🚀 go-pugleaf

Hmmm. Not having much experience on the Internet, I tend to be easily 
confused. Now I heard that .sci meant science, and .crypt meant 
cryptography, so naturally I assumed...
Actually, this newsgroup is apparently for legal and political 
discussions about cryptography, and not the science of...
As I can't find the proper place, I will pose a few questions here in the 
chance that they might elicit some needed answers. 
This is for publication in Digital Privacy, to be released in January. 
LOOMING deadline.
If I may quote you, please advise, otherwise I will assume that I may 
not.
1. Is there any real, actual, documented, case of the DES having been 
cracked through brute force alone, in ECB or CBC mode?
2. Is there any hard evidence that this has not happened and isn't likely 
to happen within n years?
3. Can anyone state the amount of time a given computer would need to try 
out all of the DES key combinations? For example, the Cray Y-MP C-90 
which is supposedly the fastest computer on Earth.
4. Does anyone know why the DES key was REALLY changed to 56 bits?
5. Does double encryption, meaning enc with key A, dec with key B then 
enc again with key A, actually increase the resistance to attack? Can 
anyone put numbers on this?
6. Is it possible to state for a known fact that there are no weaknesses 
or trap doors, or any other ways of comprimising the DES and that no 
matter how carefully the DES was designed 15 years ago, today's 
technology would without question, reveal any such weakness?
Thanks in advance for any replies.
M. Shannon PO Box 192171 San Francisco 94119 FAX 408-732-7980.