May 1993 - cypherpunks-legacy

Re: Consider "Working Assets" phone service instead of AT&T
by George A. Gleason 22 May '93

22 May '93

Yes, Working Assets buys SPRINT in bulk and re-sells it. The thing is though, they're getting it wholesale and selling it to the public at regular prices, so this slices a chunk of Sprint's profits and gives it to WA. Certainly better than giving the whole chunk to Sprint. See the thing is, someone has to run all that fiber all over the continent, and tie into something else which runs out to the rest of the world. In the 70s all of this was being developed, but by now it's pretty much in place and there probably is no economic basis to develop any new routes. So you end up with telephone pyramid scenes where each company is selling someone else's trunks. Now I want to get into local competition, and there is probably room for WA to expand that way. I may go as far as talking to them about setting up some exchanges as a joint venture. Could be interesting. -gg

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Lets see that again...
by J. Michael Diehl 22 May '93

22 May '93

Well, what can I say about that last message. That is a rather bothersome but in my automatic mail system that I've not been able to track down. In fact, I can't even duplicate it. For the record, my system send 2 other messages before this one, and they were fine. Oh well. Anyway, here is the full message. I have included, below, a copy of my pgp menu system. It is a 4dos batch file. With this program, you can encrypt, sign and decrypt a message, and generate, delete, extract keys, wipe files. I've been trying to iron out some of the bugs for about a month now. (BTW where did all my alpha testers go?) I think it's pretty stable now, so I'm posting it. To be able to use the program, you MUST BE USING 4DOS as your command interpreter on your PC. But, I've found that this little requirement is well worth the utility that (I hope) my program provides. 4dos is a command.com replacement that features disk swapping, aliases, file- name completion, and an extended batch language. You can get it via anon ftp at wuarchive.wustl.edu in the /mirrors/msdos/4dos directory. It's very much worth the effort to investigate. For those of you who do make this effort, I hope you enjoy using my menu syste. I hope to hear from you soon. Thanx. Well, here it is: rem @echo off setlocal break on :main cls drawbox 0 0 23 78 2 red on black drawhline 17 0 79 1 red on black drawbox 4 29 16 49 2 red on black scrput 1 27 blue on black Mike's PGP shell ver. 0.0. scrput 3 35 blue on black MAIN MENU scrput 5 32 red on black Encrypt a file. scrput 7 32 red on black Decrypt a file. scrput 09 32 red on black siGn a file. scrput 11 32 red on black Wipe file. scrput 13 32 red on black Next menu. scrput 15 32 red on black Quit. scrput 18 5 white on black Select an option by typing the corisponding capitalized letter. scrput 19 5 white on black For example, to encrypt a file, you would press the E key. inkey /K"EeDdGgWwNnQq" %%in goto menu1-%in :menu1-q screen 17 26 pause cls endlocal quit :menu1-e cls drawbox 0 0 23 78 2 red on black drawhline 17 0 79 1 red on black drawbox 6 3 8 74 2 red on black scrput 18 5 white on black Here you will be asked for the name of a file to be scrput 19 5 white on black encrypted. Then you will be asked for the names of scrput 20 5 white on black the people who should be able to read the file. scrput 21 5 white on black Enter them all on the line separated by a space. scrput 7 5 red on black Enter the name of the file to encrypt. screen 7 52 input %%file if exist %file goto menu1-e-good scrput 15 10 red on black That file is not in the current directory! screen 16 10 pause goto menu1-e :menu1-e-good drawbox 10 3 12 74 2 red on black scrput 11 5 red on black Enter the name(s) of the recipients. screen 11 52 input %%in cls rem I never claimed that this would be elegent.... drawbox 0 0 23 78 2 red on black drawhline 17 0 79 1 red on black scrput 18 5 white on black Here you are asked if you want to mark this message "For Your Eyes Only," scrput 19 5 white on black and if you want to sign the message. If you reply 'y' to the first scrput 20 5 white on black question, the recipient will only be ablt to display the message. He scrput 21 5 white on black won't be to save it. If you reply 'y' to the second question, the scrput 22 5 white on black recipient will know for certain that the message is from you. drawbox 6 3 8 74 2 red on black scrput 7 5 red on black Would you like to mark this "For Your Eyes Only?" inkey /K"ynN" %%f drawbox 10 3 12 74 2 red on black scrput 11 5 red on black Would you like to sign this message? inkey /K"ynN" %%s if "%f" == "y" goto f if "%s" == "y" goto s cls pgp -e %file %in goto encrypted :f if "%s" == "y" goto sf cls pgp -me %file %in goto encrypted :sf cls pgp -mes %file %in goto encrypted :s cls pgp -es %file %in :encrypted echo %(a)name[%file].asc is the name of the encrypted file. pause goto main :menu1-d cls drawbox 0 0 23 78 2 red on black drawhline 17 0 79 1 red on black drawbox 6 3 8 74 2 red on black scrput 18 5 white on black Here you will be asked for the name of a file to be scrput 19 5 white on black read. Then you will be asked if you want to save the scrput 20 5 white on black plaintext file. If you do, you will be asked for a scrput 21 