From: Chris McDonald STEWS-IM-CM-S (1/28/93)
To: orvis%llnl.gov@wsmr-simtel20.ar, 

Mail*Link¨ SMTP               Product Test 421
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                                                                          PT-42
								   October 1991
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1.  Product Description:  Crypt Master is a file encryption utility program.
It contains an implementation of the Rivest-Shamir-Adleman (RSA) Public-Key
Cryptosystem with the NIST Data Encryption Standard (DES).  This product test
addresses version 3.20.

2.  Product Acquisition:  The program is available from Information Security
Corporation, 1141 Lake Cook Road, Suite D, Deerfield, IL 60015.  The telephone
number is 708-405-0500.

3.  Product Tester:  Chris Mc Donald, Computer Systems Analyst, Directorate of
Information Management, White Sands Missile Range, NM 88002-5030, DSN:  258-
7548, DDN:  cmcdonal@wsmr-emh03.army.mil or cmcdonald@wsmr-simtel20.army.mil.

4.  Product Test:

    a.  I sent in a reader's service card from a trade publication, and
received
an inquiry from an Information Security Corporation representative as to
whether I would like an evaluation copy of Crypt Master.  Subsequent telephone
conversations resulted in my preparing and forwarding to Information Security
Corporation a formal request for an evaluation copy.  My request stated that I
was a representative of a U.S. government activity and that I agreed to observe
all patent rights under U.S. patent No. 4,405,829 (RSA Public Key
Cryptosystem).

    b.  Product tests occurred on the following system:  Unisys PC, Model 3137,
MS-DOS 3.10, 512K.  Program documentation states that Crypt Master (CM) can be
run on any IBM PC/XT/AT, PS/2, or compatible equipped with a 256K random access
memory, one double-sided/double-density (360KB) disk drive, an 80 column
display (color or monochrome), and MS-DOS/PC-DOS version 3.0 or higher.

    c.  The program arrived on a single 5 1/4" disk with no write-protect tab 
or copy protect scheme.  There was also a very detailed User's Guide which
contained clear instructions on installation.   The last step in the
installation process was a built-in integrity check in which CM tested "itself
for signs of tampering or virus infection", then checked "the DES and RSA
modules".  I completed installation without any difficulties, and received
confirmation on the screen that the program integrity had been verified.

    d.  Chapter 2 in the User's Guide presented a tutorial on CM's basic
functions.  Since I was previously unfamiliar with RSA implementations, I chose
the tutorial which introduces the reader to the encryption/decryption functions
of CM's menu-driven interface.  Public-key cryptosystems are cipher systems in
which corresponding encryption and decryption keys are related but distinct.
Anyone may possess the public key needed to encrypt a message intended for a
particular recipient, but only that recipient need possess the secret key
required for decryption.  The tutorial directs the user to Appendix B for an
explanation of how CM combines RSA and DES.  

    e.  One starts CM by the command "cmm".  This brings up the main menu which
has four selections:

        (1)  Encrypt Files

	(2)  Decrypt Files

	(3)  Utilities Menu

	(4)  Return to DOS

One uses arrow keys with the Enter key, or the first letter of a selection to
invoke an operation.  The ESC key will backup to the previous menu screen, and
can be used to exit the program.

    f.  When one selects Encrypt Files, there are three required fields in the
dialog box:  a public key filename, a user name, and an input file.  There is 
an optional output field.  One moves forwards and backwards with the Tab and
Shift-Tab keys respectively.  When one has satisfactorily completed the
required fields, one presses the F10 key or selects the OK button to begin the
encryption process.  The menu-driven interface automatically invokes the CM
core program <CM.EXE).  The convention for naming the output file is for
ciphertext output to be collected in an encrypted archive in the current DOS
directory and to be assigned a filename matching that of the input file but
with an extension of .CM.  For example, in the tutorial the user encrypts a
file named SAMPLE.TXT which becomes SAMPLE.CM in its encrypted form.

    g.  When one selects Decrypt Files, the Decryption dialog box is very
similar.  There are only two required fields:  a password and an input file.
There is again an optional output field.  One has three chances to enter the
correct password, otherwise the program aborts.  When one enters the correct
password, the input file is decrypted and its original filename, length, date
and time stamps are automatically restored.  

    h.  The default is for CM to encrypt an input file, but not to remove the
original plaintext file.  If one wishes to remove the plaintext file, one may
select the Utilities Menu.  The option to sanitize the file is Zap Files.  The
User's Guide indicates that one may automatically "zap" a file after encryption
by toggling on "Zap source files" in the Encryption Options More dialog box.  
Zapping is a file erasure utility which claims to conform to "DoD
specifications for the complete eradication of data from magnetic media".  I
used both the default and the automatic option while in the tutorial without 
any difficulties.  

