May 1993 - cypherpunks-legacy

GCHQ Question
by Duncan Frissell 18 May '93

18 May '93

>>>What does GCHQ stand for, and what does it do? Is it similar to the NSA?<< (Feyd Eli) The Royal Signals Establishment at Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England is known as General Communications Head Quarters (GCHQ). It is also called 'Cheltenham' after its location. It performs many of the same sigint jobs as the NSA. There was a controversy a few years ago when the US wanted Maggie to outlaw (socialist) union membership by the Civil Service employees at GCHQ because the Regan administration considered it a security risk. Duncan

1 0

CALLER ID?
by Sandy 18 May '93

18 May '93

_________________________________________________________________ SANDY SANDFORT ssandfort(a)attmail.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Punksters! I think some of you are seriously missing the point about the ANI capture of telephone numbers on calls made to 800 numbers. Yes, yes, yes, we are all smart cookies on this list. We can avoid having ANI capture our number if we want to. SO WHAT? The insidious thing about the use of ANI is that the *general public* has no idea it exists. And this is because of the of lack of candor on the part of telcos and 800 companies. As an example, the Bank of America includes a newsletter with their statement. In a recent issue there was an item about WeTip, an 800 hotline. Here is an excerpt of what it said: "If you want to report information about any criminal activity, call WeTip at 1-800-78-CRIME and remember, DON'T give the interviewer your name. You will be assigned a code name and number." Now, WE know all that "code name" BS is just a smoke screen to make the mark think he is anonymous. Unfortunately, most folks don't know what we know. (Did YOU know your 800 calls were compromised, before I posted the callback number?) The folks at 1-800-STOPPER and FULL DISCLOSURE tell me that while most cellular phone systems currently release only trunk numbers to ANI, this is changing. One by one, they are being programmed to release the number of the actual cellular phone. Presumably, this is being done in preparation for Caller ID (and maybe to assist *legitimate* law enforcement needs?). S a n d y (arbitration volunteer) >>>>>>>> Please address e-mail to: ssandfort(a)attmail.com <<<<<<<< _________________________________________________________________

1 0

No Subject
by kelly＠pleiku.netcom.com 18 May '93

18 May '93

>From kelly Mon May 17 21:31:11 0700 1993 remote from pleiku To: netcoms!longs.lance.colostate.edu!ld231782 cc: toad.com!cypherpunks Subject: Re: I'M GOING CRAZY! FWEE! In-reply-to: Your message of "Mon, 17 May 1993 22:07:22 MDT." <9305180408.AA15369(a)longs.lance.colostate.edu> Priority: urgent Date: Mon, 17 May 1993 21:31:11 -0700 From: "Stop the Big Brother CHip" <pleiku!kelly> Received: from pleiku by pleiku.netcom.com; Mon, 17 May 1993 21:31 PDT Content-Type: text Content-Length: 1375 OK So I am extremely irritating... :)(I sincerely hope I am the biggest BURR under the saddle the government has had in a long time) I too am disappointed... it had been my understanding that julf was going to newgroup alt.whistleblowers... no action on that front... I will be bringing up C-news this week and I will see about it after that... you shouldnt have to wait too long... cheers kelly -- Parts of this .sig borrowed with permission from T.C.May. Perhaps it will indeed get me busted also. .......................................................................... Kelly Goen | Crypto Anarchy: encryption, digital money, kelly(a)netcom.com | anonymous networks, digital pseudonyms, zero Intelligence Systems | knowledge, reputations, information markets, Specialists Inc. | black markets, face banks, data havens, dark | tech, covert channels, shared secrets, | alt.whistleblowers, collapse of governments. Technical Monkeywrench | Public Key: PGP 2.2. | .......................................................................... PGP 2.2 Key available from PGP Keyservers on the Internet. pub 1024/1BA573 1992/09/09 kelly <kelly(a)netcom.com> Key fingerprint = EF 7A 38 99 22 84 E3 3B 90 2A DB 80 DC 65 DA 31 STOP THE WIRETAP CHIP(Clipper Chip)!!

