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SAVILLE

Classified National Security Agency Type 1 encryption algorithm

SAVILLE is a classified NSA Type 1 encryption algorithm, developed in the late 1960s, jointly by the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) in the UK and the National Security Agency (NSA) in the US. It is used broadly, often for voice encryption, and implemented in many encryption devices.

Little is known publicly about the algorithm itself due to its classified nature and inclusion in the NSA's Suite A. Some documentation related to the KYK-13 fill device and statements made by military officials confirm that SAVILLE has a 128-bit key, which consists of 120 key bits and an 8-bit checksum. Furthermore, it is known that SAVILLE has two modes of operation: Autonomous Mode (also known as Key-Auto-KEY or KAK) and Autoclave Mode (also known as Cipher-Text Auto Key or CTAK). On the AIM microchip, it runs at 4% of the clock rate (compare DES at 76% and BATON at 129%). The Cypris chip mentions two modes; specifications for Windster and Indictor specify that they provide Saville I.

Some devices and protocols that implement SAVILLE:

Watch videos about SAVILLEExplainers and documentaries on YouTube (opens in a new tab)

Sources and credits

This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article SAVILLE, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.

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