September 1993 - cypherpunks-legacy

Denning@ISSS Expo '93
by Mike Ingle 15 Sep '93

15 Sep '93

I was looking through the brochure for ISSS Expo '93, the Third Annual International Security Systems Symposium and Exhibition, to be held in Washington, DC Nov. 15-17. Convention topics: safeguarding proprietary info opsec/intel/counterintel computer/info systems security competitive intelligence (translation: corporate espionage) special topics Exhibits: surveillance systems counter-surveillance detection systems anti-terrorist/penetration information security transmission methodologies computer and communications security miscellaneous One presentation in particular sounds rather ominous: Encryption - The Law (U.S. & International Implications) Speaker: Dorothy "Skipjack" Denning What do you suppose Denning will talk about? Perhaps she will point out that, due to the government's overriding need to perform large-scale, cheap monitoring, only very weak crypto can be exported. And that 40-bit keys can be cracked not only by the government, but also by anyone with idle workstations at night. Naturally, this is a problem for any multinational which doesn't want to be a victim of "competitive intelligence". She might even propose a solution: we can all standardize on Clipper, thereby making the world safe from privacy, and restoring espionage to its proper place as a government monopoly. She will probably forget to mention another solution, however - one which is completely legal and which will be available long before Clipper. A U.S. company can buy ViaCrypt PGP; the foreign branch can use free PGP, and since no cryptographic software crosses the border, no laws are broken. Conference/exhibit info: (301) 986-7800 Exhibit attendance $20 or free with registration form. Conference $595 business, $495 government/military. Maybe some DC-area cypherpunks could show up for the exhibits and crash the party with some highly subversive and seditious materials.

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Re: The "Cypherpunk Melti
by Duncan Frissell 15 Sep '93

15 Sep '93

M >I have a real problem with the attempted marriage of anarchy and the M >Bill of Rights. I'm interested in the issue of privacy not because I M >want to screw our government out of my taxes, but because I want to M >have the ability to communicate with any of you in private. You should be aware of the possible results of your actions, however. A market is a place where traders meet and trade. It involves communications and transfer. When governments intervene in markets, they do so by preventing these communications and transfers. When it becomes technically possible to exclude anyone you like (including the government) from your communications and transfers of non-physical goods and services, you have a free market. Once these traders start trading a higher and higher proportion of the world's goods and services in this free market, government monopoly market controls are broken. The world's governments become mere market actors like everyone else. They lose sovereignty. They can no longer govern (an ever-expanding portion of human activity). They are no longer governments. All from the simple ability to reliably communicate with total privacy. Duncan Frissell What is the world's most hazardous toxic waste dump? Highgate Cemetery in North London. Why? See next Post for the answer. --- WinQwk 2.0b#0

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Re: warez garbage cluttering the screen
by geoffw＠nexsys.net 15 Sep '93

15 Sep '93

> From toad.com!owner-cypherpunks(a)cdp.igc.org Tue Sep 14 06:16:19 1993 > Return-Path: <newsham(a)wiliki.eng.hawaii.edu> > From: Timothy Newsham <newsham(a)wiliki.eng.hawaii.edu> > Subject: Re: warez garbage cluttering the screen > To: loki(a)convex1.TCS.Tulane.EDU (the mischeivious god) > Date: Mon, 13 Sep 1993 22:43:49 -1000 (HST) > Cc: cypherpunks(a)toad.com > X-Mailer: ELM [version 2.4 PL21] > Mime-Version: 1.0 > Content-Type> : > text/plain> ; > charset=US-ASCII> > Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit > Content-Length: 863 > X-Lines: 21 > Status: RO > > > > > > > > > What have these endless bandwidth wasting lists of > > > supposed warez sites to do with Cypherpunks? Please > > > take your personnal vendettas elsewhere. I pay for DL time. > > > > > > ---Marc > > > > > GRRRRRRRRRRRR...... I dont have to pay and I rather found it useful. > > > > loki > > Then maybe a list for warez topics should be formed. I find alot > of things on the cypherpunks list that is off-topic to be interesting. > The list is however for the discussion of cryptography and privacy. > The only thing that all people on this list have in common is their > interest in crypto and privacy, and the list should stick to those > points. Other topics that are interesting should be taken to > private email or put on the appropriate lists (barring of course > the occasional slip or wandering of the topic). > > Shit, Well I'm interested in the list and I missed it as it went by so will whoever posted it PLEASE send me a copy? geoffw(a)nexsys.net Thanks and keep up the good work. I personally think people should use their DISCRETION when posting, not hard and fast rules. If I wanted hard and fast rules I'd sign up for Prodigy. An occasional post related to the subject that is obviously of interest to a large sub- population of cypherpunks is appropriate, perhapse in the future put a warning in the subject line so the whinners can hit the "d" key in advance and save that .25 cents or whatever it cost them. And for the person who complained about bandwidth, how do you feel about the fact that we now have to waste more flaming about wasting bandwidth. (Please don't reply to the list, reply to me if you must)