5 white on black new filename. scrput 7 5 red on black Enter the name of the file to read. screen 7 52 input %%file if exist %file goto menu1-d-good scrput 15 10 red on black That file is not in the current directory! screen 16 10 pause goto main :menu1-d-good cls pgp -m %file goto main :menu1-g cls drawbox 0 0 23 78 2 red on black drawhline 17 0 79 1 red on black drawbox 6 3 8 74 2 red on black scrput 18 5 white on black Here you will be asked for the name of a file to be scrput 19 5 white on black signed. If you sign a message, it can be proved that scrput 20 5 white on black it came from you. There is no "Plausible Deniability." scrput 7 5 red on black Enter the name of the file to signed. screen 7 52 input %%file if exist %file goto menu1-g-good scrput 15 10 red on black That file is not in the current directory! screen 16 10 pause goto main :menu1-g-good cls pgp -s %file echo %(a)name[%file].asc is the name of the signed file. pause goto main :menu1-w cls drawbox 0 0 23 78 2 red on black drawhline 17 0 79 1 red on black drawbox 6 3 8 74 2 red on black scrput 18 5 white on black Here you will be asked for the name of a file to be scrput 19 5 white on black wiped. Remember, after a file is wiped... scrput 20 5 blink white on black There is no way to retrieve the file! scrput 7 5 red on black Enter the name of the file to wiped. screen 7 52 input %%file if exist %file goto menu1-w-good scrput 15 10 red on black That file is not in the current directory! screen 16 10 pause goto main :menu1-w-good cls pgp -w %file goto main :menu1-n cls drawbox 0 0 23 78 2 red on black drawhline 17 0 79 1 red on black drawbox 4 29 16 49 2 red on black scrput 1 27 blue on black Mike's PGP shell ver. 0.0. scrput 3 35 blue on black SECOND MENU scrput 5 32 red on black Add a key. scrput 7 32 red on black Extract a key. scrput 09 32 red on black View a key. scrput 11 32 red on black Fingerprint. scrput 13 32 red on black Next menu. scrput 15 32 red on black Quit. scrput 18 5 white on black Select an option by typing the corisponding capitalized letter. scrput 19 5 white on black For example, to add a key to your ring, you would press the A key. inkey /K"AaEeVvFfNnQq" %%in goto menu2-%in :menu2-q goto menu1-q :menu2-a cls drawbox 0 0 23 78 2 red on black drawhline 17 0 79 1 red on black drawbox 6 3 8 74 2 red on black scrput 18 5 white on black Here you will be asked for the name of a file that scrput 19 5 white on black contains the keys to be added to your public key ring. scrput 7 5 red on black Enter the name of the file to read. screen 7 52 input %%file if exist %file goto menu2-a-good scrput 15 10 red on black That file is not in the current directory! screen 16 10 pause goto main :menu2-a-good cls pgp -ka %file pause goto main :menu2-e cls drawbox 0 0 23 78 2 red on black drawhline 17 0 79 1 red on black drawbox 6 3 8 74 2 red on black scrput 18 5 white on black Here you will be asked for the key ID to be extracted. scrput 19 5 white on black Then you will be asked for the names of the file to scrput 20 5 white on black put the key in. scrput 7 5 red on black Enter the key ID to extract. screen 7 52 input %%in drawbox 10 3 12 74 2 red on black scrput 11 5 red on black Enter the name of the file that is to hold the key. screen 11 59 input %%file if not exist %file goto menu2-e-good scrput 10 10 red on black That file already exists in the current directory! screen 16 10 pause goto main :menu2-e-good cls pgp -kx %in %file echo %(a)name[%file].asc contains the key for %in. pause goto main :menu2-v cls pgp -kv pause goto main :menu2-f cls drawbox 0 0 23 78 2 red on black drawhline 17 0 79 1 red on black drawbox 6 3 8 74 2 red on black scrput 18 5 white on black Here you will be asked for the name of the person who's key fingerprint you scrput 19 5 white on black want to examine. scrput 7 5 red on black Enter the name of the person. screen 7 52 input %%in cls pgp -kvc %in echo Remember to write this information down! pause goto main :menu2-n cls drawbox 0 0 23 78 2 red on black drawhline 17 0 79 1 red on black drawbox 4 29 16 49 2 red on black scrput 1 27 blue on black Mike's PGP shell ver. 0.0. scrput 3 35 blue on black THIRD MENU scrput 5 32 red on black Generate a key. scrput 7 32 red on black Remove a key. scrput 09 32 red on black Disable a key. scrput 13 32 red on black Next menu. scrput 15 32 red on black Quit. scrput 18 5 white on black Select an option by typing the corisponding capitalized letter. scrput 19 5 white on black For example, to generate a new key, you would press the G key. inkey /K"GgRrDdNnQq" %%in goto menu3-%in :menu3-g cls pgp -kg pause goto main :menu3-r cls drawbox 0 0 23 78 2 red on black drawhline 17 0 79 1 red on black drawbox 6 3 8 74 2 red on black scrput 18 5 white on black Here you will be asked for the name of the key to be scrput 19 5 white on black removed. scrput 7 5 red on black Enter the name of the key to remove. screen 7 52 input %%in cls pgp -kr %in pause goto main :menu3-q goto menu1-q :menu3-d cls drawbox 0 0 23 78 2 red on black drawhline 17 0 79 1 red on black drawbox 6 3 8 74 2 red on black scrput 18 5 white on black Here you will be asked for the name of the key to be scrput 19 5 white on black either disabled or re-enabled. scrput 7 5 red on black Enter the name of the key. screen 7 52 input %%in cls pgp -kd %in pause goto main :menu3-n goto main

