NAME¶
RC4_set_key, RC4 - RC4 encryption
SYNOPSIS¶
#include <openssl/rc4.h>
void RC4_set_key(RC4_KEY *key, int len, const unsigned char *data);
void RC4(RC4_KEY *key, unsigned long len, const unsigned char *indata,
unsigned char *outdata);
DESCRIPTION¶
This library implements the Alleged RC4 cipher, which is described for example
in
Applied Cryptography. It is believed to be compatible with RC4[TM],
a proprietary cipher of RSA Security Inc.
RC4 is a stream cipher with variable key length. Typically, 128 bit (16 byte)
keys are used for strong encryption, but shorter insecure key sizes have been
widely used due to export restrictions.
RC4 consists of a key setup phase and the actual encryption or decryption phase.
RC4_set_key() sets up the
RC4_KEY key using the
len
bytes long key at
data.
RC4() encrypts or decrypts the
len bytes of data at
indata
using
key and places the result at
outdata. Repeated
RC4() calls with the same
key yield a continuous key stream.
Since RC4 is a stream cipher (the input is XORed with a pseudo-random key stream
to produce the output), decryption uses the same function calls as encryption.
Applications should use the higher level functions
EVP_EncryptInit(3)
etc. instead of calling the RC4 functions directly.
RETURN VALUES¶
RC4_set_key() and
RC4() do not return values.
NOTE¶
Certain conditions have to be observed to securely use stream ciphers. It is not
permissible to perform multiple encryptions using the same key stream.
SEE ALSO¶
blowfish(3),
des(3),
rc2(3)
HISTORY¶
RC4_set_key() and
RC4() are available in all versions of SSLeay
and OpenSSL.