21 September 1997
Source: Mail list cypherpunks@toad.com

To: cypherpunks@toad.com
Date: Sun, 21 Sep 1997 23:45:08 +0200 (MET DST)
From: Anonymous <nobody@REPLAY.COM>
Subject: Fwd: Re: Quor's cypher

This is a really nifty encryption program.  It runs about half the speed
of rc4, but seems much more secure.


--- Forwarded Message:

From: quor@nym.alias.net
Subject: Re: tell me what you think of this...

[snip]

---

/* Stream ciphers are often used because of their speed and simplicity of
implementation despite their inherent weakness against known-plaintext,
ciphertext-modification, and key-reuse attacks.  The algorithm described
below provides a more secure alternative for encrypting data eight bits
at a time, which, while maintaining a simple self-inverting architecture,
provides resistance to the aforementioned attacks, and features a large
keyspace, small code size, back traffic protection, and resistance to
timing attacks and differential cryptanalysis. */


/* Qcypher.c */

#include <stdio.h>

unsigned char a,b,c,state[256];

unsigned char q(unsigned char i)
{
  static unsigned char a0,a1,b0,b1,c1,c2,c3,c4,o,d1,d2,d3,d4;

  a0=state[a];
  a1=state[a0];
  b0=state[b];
  b1=state[b0];
  c1=i^(0xAA&state[(i&0x55)^a]);
  c2=c1^(0x55&state[(c1&0xAA)^b]);
  c3=c2^(a+b)^(a0+b0);
  c4=c3^(0x55&state[(c3&0xAA)^b]);
  o=c4^(0xAA&state[(c4&0x55)^a]);
  d1=i&o;
  d2=i^o;
  d3=c2&c3;
  d4=c2^c3;
  state[c&=255]^=a^d4;
  state[c^0x80]^=b^d4;
  a+=d1+b1+1;
  b^=d2^d3^a1;
  c++;
  return(o);
}

void setkey(unsigned char *key, int len)
{
  int x;
  a=b=c=0;
  for(x=256;x--;state[x]=0);
  for(x=0;x<len;x++) state[x&255]^=key[x];
  for(;len--;*(key++)=0) q(*key);
  for(x=0;x<256;q(x++));
}

void main(int ac,unsigned char **av)
{
  unsigned char byte;

  setkey(av[1],strlen(av[1]));

  while(fread(&byte,1,1,stdin)>0)
    putchar(q(byte));
}