About Blowfish Encryption
Blowfish is a symmetric-key block cipher designed by Bruce Schneier in 1993. It has a 64-bit
block size and a variable key length from 32 bits up to 448 bits.
- Blowfish is known for its exceptional speed and effectiveness.
- It's a 16-round Feistel cipher and uses large key-dependent S-boxes.
- The algorithm is in the public domain, making it freely available for anyone to use.
- Blowfish is notable for its slow key setup time, which is a security feature that helps
protect against brute force attacks.
Key Features:
- Variable Key Length: Blowfish supports key sizes from 32 bits to 448
bits, making it flexible for different security requirements.
- Simple Structure: The algorithm consists of only a few simple
operations, making it easy to implement.
- Security: Despite its age, Blowfish has withstood years of
cryptanalysis and is still considered secure for most applications.
- Performance: Blowfish is optimized for 32-bit processors and is
significantly faster than DES.
Note: While Blowfish is still secure, for new applications, Bruce Schneier
(the creator of Blowfish) recommends using the Twofish algorithm instead, which was designed
as a successor to Blowfish.