A fill device or key loader is a module used to load cryptographic keys into electronic

encryption In cryptography, encryption is the process of encoding information. This process converts the original representation of the information, known as plaintext, into an alternative form known as ciphertext. Ideally, only authorized parties can dec ...

machines. Fill devices are usually hand held and electronic ones are battery operated. Older mechanical encryption systems, such as

rotor machine In cryptography, a rotor machine is an electro-mechanical stream cipher device used for encrypting and decrypting messages. Rotor machines were the cryptographic state-of-the-art for much of the 20th century; they were in widespread use in the 1 ...

s, were keyed by setting the positions of wheels and plugs from a printed keying list. Electronic systems required some way to load the necessary cryptovariable data. In the 1950s and 1960s, systems such as the U.S.

National Security Agency The National Security Agency (NSA) is a national-level intelligence agency of the United States Department of Defense, under the authority of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI). The NSA is responsible for global monitoring, collectio ...

KW-26 and the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

's Fialka used

punched card A punched card (also punch card or punched-card) is a piece of stiff paper that holds digital data represented by the presence or absence of holes in predefined positions. Punched cards were once common in data processing applications or to di ...

s for this purpose. Later

NSA encryption systems The National Security Agency took over responsibility for all U.S. Government encryption systems when it was formed in 1952. The technical details of most NSA-approved systems are still classified, but much more about its early systems have become ...

incorporated a

serial port In computing, a serial port is a serial communication interface through which information transfers in or out sequentially one bit at a time. This is in contrast to a parallel port, which communicates multiple bits simultaneously in paralle ...

fill connector and developed several common fill devices (CFDs) that could be used with multiple systems. A CFD was plugged in when new keys were to be loaded. Newer NSA systems allow "

over the air rekeying Over-the-air rekeying (OTAR) refers to transmitting or updating encryption keys (rekeying) in secure information systems by conveying the keys via encrypted electronic communication channels ("over the air"). It is also referred to as over-the-a ...

" (OTAR), but a master key often must still be loaded using a fill device. NSA uses two serial protocols for key fill, DS-101 and DS-102. Both employ the same

U-229 The U-229 is a cable connector currently used by the U.S. military for audio connections to field radios, typically for connecting a handset. There are five-pin and six-pin versions, the sixth pin version using the extra pin to power accessories ...

6-pin connector type used for U.S. military audio

handset A handset is a component of a telephone that a user holds to the ear and mouth to receive audio through the receiver and speak to the remote party using the built-in transmitter. In earlier telephones, the transmitter was mounted directly on ...

s, with the DS-101 being the newer of the two serial fill protocols. The DS-101 protocol can also be used to load cryptographic algorithms and software updates for crypto modules. Besides encryption devices, systems that can require key fill include

IFF In logic and related fields such as mathematics and philosophy, "if and only if" (shortened as "iff") is a biconditional logical connective between statements, where either both statements are true or both are false. The connective is bicondi ...

, GPS and frequency hopping radios such as Have Quick and SINCGARS. Common fill devices employed by NSA include: *KYK-28 pin gun used with the

NESTOR (encryption) NESTOR was a family of compatible, tactical, wideband secure voice systems developed by the U.S. National Security Agency and widely deployed during the Vietnam War through the late Cold War period of the 1980s. NESTOR consists of three syst ...

system *

KYK-13 The KYK-13 Electronic Transfer Device is a common fill device designed by the United States National Security Agency for the transfer and loading of cryptographic keys with their corresponding check word. The KYK-13 is battery powered and uses t ...

Electronic Transfer Device *KYX-15 Net Control Device *MX-10579 ECCM Fill Device ( SINCGARS) *KOI-18

paper tape Five- and eight-hole punched paper tape Paper tape reader on the Harwell computer with a small piece of five-hole tape connected in a circle – creating a physical program loop Punched tape or perforated paper tape is a form of data storage ...

reader. Can read 8-level paper or PET tape, which is manually pulled through the reader slot by the operator. It is battery powered and has no internal storage, so it can load keys of different lengths, including the 128-bit keys used by more modern systems. The KOI-18 can also be used to load keys into other fill devices that do have internal storage, such as the

and AN/CYZ-10. The KOI-18 only supports the DS-102 interface. *AN/CYZ-10 Data Transfer Device (DTD) - a small PDA-like unit that can store up to 1000 keys, maintains an automatic internal audit trail of all security-relevant events that can be uploaded to the LMD/KP, encrypts key for storage, and is programmable. It is capable of keying multiple information systems security (

INFOSEC Information security, sometimes shortened to InfoSec, is the practice of protecting information by mitigating information risks. It is part of information risk management. It typically involves preventing or reducing the probability of unauthori ...

) devices and is compatible with such COMSEC equipment as SINCGARS radios, KY-57 VINSON, KG-84, and others that are keyed by common fill devices (CFDs). The AN/CYZ-10 supports both the DS-101 and DS-102 interfaces. It was developed in the early 1990s, weighs about 4 lb (1.8 kg), and was designed to be fully compatible with future INFOSEC equipment meeting DS-101 signaling and benign fill standards. It will eventually replace the legacy family of CFDs, including the

, KYX-15 electronic storage devices, and the KOI-18

reader. Only the DTD and the KOI-18 support newer, 128-bit keys. *

Secure DTD2000 System A fill device or key loader is a module used to load cryptographic keys into electronic encryption machines. Fill devices are usually hand held and electronic ones are battery operated. Older mechanical encryption systems, such as rotor machin ...

(SDS) - Named KIK-20, this was the next generation common fill device replacement for the DTD when it started production in 2006. It employs the

Windows CE Windows Embedded Compact, formerly Windows Embedded CE, Windows Powered and Windows CE, is an operating system subfamily developed by Microsoft as part of its Windows Embedded family of products. Unlike Windows Embedded Standard, which is ba ...

operating system. *

AN/PYQ-10 The AN/PYQ-10 Simple Key Loader (SKL) is a ruggedized, portable, hand-held fill device, for securely receiving, storing, and transferring data between compatible cryptographic and communications equipment. The SKL was designed and built by Ralph ...

Simple Key Loader (SKL) - a simpler replacement for the DTD. * KSD-64 Crypto ignition key (CIK) *

KIK-30 The KIK-30 "Really Simple Key loader" (RASKL) is a fill device made by Sypris Electronics and approved by the US National Security Agency for the distribution of NSA Type 1 cryptographic keys. It can also store and transfer related communications ...

, a more recent fill device, is trademarked as the "Really Simple Key Loader" (RASKL) with "single button key-squirt." It supports a wide variety of devices and keys. The older KYK-13, KYX-15 and MX-10579 are limited to certain key types.

References

External links

Fill devices
{{commonscat, Fill devices in the National Cryptologic Museum Key management Encryption device accessories National Security Agency encryption devices

See also

References

External links