Deal -a 128-bit Block Cipher

We propose a new block cipher, DEAL, based on the DES (DEA). DEAL has a block size of 128 bits and allows for three key sizes of 128, 192, and 256 bits respectively. Our proposal has several advantages to other schemes: because of the large blocks, the problem of the \matching ciphertext attacks" is made small, and the encryption rate is similar to that of triple-DES. We conjecture that the most realistic (or the least unrealistic) attack on all versions of DEAL is an exhaustive search for the keys. We have suggested ANSI to include DEAL in the ANSI standard X9.52. We also suggest DEAL as a candidate for the NIST AES standard.