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Re: warez garbage cluttering the screen
by mbriceno＠aol.com 14 Sep '93

14 Sep '93

What have these endless bandwidth wasting lists of supposed warez sites to do with Cypherpunks? Please take your personnal vendettas elsewhere. I pay for DL time. ---Marc

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Re: warez garbage cluttering the screen
by David LANDGREN, PUB 14 Sep '93

14 Sep '93

rm -f thug

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Really simple script for pgp
by sameer＠netcom.com 14 Sep '93

14 Sep '93

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- I wrote a really simple script for PGP which I am particularly proud of. (I'm not very experienced at sed/awk/etc. hacking, so that's why I'm so happy with it.) All this does is extract all keys from your pgp keyring with the partial string specified in the cmdline and saves it to either the keyring given as the second argument or a file with the name of the partial string. - -- Sameer sameer(a)netcom.com #!/bin/sh if [ $2 ] then FILE=$2 else FILE=$1 fi pgp -kv $1 | tail +3 | cut -c30-150 | sed -n -e '/./p' | sed -e 's/^.*$/pgp -kxf \"&\"/' | /bin/sh | pgp -kaf $FILE -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: 2.3a iQCVAgUBLJWAHgvya0ihLgutAQF+qAP6AnuLuCyLKAdysbWbcM5CVYozSQK8ESCf j+njlB9PkfBGA/ap15WWcWQZybeXvglfzl2gjDYftslbb0UNqUyGEw4dPrthGq93 7WiVceatZmGf9zzwvrEOV8xMJfG7SovxY/KDsrXJOxXPTXpdJTB5cG42gQe/MSUX Y3S3RWcD0Lo= =9iQ7 -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----

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NSA harassing crypto software writer over export (fwd, sci.crypt)
by L. Detweiler 14 Sep '93

14 Sep '93

- NSA harassment alive and well - is this company a `small fish'? doesn't NSA have something better to do? - his request is overbroad, but still needs some kind of help - maybe the laywers on the list can help out too ===cut=here=== From: grady(a)netcom.com (Grady Ward) Subject: help me fight NSA Organization: Moby lexicons Date: Mon, 13 Sep 1993 23:54:54 GMT An individual at the NSA has recently been warning my publisher of Moby Crypto that they will be breaking the law if they export the product. Since I do not include any executables, only source and other documentation that routinely appears in textbooks that are exported, I think this hasseling is unwarranted and unconstitutional. Since knocking heads with the NSA may result in some kind of process, I need some assistance to bolster my case. What you can do: please send me a reference on every book or magazine article you are aware of that contains any 'source code'. The code can be a fragment or in any computer language as long as it implements encryption or other material that would be export controlled if incoporated in an executable. I think collecting a large number of these citations will help my attornies in pointing out the absurdity of the situation to government attornies if necessary. Please e-mail any citations that you have. Thanks ahead of time. Grady Ward grady(a)netcom.com

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physical security is the weak link
by Marc Horowitz 14 Sep '93

