KY-57 voice encryptor. Note fill port in center.

A fill device is an electronic module used to load cryptographic keys into electronic encryption machines. Fill devices are usually hand held and battery operated. A key is a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm. ... // In cryptography, encryption is the process of obscuring information to make it unreadable without special knowledge. ...

Older mechanical encryption systems, such as rotor machines, 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 KW-26 and the Soviet Union's Fialka used punch cards for this purpose. Later NSA encryption systems incorporated a serial port 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" (OTAR), but a master key often must still be loaded using a fill device. In cryptography, a rotor machine is a electro-mechanical device used for encrypting and decrypting secret messages. ... The National Security Agency/Central Security Service (NSA/CSS) is the U.S. governments cryptologic organization. ... An array of KW-26s The TSEC/KW-26, code named ROMULUS, was an encryption system used by the U.S. Government and, later, by NATO countries. ... The advanced Russian cipher machine Fialka (M-125) has only recently been made known to the public. ... Punched cards (or Hollerith cards, or IBM cards), are pieces of stiff paper that contain digital information represented by the presence or absence of holes in predefined positions. ... The National Security Agency took over responsibility for all U.S. Government encryption systems when it was formed in 1952. ... A male DE-9 connector used for a serial port on a PC style computer. ... OTAR (Over-The-Air-Rekeying) – is the common name for the method of changing the encryption keys in a two-way radio system over the radio channel or “over the air”. ...

NSA uses two serial protocols for key fill, DS-101 and DS102. Both employ the same U-229 connector type used for U.S. military audio handsets, with the DS101 being the newer of the two serial fill protocols. A transceiver is a device that has a transmitter and receiver which is combined into a one unit. ...

Besides encryption devices, systems that can require key fill include IFF, GPS and frequency hopping radios such as Have Quick and SINCGARS. IFF, Iff or iff can stand for: Interchange File Format - a computer file format introduced by Electronic Arts Identification, friend or foe - a radio based identification system utilizing transponders iff - the mathematics concept if and only if International Flavors and Fragrances - a company producing flavors and fragrances International Freedom Foundation... Over fifty GPS satellites such as this NAVSTAR have been launched since 1978. ... Frequency-hopping spread spectrum (FHSS) is a spread-spectrum method of transmitting signals by rapidly switching a carrier among many frequency channels, using a pseudorandom sequence known to both transmitter and receiver. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... SINCGARS stands for Single Channel Ground and Airborne Radio System. ...

Common fill devices employed by NSA include:

• AN/CYZ-10 Data Transfer Device - a small PDA-like unit that can store up to 1000 keys
• AN/PYQ-10 Simple Key Loader (SKL) - a simpler replacement for the DTD.
• KOI-18 paper tape reader. The operator pulled 8-level tape through this unit by hand.
• KSD-64 Crypto ignition key (CIK)
• KYK-13 Electronic Transfer Device
• KYX-15 Net Control Device
• MX-10579 ECCM Fill Device (SINCGARS)

Only the KSD-64, CYZ-10, PYQ-10 and KOI-13 can handle modern 128-bit keys. Older units are apparently limited to 90-bit keys. A newer fill device, the Secure DTD2000 System (or SDS), which employs the Windows CE operating system, is currently (2006) beginning production.[1] AN/CYZ-10 The AN/CYZ-10, or Data Transfer Device (DTD) is an NSA-developed, portable, hand-held device capable of securely receiving, storing, and transferring data between compatible cryptographic and communications equipment. ... PDA may stand for: Personal digital assistant, a digital device which can include the functionality of a computer, a cellphone, a music player and a camera Pitch detection algorithm, a mathematical method of finding the pitch of a signal Public display of affection, an area of study within social psychology... A roll of punched tape Punched tape is an old-fashioned form of data storage, consisting of a long strip of paper in which holes are punched to store data. ... The KSD-64[A] Crypto Ignition Key (CIK) is an NSA-developed EEPROM chip packed in a plastic case that looks like a toy key. ... SINCGARS stands for Single Channel Ground and Airborne Radio System. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

See also

• List of cryptographic key types

This glossary lists types of keys as the term is used in cryptography, as opposed to door locks. ...

External links

• Fill devices
• KOI-15 pictures