A cryptographic processing system includes a cipher circuit and hash circuit. An input control unit and output control unit work together to process data packets in a pipelined manner wherein the data packets move through the processing system in a single-pass. The input control unit manages data received from a read interface and the initiation of cipher processing of the data in the cipher circuit. The output control unit manages data output to a write interface and the hash processing of the data in the hash circuit. Data moves through the cipher circuit in clear data and cipher data form so that the output control unit may selectively send clear data and/or cipher data to the hash circuit and to an output FIFO memory buffer, which handles final processing under the control of the output control unit prior to sending fully processed data to the write interface.