPS) 46-3, Data Encryption Standard (DES); FIPS 
74, Guidelines for Implementing and Using the NBS Data Encryption 
Standard; and FIPS 81, DES Modes of Operation

AGENCY: National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), 
Commerce.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Secretary of Commerce has approved the withdrawal of FIPS 
46-3, Data Encryption Standard (DES); FIPS 74, Guidelines for 
Implementing and Using the NBS Data Encryption Standard; and FIPS 81, 
DES Modes of Operation. These FIPS are withdrawn because FIPS 46-3, 
DES, no longer provides the security that is needed to protect Federal 
government information. FIPS 74 and 81 are associated standards that 
provide for the implementation and operation of the DES. Federal 
government organizations are now encouraged to use FIPS 197, Advanced 
Encryption Standard (AES), which was approved for Federal government 
use in November 2001. FIPS 197 specifies a faster and stronger 
algorithm than the DES for encryption. For some applications, Federal 
government departments and agencies may use the Triple Data Encryption 
Algorithm to provide cryptographic protection for their information. 
This algorithm and its uses have been specified in NIST Special 
Publication 800-67, Recommendations for the Triple Data Encryption 
Algorithm (TDEA) Block Cipher, issued in May 2004. FIPS 197 and SP 800-
67 are available on NIST's Web pages. The content of these withdrawn 
standards will remain available at http://csrc.nist.gov/publications/fips/index.html as reference documents and these three FIPS will be 
listed as withdrawn, rather than current FIPS.

DATES: These standards are withdrawn as of May 19, 2005.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. William Barker (301) 975-8443, 
[email protected], National Institute of Standards and Technology, 100 
Bureau Drive, STOP 8930, Gaithersburg, MD 20899-8930.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: In July 2004, a notice was published in the 
Federal Register proposing the withdrawal of FIPS 46-3, DES; FIPS 74,

[[Page 28908]]

