Step 1: In Part I: Key Configuration, observe the current message and keys displayed in the DES Configuration Overview section. You can modify these by clicking the respective buttons:

• Click "Change plaintext" to generate a new random 64-bit message
• Click "Change Key A" to generate a new random hexadecimal key for Part A
• Click "Change Key B" to generate a new random hexadecimal key for Part B

Step 2: In Part II: Encryption/Decryption Operations, select your preferred input type:

• Choose "ASCII (8 characters)" for text input like "ABCDEFGH"
• Choose "Hex (16 digits)" for hexadecimal input like "0123456789ABCDEF"

Step 3: Enter your plaintext in the Plaintext field and a 16-digit hexadecimal key in the Key field. Use the info icons (ℹ️) for format guidance and examples.

Step 4: Perform DES operations:

• Click "DES Encrypt" to encrypt your plaintext using standard DES
• Click "DES Decrypt" to decrypt ciphertext back to plaintext
• The result will appear in the Output field

Step 5: Generate Triple DES (3DES) result:

• Click "Show TDES Output" to automatically perform the complete 3DES encryption process
• This uses the message and keys from Part I to perform: Encrypt(KeyA) → Decrypt(KeyB) → Encrypt(KeyA)
• The 3DES result will appear in the TDES Output field

Step 6: In Part III: Answer Verification, enter your calculated 3DES result in the "Your Answer" field and click "Check Answer!" to verify if it matches the expected output.

Step 7: If you need help, click "Reveal Answer" to see the correct 3DES result along with a detailed explanation of the Triple DES encryption process and why it provides enhanced security over standard DES.