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pgp menu
by J. Michael Diehl 22 May '93

22 May '93

I have included, below, a copy of my pgp menu system. It is a 4dos batch file. With this program, you can encrypt, sign and decrypt a message, and generate, delete, extract keys, wipe files. I've been trying to iron out some of the bugs for about a month now. (BTW where did all my alpha testers go?) I think it's pretty stable now, so I'm posting it. To be able to use the program, you MUST BE USING 4DOS as your command interpreter on your PC. But, I've found that this little requirement is well worth the utility that (I hope) my program

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Re: Forwarded messages from RISKS
by mbriceno＠aol.com 22 May '93

22 May '93

> We cannot trust the authoritarians' assertions that they have no > intention of outlawing cryptographic technologies potentially more > secure than the Clipper chip. Some mightsay that outlawing all unsupervised communication and activities by its citizens is-and always will be-a goal of all governments. Protection from authoritarian eyes is one of the main causes for the ever increasing use of crypto. Government issued crypto can never satisfy the peoples desire to find a means that guarantees secure communications. If the government wants its Clipper scheme to succeed, the government will have to dramatically limit the availability of good crypto. One of the more obious methods to accomplish this is to outlaw non-government approved crypto. -- Marc

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Re: The New Mykotronix phones...
by mbriceno＠aol.com 22 May '93