2 1

Re: a valuable spy...
by karn＠qualcomm.com 18 May '93

18 May '93

The note from Watson could well be a decoy to draw the NSA off the track of the *real* spy... :-) Phil

2 1

Ethernet 20th birthday retrospective at Sun
by gnu＠cygnus.com 18 May '93

18 May '93

This is slightly off-topic, but seeing the history of an important networking technology may be interesting for Bay Area cypherpunks. Apologies to the rest of the list. John * please forward this announcement within the Bay area * * and post to any appropriate internal aliases * Bay Area Computer History Perspectives "Ethernet 20th Birthday---Early History of the Ethernet" A panel discussion with David Boggs, Ron Crane, Robert Metcalfe, and John Shoch 5:30 PM, Tuesday, May 25 Stanford Room Sun Microsystems Bldg. 6 2750 Coast Ave. Mt. View May 22, 1973, was the birthday of the Ethernet. On that date, Bob Metcalfe used the word Ethernet in a memo to describe a project previously known as the Alto Aloha net. And Ethernet has been a major part of Local Area Networks ever since. In this panel discussion, four of the most influential individuals in the history of Ethernet will come together again, to look back at the situation and events of 20 years ago. Among other possible topics: - What were the initial goals? How did they change over time? - What were Ethernet's main competitors in 1973? Why didn't they succeed? - Why was the intial data transfer rate fixed at exactly 2.94 Mbit/sec? How did it eventually get set at 10 Mbit/sec? - How did Intel and DEC get involved? - How did Ethernet become a standard? Where there any compromises? - And a glimpse at the future of Ethernet today Topics such as these can suggest some of the value of learning from history. The lessons can be useful right now, today, and also in the future. After you take a look back into the past of the computer industry, you may look at your own work differently the very next day. Bay Area Computer History Perspectives is a series of programs organised by Peter Nurkse and Jeanie Treichel, of Sun Microsystems, to explore and record our local Bay area computer history. Programs are videotaped for the archives of The Computer Museum in Boston, which maintains collections on the history of the international computer industry. This program is open to the public and free of charge. Copies of the new ACM History of Electronic Computing poster, a full color timeline 5.5 feet long, will be available at the cost price of two dollars (cash only). After a summer break, the next program in this series will be on the ERMA project at Bank of America, on Sept. 28 (ERMA may have been the first major Bay area contribution to the history of computing). Suggestions for further programs are welcome, and can be faxed to Jeanie Treichel at 415/691-0756, or e-mailed to nurkse(a)eng.sun.com. If you are willing to appear on a panel, or can contact someone whom you suggest be included, that additional information would be very helpful. Directions to Sun Building 6 in Mt. View: take San Antonio Road North exit from highway 101 in Mt. View. Go a block past the traffic lights at the intersection, and then - turn right on Casey Ave. - go one block on Casey Ave., then turn right again on Marine Way - go one block on Marine Way, then turn left on Coast Ave. - go down to the end of Coast Ave., and Building 6 is on your right

1 0

Publications
by x62727g2＠usma8.USMA.EDU 18 May '93

18 May '93

Greetings fellow crypto warriors, I am attempting to locate several publications to see if they are still in existence and where I might them or archives of previous issues. The publications I am interested in are TAP, NIA, AOTD, NARC, etc. If anyone knows where I might be able to obtain these or similar publications, please let me know. Also, does anyone know where any "interesting" ftp sites which carry files or other data related to these type publications? Thanks, Anthony J. Gatlin |-------------------------------------| Cadet Private, Co. G-2 |PGP Public Key available on request. | United States Military Academy |-------------------------------------|

4 3

GCHQ in the UK
by AOLCHTNN＠vax1.tcd.ie 18 May '93

18 May '93

Can someone tell me whether what I've heard about GCHQ in the UK?? A lot of books and magazines of fairly serious political content have alleged that GCHQ taps _all_ Irish telephone calls and screens them electronically for "keywords", to find the interesting conversations. (The IRA is alleged to have something similar, although not quite so sophisticated) What I want to know is whether digital voice-recognition monitoring on such a scale is really possible? Thanx in advance Antoin O Lachtnain, Trinity College Dublin. PS Iis there anyone in the UK or Ireland who'd be willing to send me a copy of PGP 2.2, if I send them a couple o' blank disks? AOL

1 0

Mykotoxic anon post
by fergp＠sytex.com 18 May '93

18 May '93

I was the on who posted the Mykotoxin anonymously to the group. It was genuine, bona fide, inspected and rejected. Don't ask me how I did it. It's a secret. Paul Ferguson | "... certain unalienable Rights, Network Integrator | that among these, are Life, Liberty, Centreville, Virginia USA | and the pursuit of Happiness." fergp(a)sytex.com | -- The Declaration of Independence Stop the Wiretap (Clipper/Capstone) Chip.