    i.  Upon completion of the tutorial I created a new code using the Generate
a Code option in the Utilities Menu.  With this new code I performed encryption
and decryption operations on four different files.  The default is for CM to
perform data compression during an encryption operation.  These compression
results were obtained during the test:

	Original File Size (Bytes)      Encrypted File Size (Bytes)

	      29,770                           12,175
	      54,319                           22,462
	      78,440                           33,173
	     220,156                          106,384

				       2

    j.  All operations were successful and performed as described in the
documentation.  I attempted using Norton Utilities, Version 6.0, to search for
keys in encrypted files, and to retrieve zapped files.  These attempts were
unsuccessful.  While I am not technically qualified to evaluate the actual
effectiveness of the RSA/DES implementations, encrypted files were impossible
to read.

    k.  I contacted a representative of the National Institute of Standards
and Technology to determine if NIST had performed an evaluation of the product
under the policy of Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) 46-1.  I was
advised that no evaluations of software implementations existed, at least
as of early August 1991.  When I discussed this fact with the CM vendor
representative, he seemed to believe that NIST would eventually test the
program upon the adoption of FIPS 140-1, Security Requirements for
Cryptographic Modules.  This FIPS proposes to cover "implementations of
cryptographic modules including, but not limited to, electronic components or
modules, computer software programs or modules, computer firmware, or any
combination thereof".

5.  Product Advantages:

    a.  The product appears to function as documented.  Crypt Master combines
the security of DES with the ease of management afforded by the RSA public key
cryptosystem.  The hybrid cipher offers an extremely interesting solution to
software encryption.

    b.  The User's Guide is extremely well-done.  The tutorial gives a user a
basic introduction to encryption/decryption operations.  There is an entire
chapter on alternate interfaces, to include WordPerfect 5.1, Procomm Plus and
Crosstalk Mk.4.  Appendix A is an excellent introduction for the novice to
public-key cryptography.  Appendix B addresses the concerns of the more
experienced user who requires a more technical reference on the hybrid cipher.

    c.  The vendor has also ported the product to Sun workstations and to 
AT&T's 3B2/3B5 family.  Work is under way for A/UX and Mac OS ports.

6.  Product Disadvantages:

    a.  Federal agencies must obtain a waiver to utilize software
implementations of the DES algorithm under FIPS 46-1.  If an agency proposes to
use an algorithm other than DES, a waiver similarly is necessary.  Crypt Master
would fall under both caveats since it is a software hybrid of RSA and DES.

    b.  The proposed FIPS 140-1 would establish rather stringent requirements
for cryptographic modules.  It is unclear to me whether Crypt Master will meet
the standard.  If it does not, then a "senior official designated pursuant to
section 3506(b) of Title 44, U.S. Code" may grant a waiver.  The interesting
item is that a notice of each waiver must be sent to NIST, to the Committee on
Government Operations of the House of Representatives, and to the Committee on
Government Affairs of the Senate.  The notice of waiver will also be published
in the Federal Register.

				       3

    c.  If one loses or destroys the pubkeys file, which contains a user's
public key, the User's Guide warns that one cannot reconstruct the file.  This
occurs because the public key is "constructed using a randomly chosen prime
number (derived from a random sequence of keystrokes typed by the user)".  
Thus, one is advised to have at least two backup copies of the pubkeys file.  

7.  Comments:

    The subjects of DES and RSA have been controversial for years.  The
strengths and weaknesses of both are regularly debated.  For those who question
the merits of DES, I strongly recommend Dr. Dorothy Denning's distinguished
lecture entitled "The Data Encryption Standard:  Fifteen Years of Public
Scrutiny".  The lecture can be found in the proceedings of the Sixth Annual
Computer Security Applications Conference, December 3-7, 1990.  The IEEE
Computer Society Press catalog number is 90TH0351-7.

    The International Association for Cryptologic Research (IACR) and its
European counterpart (EUROCRYPT) have sponsored several conferences at which
DES and RSA research results have been presented.  Both the Association of
Computing Machinery (ACM) and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics
Engineers (IEEE) have published articles and reports on both subjects.

    Appendix B in the User's Guide is essential in understanding how Crypt
Master combines DES and RSA.  I have the impression that the combination of the
two results in an even stronger cryptosystem.  An independent evaluation of the
product by NIST, NSA or by some other testing agency would perhaps confirm or
refute this impression.  



















[The opinions expressed in this evaluation are those of the author, and should
not be taken as representing official Department of Army positions or a
commercial endorsement.]




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From: Chris McDonald STEWS-IM-CM-S <cmcdonal@wsmr-emh03.army.MIL>
Subject: Product Test 421
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