Modular arithmetic – Used to define a finite field – a = b mod n means that if a and b are divided by n they produce the same remainder – a*b mod n can result in 0 even if a and b are not 0
Originally designed to be efficient in hardware . A LOT of money has been invested in hardware. although DES standard is public there was considerable controversy over design – in choice of 56-bit key (vs Lucifer 128-bit) – and because design criteria were classified