1 0

This is "telling"
by Harry Shapiro 18 May '93

18 May '93

The answer to this question is "telling." Escrow or no encryption!!! /harry From: jim(a)RSA.COM (Jim Bidzos) FYI. NIST has responded to my questions. Feel free to distribute. There are a number of companies that employ non-escrowed cryptography in their products today. These products range from secure voice, data, and fax to secure email, electronic forms, and software distribution, to name but a few. With over a million such products in use today, what does the Clipper program envision for the future of these products and the many corporations and individuals that have invested in and use them? Will the investment made by the vendors in encryption-enhanced products be protected? If so, how? Is it envisioned that they will add escrow features to their products or be asked to employ Clipper? >>>> NIST: Again, the Clipper Chip is a government standard which can be used voluntarily by those in the private sector. We also point out that the President's directive on "Public Encryption Management" stated: "In making this decision, I do not intend to prevent the private sector from developing, or the government from approving, other microcircuits or algorithms that are equally effective in assuring both privacy and a secure key-escrow system." You will have to consult directly with private firms as to whether they will add escrow features to their products. Since Clipper, as currently defined, cannot be implemented in software, what options are available to those who can benefit from cryptography in software? Was a study of the impact on these vendors or of the potential cost to the software industry conducted? (Much of the use of cryptography by software companies, particularly those in the entertainment industry, is for the protection of their intellectual property.) >>>> NIST: You are correct that, currently, Clipper Chip functionality can only be implemented in hardware. We are not aware of a solution to allow lawfully authorized government access when the key escrow features and encryption algorithm are implemented in software. We would welcome the participation of the software industry in a cooperative effort to meet this technical challenge. Existing software encryption use can, of course, continue. Banking and finance (as well as general commerce) are truly global today. Most European financial institutions use technology described in standards such as ISO 9796. Many innovative new financial products and services will employ the reversible cryptography described in these standards. Clipper does not comply with these standards. Will US financial institutions be able to export Clipper? If so, will their overseas customers find Clipper acceptable? Was a study of the potential impact of Clipper on US competitiveness conducted? If so, is it available? If not, why not? >>>> NIST: Consistent with current export regulations applied to the export of the DES, we expect U.S. financial institutions will be able to export the Clipper Chip on a case by case basis for their use. It is probably too early to ascertain how desirable their overseas customers will find the Clipper Chip. No formal study of the impact of the Clipper Chip has been conducted since it was, until recently, a classified technology; however, we are well aware of the threats from economic espionage from foreign firms and governments and we are making the Clipper Chip available to provide excellent protection against these threats. As noted below, we would be interested in such input from potential users and others affected by the announcement. Use of other encryption techniques and standards, including ISO 9796 and the ISO 8730 series, by non-U.S. Government entities (such as European financial institutions) is expected to continue. I realize they are probably still trying to assess the impact of Clipper, but it would be interesting to hear from some major US financial institutions on this issue. >>>> NIST: We too would be interested in hearing any reaction from these institutions, particularly if such input can be received by the end of May, to be used in the Presidentially-directed review of government cryptographic policy. Did the administration ask these questions (and get acceptable answers) before supporting this program? If so, can they share the answers with us? If not, can we seek answers before the program is launched? >>>> NIST: These and many, many others were discussed during the development of the Clipper Chip key escrow technology and the decisions-making process. The decisions reflect those discussions and offer a balance among the various needs of corporations and citizens for improved security and privacy and of the law enforcement community for continued legal access to the communications of criminals. -- Harry Shapiro habs(a)panix.com List Administrator of the Extropy Institute Mailing List Private Communication for the Extropian Community since 1991

1 0

Question
by poier＠sfu.ca 18 May '93

18 May '93

Hi... What does GCHQ stand for, and what does it do? Is it similar to the NSA? Feyd Eli -- -----====> Skye Merlin Poier <====----- Undergrad in CMPT/MATH (Virtual Reality) |||| |||| email: poier(a)sfu.ca p-OO <--> OO-q THINK PGP Public Key available on finger \== ==/

2 1