IP: Secnet11 an 802.11b clone with Type 1 crypto

[Dave Farber <dave () farber net>]

------ Forwarded Message
From: "Arnold G. Reinhold" <reinhold () world std com>
Date: Wed, 5 Jun 2002 21:15:13 -0400
To: cryptography () wasabisystems com
Subject: Secnet11 an 802.11b clone with Type 1 crypto

Harris Corporation is about to release its wireless LAN PCcard card
based on IEEE-802.11b (WiFi) technology, but using NSA approved Type
1 (ok for classified data) encryption. Harris has a web site for the
product at http://www.secnet11.com with a spec sheet and a briefing.
Some highlights:

o The card sticks out of the computer with two antennae poking up.

o It uses an NSA encryption algorithm called BATON (from various
stuff on the Web, I get the impression that BATTON is a 64-bit block
cipher with 128-bit keys that is designed for very fast operation)

o the message address is encrypted to prevent traffic analysis (this
is a big selling point vs VPN technology, tho I suspect an adversary
could learn quite a bit about a wireless net using a sniffer and one
or more directional antennae to count how many packets come from each
direction)

o Each packet has an 80-bit IV (it's rare to learn even that much
about a Type 1 encryption system)

o Cards cost $2770 each. That's 30X commercial WiFi card, but cheaper
than traditional NSA encryption data products which seem to run
around $5K per node.

o "Red keys" are loaded via a special cable that connects to a data
transfer device such as the CYZ-10.

o Harris is taking orders for August delivery.

It would seem that a commercial product using AES instead of BATON
(and at a more reasonable price) would be of some value.

Arnold Reinhold



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