What's anyone know about Teledyne Electronic Technologies?

Teledyne (TET) is out marketing a "new" crypto system as a competitor 
against DES and what TET calls "linear" cryptosystems.  They are claiming 
a non-linear approach in which (as best I can tell) they are permuting 
the s-boxes and using 4 bit/16 entry substitution tables.

They are also asserting that these "key generated substitution tables and 
inter-round permutations" are supported by "nonlinear orthomorphic 
mappings generated from arbitrary key" (and that this is patented) and 
"row-complete Latin Squares generated from an arbitrary key" (and that 
this is also patented).

The claimed benefits include being invulnerable to differential and 
"linear" cryptanalysis, no linear key/data interaction to hide, that this 
results in the tables and permutations being "transient/secret," and that 
fewer rounds are needed (fewer than what, I don't know) to attain 
"resistance to cryptanalysis."

If there's any c'punks who'd care to comment on these notions, I'd very 
much appreciate the feedback.  Also, if anyone's actually seen the 
algorithm, reviewed it, or knows of published material about these 
techniques, I'd also appreciate seeing those posted.  Of course, any 
feedback from existing customers of TET would also be great.

Thanks!

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Mark Aldrich writes:
> Teledyne (TET) is out marketing a "new" crypto system as a competitor 
> against DES and what TET calls "linear" cryptosystems. They are claiming 
> a non-linear approach in which (as best I can tell) they are permuting 
> the s-boxes and using 4 bit/16 entry substitution tables.
>
> They are also asserting that these "key generated substitution tables and 
> inter-round permutations" are supported by "nonlinear orthomorphic 
> mappings generated from arbitrary key" (and that this is patented) and 
> "row-complete Latin Squares generated from an arbitrary key" (and that 
> this is also patented).

Lothrop Mittenthal, who is Senior Cryptologist at TET, gave a sparsely-
attended talk about some or all of this stuff at the RSA conference in
January. The title was "Statistically Efficient Inter-round Mixing in Block
Substitution Devices". I came in late and was ill-prepared to evaluate much
of what he was presenting, so I can't offer any useful technical opinion.

Copies of his transparencies are in the RSADSC proceedings, so you might try
to borrow someone's copy, or I suppose someone could scan `em and mail you
a copy. He didn't give an email address AFAIK, but according to the
proceedings his phone is (in the PST zone) (805) 498-3621 ext. 5005

Lots of cypherpunks were wandering around there, so maybe someone else heard
the whole seminar and can comment. (CME ?)

-Lewis		"You've got no secrets to conceal. How does it feel ?" (Dylan)