Guidelines for Implementing and Using the NBS Data Encryption Standard; 
and FIPS 81, DES Modes of Operation. The Federal Register notice 
solicited comments from the public, academic and research communities, 
manufacturers, voluntary standards organizations, and Federal, state, 
and local government organizations. In addition to being published in 
the Federal Register, the notice was posted on the NIST Web site.
    Comments and questions were received from thirteen private sector 
organizations or individuals, and two federal government organizations. 
Seven of the submitted comments supported the withdrawal of the DES. 
Five comments recognized the inadequacy of the DES and did not oppose 
the withdrawal, but raised transition issues or suggested that NIST 
keep the specifications available for private sector organizations that 
wish to use them or make provisions for continued use of the DES. One 
industry organization and two individuals opposed the withdrawal of the 
DES, citing the large investments made in DES technology by their 
organizations and others.
    Following is an analysis of the comments dealing with technical and 
transition issues.
    Comment: NIST should consider allowing the continued use of DES 
implementations that only decrypt data, enabling agencies to recover 
the data that they have already encrypted using the DES.
    Response: NIST guidance contained in draft Special Publication 800-
57, Recommendation for Key Management, Part 1 General Guideline, covers 
this situation. SP 800-57 expands on guidance issued in Special 
Publication 800-21, Guideline for Implementing Cryptography in the 
Federal Government, and recommends that agencies re-encrypt information 
that had been encrypted using an algorithm and key size that no longer 
provide adequate protection. Thus, Federal government information that 
has been encrypted with the DES should be re-encrypted using a FIPS-
approved algorithm and an appropriate key size that agencies determine 
will provide adequate security for the information for the remainder of 
its life.
    Comment: NIST should note certain limits that might be reached when 
using two-key Triple DES. The recommended safe default when using two-
key Triple-DES is to re-key before encrypting 2\40\ blocks.
    Response: These specific applications and requirements are outside 
the scope of the recommended action to withdraw FIPS 46-3 and two 
associated standards.
    Comment: NIST should retain the availability of the technique in 
FIPS 74 that specifies the encryption of numeric data into numeric 
data. This technique is used to protect customer data that a bank might 
share with a telemarketing firm.
    Response: NIST will place FIPS 74, Guidelines for Implementing and 
Using the NBS Data Encryption Standard, on NIST's Web page at http://www.itl.nist.gov/fipspubs/ under Withdrawn FIPS. The standard will be 
marked as inadequate for the protection of Federal government 
information.
    Comment: NIST should provide a timetable and a transition strategy 
for the discontinuation of the use of DES implementations. NIST should 
clarify the transition from the use of applied and embedded DES 
products.
    Response: A proposed transition strategy for validating algorithms 
and cryptographic modules has been posted for public comment on NIST's 
Web page at http://csrc.nist.gov/cryptval/ under ``Notices.'' The 
transition plan addresses the use by Federal agencies of DES 
implementations, which are incorporated in cryptographic modules, and 
which have been validated under the Cryptographic Module Validation 
Program. The transition plan allows Federal agencies and vendors to 
make a smooth transition to stronger cryptographic algorithms such as 
AES or Triple-DES.
    Comment: The DES should be retained because it is widely used in 
the market.
    Response: NIST believes that the DES no longer provides adequate 
protection for Federal government information, and therefore recommends 
withdrawal of FIPS 46-3 and associated standards. When FIPS 46-3 was 
reaffirmed in 1999, the standard stated that NIST could no longer 
support the use of single DES for many applications, and that agencies 
with legacy single DES systems should start the transition to Triple 
DES. The specifications for the standards that have been withdrawn will 
be placed on NIST's Web page at http://www.itl.nist.gov/fipspubs/ under 
Withdrawn FIPS. All of the withdrawn standards will be marked as 
inadequate for the protection of Federal government information, but 
will be available to private sector organizations that wish to use 
them.
    Comment: FIPS 46-3 and associated standards are used in the 
commercial world and serve important functions, including use by the 
entertainment industry for real-time broadcast security, to prevent 
unrestricted copying of files, and for the security of digital 
television signals. The standards should be reaffirmed for use by non-
government organizations or made available in electronic form to non-
government organizations that wish to use them.
    Response: The specifications for FIPS 46-3 (DES) and the associated 
standards will be placed on NIST's Web page at http://www.itl.nist.gov/fipspubs/ under Withdrawn FIPS. All of the withdrawn standards will be 
marked as inadequate for the protection of Federal government 
information, but will be available to private sector organizations that 
wish to use them.
    Comment: NIST should issue the Triple-DES as a FIPS and encourage 
implementers to use both the TDES and the Advanced Encryption Standard 
in their products.
    Response: Although both AES and three-key TDES are considered 
adequate for the protection of Federal government information for many 
years, TDES is less efficient and is slightly less secure than AES. In 
order to encourage the use of AES over TDES, AES has been published as 
a Standard (FIPS 197), whereas TDES was published as a NIST 
Recommendation (Special Publication 800-67).
    Therefore, as of the date of this Federal Register notice, FIPS 46-
3, Data Encryption Standard is withdrawn as it no longer provides the 
security that is needed to protect Federal government information. FIPS 
74, Guidelines for Implementing and Using the NBS Encryption Standard 
and FIPS 81, DES Modes of Operation, are also withdrawn, as they are 
associated standards that provide for the implementation and operation 
of the DES.

    Authority: Federal Information Processing Standards Publications 
(FIPS PUBS) are issued by the National Institute of Standards and 
Technology after approval by the Secretary of Commerce pursuant to 
Section 5131 of the Information Technology Management Reform Act of 
1996 and the Federal Information Security Management Act of 2002, 
Public Law 107-347.

    E.O. 12866: This notice has been determined to be significant for 
the purposes of E. O. 12866.

    Dated: May 12, 2005.
Hratch G. Semerjian,
Acting Director, NIST.
[FR Doc. 05-9945 Filed 5-18-05; 8:45 am]
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