*            7 or 8 byte DES key
     * @return DES cipher in encryption mode
     */
    public static Cipher getDES(final byte[] key) {
        if (key.length == 7) {
            return getDES(des7to8(key));
        }

        try {
            final Cipher c = Cipher.getInstance("DES/ECB/NoPadding");
            c.init(Cipher.ENCRYPT_MODE, new SecretKeySpec(key, "DES"));
            return c;