About Camellia Encryption
Camellia is a symmetric key block cipher developed jointly by Mitsubishi Electric and NTT of Japan. It was designed to provide high security and performance across a wide range of platforms.
Key Features:
- Block Size: 128 bits
- Key Sizes: 128, 192, or 256 bits
- Structure: Feistel network with 18 rounds (128-bit keys) or 24 rounds (192/256-bit keys)
- Security: Designed to withstand all known cryptanalytic attacks
- Performance: Optimized for both hardware and software implementations
How it Works:
Camellia uses a Feistel structure with additional input/output transformations. The algorithm includes:
- Key scheduling to generate subkeys from the main key
- Initial and final key whitening
- F-functions that use S-boxes and P-functions for confusion and diffusion
- FL and FL⁻¹ functions inserted every 6 rounds to provide non-regularity
Security and Standardization:
Camellia has been evaluated and recommended by several standardization organizations:
- Selected as a recommended cipher by the EU's NESSIE project
- Approved for use in ISO/IEC 18033-3 international standard
- Included in the IETF's TLS (Transport Layer Security) protocol
- Approved for Japanese government use (CRYPTREC)
Note: Camellia offers security comparable to AES while providing an alternative algorithm design. It's particularly popular in Japan and other Asian countries.