Cryptography transforms data into a form which is useless to anyone but authorized recipients; it also authenticates data so that false or misleading information cannot be injected into a communications system by illegitimate senders. Recent commercial activity has been spurred by the widespread use of electronic communications, the growing concern over individual privacy, the need to protect financial communications, and new technology that makes communications security affordable. The reduced cost for cryptography systems has resulted from the Data Encryption Standard (DES) that is coming into widespread use. Another technology, likely to supplant the DES, consists of public key cryptosystems which secure communications without any prior secure exchange and which provide a genuine digital electronic replacement for the pen-and-ink signature. Predicted users of cryptography include the banking and financial communities; large industry; Federal, State and local governments; and common carriers and service bureaus in the data communications field. International Business Machines Corporation and Motorola are currently offering DES-based products with key generation, distribution, and loading features.