Re: Layered encryption
DES was "terminally compromised" by an attack that reduced the effective key length of 56 bit DES to 40 bits which was crackable even in the late 90s. 3DES would have gone from an effective key length of 168 bits to 120 bits, which is still secure (note that these key lengths can't be compared to the key lengths of other schemes like AES where 120 bits would be useless)
If there was a mathematical backdoor in DES, then triple DES wouldn't do much good. But if you encrypted with say 3DES, then AES, and finally Twofish, for example, then even if there were mathematical attacks against two of them, you'd be saved by the third.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
