System and method for a fast hardware implementation of RC4

摘要

The system and method of the present invention facilitates encrypting and decrypting files using a fast hardware implementation of the RC4 method to enable secure access to information resources in a computer network. The network system includes a sender computer coupled via a computer network to a receiver computer. The RC4 algorithm as implemented in hardware and its associated multiport memory (included within both the sender computer and the receiver computer) enables a fast hardware implementation of the respective encryption circuit and decryption circuit. Multi-port memory allows for at either computer site a fast hardware implementation of the RC4 encryption/decryption method where reads and writes are synchronously performed.