Modern symmetrical encryption systems use a starting “key” that is up to 256 bits long (for us civilians anyway) and combine this with an initialization-vector (also up to 256 bits long). By applying the vector to the key through some scary mathematics, millions of unique permutations can be created, and these are combined with the data to obscure it. This process can then be run in reverse to retrieve the original information (hence the term “symmetrical”).



A problem with these mathematical encryption systems is that the process is mathematically derived, and the algorithms published. For every encryption algorithm that gets created, eventually someone works out a mathematical way of solving it. Even the latest and greatest AES algorithms have now been theoretically cracked.



The idea that chaos theory could be used to generate encryption keys is not necessarily a new one, but as yet I have not seen any examples.