Crypt algorithm status.. one more time

[ruth]

I am posting in response to your message concerning UNIX compatible versions
of Crypt.  MKS advertises the MKS version of the Enigma and DES crypt
command in several MKS products (MKS Toolkit, MKS Vi, MKS Trilogy).

At MKS we make this claim of UNIX compatibility without the need of
UNIX licensing because we have created this software
entirely by ourselves working from first principles.
We found a useful source of information is the Bell Labs Tech. Journal
vol 63, no 8, part 2, which is entitled "File Security and
the UNIX Crypt Command" by Reeds and Weinberger.  This article
served as a starting point for our efforts.  MKS had to do
considerable tuning of parameters until the development team established
the exact values for some of the tables.

MKS has implemented two levels of compatibility in crypt:
1) the MKS Toolkit commands login and passwd use encrypted passwords (and
   in fact the whole /etc/passwd) that is compatible with crypt(3)
2) The MKS Toolkit (and other products) crypt command has both UNIX
   crypt(1) command rotor machine compatibility and industry standard
   DES encryption.

Ruth Songhurst
Vice President Business Services 
Mortice Kern Systems Inc.

(519) 884-2251