Triple DES - Name of The Algorithm

Name of The Algorithm

The earliest standard that defines the algorithm (ANS X9.52, published in 1998) describes it as the "Triple Data Encryption Algorithm (TDEA)" — i.e. three operations of the Data Encryption Algorithm specified in ANSI X3.92 — and does not use the terms "Triple DES" or "DES" at all. FIPS PUB 46-3 (1999) defines the "Triple Data Encryption Algorithm (TDEA)", but also uses the terms "DES" and "Triple DES". It uses the terms "Data Encryption Algorithm" and "DES" interchangeably, including starting the specification with:

The Data Encryption Standard (DES) shall consist of the following Data Encryption Algorithm (DES) and Triple Data Encryption Algorithm (TDEA, as described in ANSI X9.52).

NIST SP 800-67 (2004, 2008, 2012) primarily uses the term TDEA, but also refers to "Triple DES (TDEA)". ISO/IEC 18033-3 (2005) uses "TDEA", but mentions that:

The TDEA is commonly known as Triple DES (Data Encryption Standard).

None of the standards that define the algorithm use the term "3DES".

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