22 May '93

> This is a good, creative response to fascist technology, but I wonder > if I'm the only one on this list who's noticed a parallel between the > government's attitude toward small arms & its attitude approach to > cryptography? I am glad that someone is finally mentioning this. The parallels are quite clear. Both small arms and crypto can give the people protection from criminals, while at the same time decreasing the citizens need for government. If everybody would be armend, we would no longer look at the government as the sole provider of protectios from violent crimes, rape, or muggings. If everyone used crypto, we would no longer have to rely on ineffecive laws that prohibit the reading of someone elses mail or listening to someone elses phone conversations. The laws against both eavesdropping and violent crimes do not seem to deter the perpetrators. Consequently, the helpless citizen demands a steped up surveilance of potential "criminals," while offering less privacy in return. Similarily, an individual facing armed criminals on the street often asks for stronger gun contoll. The government is all too willing to grant this wish, since it knows that the unarmed citizen believes that he is unable to exist without the protection (read: controll) of the government. -- Marc

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Whoops; and a question on information theory and encryption
by Clark Reynard 22 May '93

22 May '93

Just noticed that my last note had been posted already; sorry. In addition, I'm wondering whether a plaintext/cyphertext pair is considered to have a one-to-one isomorphism; in particular, in the case where you have a plaintext/cyphertext pair but no knowledge of the method of encryption, is there a one-to-one isomorphism? In the case of a one-time pad, is there isomorphism, and if so, of what sort? Thank you. ---- Robert W. Clark Just Say No! to the rclark(a)nyx.cs.du.edu Big Brother Chip

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Godelization, sf, etc. (was: Re: cypto + compression)
by zimm＠alumni.cco.caltech.edu 22 May '93

22 May '93

the sf story that you're alluding to is, I believe, Fred Pohl's "Gold at the Starbow's End" --- a cover story in ANALOG magazine ca. 1968 --- which I remember fondly precisely because of the idea used which you mention, namely, encoding a big message compactly as the sum of various powers of small numbers ... though the author got it pretty badly wrong, as I pointed out in a letter published some months later in the same magazine --- the sum of powers that he gave in the story was *much* too small to hold a significant amount of information, and (worse) he thought that one couldn't get any of the answer without writing the entire number --- obviously wrong, as a little modular arithmetic can get out the powers quite easily.... but it's a nice idea and the story was quite good otherwise.... :-) ^z

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Re: cypto + compression
by peb＠PROCASE.COM 22 May '93

22 May '93

>Why not compress this AGAIN If your compression algorithm is any good, it should *not* be able to compress the output a second time. Compressing before encryption is vital--it makes brute force and plaintext attacks much more difficult. On compression forever: I read a science fiction short story once where (not sure of title or author, but it is a classic) a bunch of geniuses are ostensibly sent to another planet to "explore", but the people sending them had a different motive: get them away from Earth and give them time to dream up cool stuff. Okay, so they dream up way cool stuff, but have this problem with transmission bandwidth back to Earth. Then they figure out that any message can be encoded in prime numbers like: 2^a * 3^b * 5^c * 7^d... where a b c d are the character values (ascii or letter A==0, B==1, etc.). After a message is encoded, the result is a *big number*. This number is not more compact than the original message, but the clever geniuses flying to Tau Ceti (or wherever) figured out how to factor the number down to things like M^N + P^Q, where the number of bits needed to write down the factorization was very small, say, 100 bits or so. THEN, they ship this factorization back to Earth and save bandwidth and it encodes the whole Encyclopedia Gallactica. This scheme doesn't work because factoring is much harder than using other compression techniques. Paul E. Baclace peb(a)procase.com

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Re: Consider "Working Assets" phone service instead of AT&T
by George A. Gleason 22 May '93

22 May '93

Phonecard-only account: minor inconvenience to support a major principle. As far as I'm concerned, "convenience" is the biggest hook that Big Bro has to use on us these days, but it only works if we're lazy enough to go for it. So sign with Working Assets and write them a note telling them you want to see a phonecard-only option soon, and chances are they'll be responsive if they get enough of those. Especially if they're getting them from people who used to have accounts with teh Big Three. -gg

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Oops.
by Eric Hughes 22 May '93

22 May '93

There are not 2^{\aleph_0} finite sequences, there are \aleph_0. Excuse me. My brain was out to lunch. Eric

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