Twofish facts for kids
Twofish is a special way to scramble information, like a secret code, to keep it safe. It's called a symmetric key block cipher. This means it uses the same secret key to both lock (encrypt) and unlock (decrypt) your information. Twofish works with chunks of information that are 128 bits long. It can use secret keys that are up to 256 bits long.
Back in 1997, a group called the NIST held a big contest. They wanted to find a new, super-strong way to protect digital information, to replace an older system called DES. This new system would be called the AES. Twofish was one of the five best systems chosen as finalists in this competition. Even though it was a top choice, another system called Rijndael was picked to become the official AES.
Twofish is related to an older secret code system called Blowfish. Twofish has some cool features. It uses special "mixing" steps that change based on the secret key. It also has a complex way of creating and using its secret codes. Twofish uses a structure similar to the older DES system, which helps it mix up the data very well.
When used on most computers, Twofish can be a little slower than Rijndael (the system chosen for AES) when using shorter 128-bit secret keys. However, it can be faster when using very long 256-bit secret keys.
Who Created Twofish?
Twofish was designed by a team of smart people: Bruce Schneier, John Kelsey, Doug Whiting, David Wagner, Chris Hall, and Niels Ferguson. There was also an "extended Twofish team" that helped study Twofish and other systems in the AES contest. This team included Stefan Lucks, Tadayoshi Kohno, and Mike Stay.
The Twofish system is completely free for anyone to use. It has not been patented, which means no one owns the rights to it. The example software for Twofish has been put into the public domain, like a gift for everyone to use. Even though it's free, Twofish is not as widely used as Blowfish, which has been around for a longer time.
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See also
In Spanish: Twofish para niños
