Encryption-decryption circuit and method of operation

An encryption-decryption circuit for encrypting and decrypting data. The encryption-decryption circuit comprises: 1) an N-bit shift register for storing and shifting an N bit keyword; 2) a first exclusive-OR gate array for receiving M bits from the N-bit shift register and generating a one-bit exclusive-OR result that is shifted into an input of the N-bit shift register; and 3) a second exclusive-OR gate array comprising K exclusive-OR gates, each of the K exclusive-OR gates receiving one of K bits from the N-bit shift register and one of K data bits from a received K-bit data word and generating therefrom an exclusive-OR result. The K exclusive-OR gates thereby produce one of: i) a K-bit encrypted data word and ii) a K-bit unencrypted data word.