Nonpatented Simple Encryption Algorithm by Peter Gutmann (1992) as implemented in the DarkCrypt Total Commander plugin: 128-bit block, 288-bit key, two-round key-dependent S-box Feistel-like network. DarkCrypt uses only 32 of the 36 key bytes as key material, with the last 4 bytes as an S-box permutation salt.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Category | Block Ciphers |
| Sub-category | Block Cipher |
| Security status | 🎓 Educational Only |
| Complexity | Advanced |
| Inventor | Peter Gutmann; DarkCrypt port by Alexander Myasnikov |
| Year | 1992 |
| Origin | 🌐 International |
| Source | algorithms/block/darkcrypt-nsea.js |
| Parameter | Supported values |
|---|---|
| Key sizes | 36 bytes (288 bits) |
| Block sizes | 16 bytes (128 bits) |
Status: 🎓 Educational Only
| Issue | Description | Mitigation |
|---|---|---|
| Unanalyzed key setup truncation | The DarkCrypt port silently discards 4 of the 36 key bytes (used only as an S-box permutation salt) rather than mixing all key material into the schedule; not independently cryptanalyzed. | Use AES or another vetted cipher. |
3 vectors ship with this algorithm and run in the test suite. Byte values are hexadecimal.
Vector 1 — DarkCrypt Nsea — zero key/plaintext
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
key |
00000000000000000000000000000000 00000000000000000000000000000000 00000000 |
input |
00000000000000000000000000000000 |
expected |
9d6833213a0ba3b4d42f2f6147997c3f |
Vector 2 — DarkCrypt Nsea — incrementing key/plaintext
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
key |
000102030405060708090a0b0c0d0e0f 101112131415161718191a1b1c1d1e1f 20212223 |
input |
000102030405060708090a0b0c0d0e0f |
expected |
77408d242bb7b14433700eb68b0e94a4 |
Vector 3 — DarkCrypt Nsea — shifted incrementing key/plaintext
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
key |
0102030405060708090a0b0c0d0e0f10 1112131415161718191a1b1c1d1e1f20 21222324 |
input |
101112131415161718191a1b1c1d1e1f |
expected |
723203dcc20ed097448a4e3382a33d90 |