Newsgroups: sci.crypt
Path: msuinfo!news
From: riordanmr@clvax1.cl.msu.edu (Mark Riordan)
Subject: Field Elliptical Encryption
Message-ID: <1992Jan29.003819.26360@msuinfo.cl.msu.edu>
Sender: news@msuinfo.cl.msu.edu
Organization: Michigan State University
Date: Wed, 29 Jan 92 00:38:19 GMT
Newsreader: MS Windows WinVN

I just got back from NeXTWORLD Expo, where Steve Jobs announced
NeXTStep 3.0, the new OS (due in June 92) for NeXT computers.

One feature that made it into Jobs' keynote address was a new public
key encryption algorithm, an implementation of which will be bundled 
with NeXTStep 3.0.  Steve called it "Field Elliptical Encryption".
He said "one of our scientists invented a public key cipher".  Certainly
I've never heard of FEE before, but maybe some of you can recognize
the algorithm from its name.  Steve said they "shared their work with
the US Government" and that "the government" is evaluating it for use
(if I got this right) as some kind of standard.  I don't know if "the government"
is NIST, or what.  

The program bundled with the NeXT can encrypt files or mail messages.
Jobs demoed decrypting a mail message--a large icon of a lock appeared
on the screen; when the message was decrypted after a few seconds, the 
lock opened with a satisfying "click".  Presumably Jobs considered
this new public key cipher as significant, as many other interesting
aspects of the new OS version weren't even mentioned in the keynote
address, let alone demoed.  But very little mention was made of it
elsewhere in the sessions at the Expo.  

In a later, informal talk, a someone related that NeXT approached
RSA Data Security to license RSA.  However, RSADSI's fees were too high,
so NeXT went off and invented their own.  (More easily said than done, eh?)

My questions are:

1.  What is Field Elliptical Encryption? 

2.   Was it really invented by NeXT?
How come no one else seems to be talking about this?

3.  Will this lead to a showdown with RSA Data Security/Public Key Partners?
There have been statements in this forum to the effect that RSADSI believes 
they have patents on the very concept of public key encryption.

Mark Riordan   riordanmr@clvax1.cl.msu.edu
