Crypto AG

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Crypto Aktiengesellschaft (Crypto AG) is a Swiss company specialising in communications and information security. Based originally in Zug, the company has had a long history of manufacturing a wide variety of cipher devices. The compay also has offices in Abu Dhabi, Argentina, Côte d'Ivoire, Malaysia, Oman, and Saudi Arabia.

1 History
2 Machines
3 Accusations of rigged machines
4 See also
5 External links

[edit] History

Crypto AG was founded by Boris Hagelin and was incorporated in 1959. The firm is the descendant firm of that founded by Arvid Gerhard Damm to manufacture cipher machines according to his 1919 Swedish patent. After Damm's death, and just before World War II (WWII), it came under the control of Boris Hagelin, an early investor, and during the War essentially operated in the US. After WWII, it was transferred from Sweden to Switzerland as a result of a planned Swedish government takeover of militarily important technology/contractors.

Crypto AG has a sister company, InfoGuard AG.

[edit] Machines

[edit] Accusations of rigged machines

Crypto AG has been accused of rigging their machines in collusion with intelligence agencies such as the United States National Security Agency (NSA), enabling such organisations to read the encrypted traffic produced by the machines. Crypto AG has dismissed these accusations as groundless, and have argued that "in March 1994, the Swiss Federal Prosecutor's Office initiated a wide-ranging preliminary investigation against Crypto AG, which was completed in 1997. The accusations regarding influence by third parties or manipulations, which had been repeatedly raised in the media, proved to be without foundation." [1]