14 Sep '93

These articles are reposted with permission from the ClariNet newsgroup clari.tw.computers. Copyright 1993 by UPI. For more info, send mail to info(a)clarinet.com. --begin repost From: clarinews(a)clarinet.com (UPI) Subject: Gang hits computer supply firm Keywords: legal investigations, legal, violent crime, computers, manufacturing, corporate products & services, corporate finance Message-ID: <chiptheftUR419_3S9(a)clarinet.com> Date: Thu, 9 Sep 93 20:06:54 EDT SANTA CLARA, Calif. (UPI) -- Authorities said a gang of armed men stormed into a Silicon Valley electronic supply company Thursday, stealing a large number of valuable computer microprocessors before fleeing in a van. Sgt. Mark Kirby, of the Santa Clara Police Department, said the business takeover was the second of its kind in a week and took just five minutes. ``It's was well planned, they knew exactly what they were looking for,'' he said. ``Unfortunately, this has become a trend in the Silicon Valley. We have about one a month.'' Kirby said the six men rolled up to a loading dock at Wyle Laboratory Inc. about 9:07 a.m. PDT as if they were going to make a legitimate pickup. Two armed men then jumped out of the van and ordered the employees to the floor while four others made their way to a storage room. The police spokesman said a 4-foot-long athletic bag was stuffed with Intel Corp.'s microprocessors -- the ``brains'' that power most personal computers -- and then the robbers fled. No shots were fired and no one was injured. The value of the stolen items was not released. The van was recovered empty a short time later. Kirby said it has since been traced to a Lynwood, Calif., U-Haul dealer and was signed out on Sept. 4. However, the thieves used a fraudulent driver's license to rent the vehicle. Kirby said the thieves likely were filling an order for the lucrative black market in computer components. From: clarinews(a)clarinet.com (WILLIAM D. MURRAY) Subject: Violent computer chip takeovers worry officials Keywords: lawyers, court proceedings, computers, manufacturing, corporate products & services, corporate finance Message-ID: <chipcrimeURa71_3SB(a)clarinet.com> Date: Fri, 10 Sep 93 19:33:57 PDT SAN JOSE, California (UPI) -- The lucrative trade in computer chips has captured the attention of the state's street gangs, luring them to California's Silicon Valley where the armed takeover of supply warehouses has become a common occurrence, authorities said Friday. Julius Finkelstein, deputy district attorney in charge of the Santa Clara, California, High Tech Crime unit, called the takeovers and the trade in stolen computer parts ``the gang crime of the 1990s. ``We see a trend developing here that concerns us,'' he said. ``These are very violent attacks. Generally, the gang is well armed. It's just a matter of time before someone get hurt. We consider ourselves lucky that it hasn't already happened.'' Finkelstein said gangs were turning their attention to dealing in the impossible to trace stolen chips. ``We are seeing a movement away from drugs and into computer chips by some gangs,'' Finkelstein said. ``This is the coke of the 90's. The chips have become as valuable pound for pound as cocaine and if you get caught, the punishment is much less severe.'' Once the chips are stolen, the district attorney said, they can change hands as many as 3 or 4 times in 24 hours. Finally, the computer parts make their way to what is called ``the gray market. ``It's not really a black market, it's a gray market,'' Finkelstein said. ``That's because it's really not illegal. It made up of suppliers who legitimately buy their chips and those that get them from the gangs. '' The whole system is powered by the marketplace itself. Computer chip manufacturers like Intel Corp. cannot keep pace with the demand for their microprocessors -- the ``brains'' that power most personal computers. So they place companies on an allotment system, forcing those computer manufacturers to turn to the gray market to fill their orders. The chips are also almost impossible to trace. There is no encoding on them to identify them individually. There is a system that shows who manufactured the chips and what day they were manufactured. ``The only way we can generally catch these thieves is to be tipped off,'' Finkelstein said. ``We do prosecute some of these cases, but they are extremely difficult. There is really no way to trace these products. '' The latest takeover robbery occurred Thursday when six masked gunmen stormed into Wyle Laboratory Inc. in Santa Clara and in a matter of five minutes had stolen thousands of dollars worth of Intel CPU microprocessors. Sgt. Mark Kirby, of the Santa Clara Police Department, said the robbery was the second of its kind in a week. He added that the area is averaging at least one of these armed takeovers a month. ``It was well planned, they knew exactly what they were looking for,'' he said. ``Unfortunately, this has become a trend in the Silicon Valley. '' However, Kirby said this one was different -- it was the first pulled off a gang of black gunmen. The robbers abandoned van was discovered later in the day Thursday and traced to Lynwood, California, a location frequented by the Los Angeles gangs. --end repost If people are willing to go to these measures to steal Intel microprocessors, which are generally available, imagine what people will do in order to steal unprogrammed Skipjack chips. In the volume the Government would like to see them made, the physical security which one might want to give to a classified production facility will be difficult or impossible. Marc

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Re: PGPcompose (pgpc) 2.0 *just* finished.
by remailer＠netcom.com 14 Sep '93

14 Sep '93

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- At 3:33 AM 9/12/93 -0600, CVL staff member Nate Sammons wrote: >PGPcompose 2.0 is available for ftp from 129.82.156.104 (the macintosh >in my dorm room... ;-) in /pub/pgpc it's all of 11K, so don't sweat >the bandwidth! What does it run on? Should I assume UNIX is the default here? > -will keep you fron doing stupid things, like . . . > signing a message and then sending it > through the remailers or through anon.penet.fi, etc... This ain't so stupid if you're using a digital pseudonym and encrypt at least the first remailer hop. Eternal Optimist Eternal!Optimist(a)anon.penet.fi -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: 2.3 iQCVAgUBLJSPwojvfLxJbYYtAQGP8wP8CFhd2hNdP3aUlFYzL56LbilfKn8X2uQj BZEkg3oIXmvwdxC2yWQaujkP0A5AvVCnWdbGyjB4/u7wo48B4cnw3j6zXykHCj8n D6OfmpLrqMpGvfkfgGtuZBC7MItM7GqgZpHq1Cv0RzjG7X59n+pHORfVLTGLTxWJ 070ugKm5PvY= =YS2x -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----

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Re: Stegno and DAT and digital music...
by norm＠netcom.com 14 Sep '93

14 Sep '93

The DAT coding is 16 bit fixed point. The lowest bit always has the same value which is nearly 90 db below the loudest sound. This is perceptible when it is the only signal as is demonstrated in CD demonstrator disks. A steganographer might merely not put data in quiet passages. Alternatively he could plausibly claim that it was caused by a gentle breeze outside the recording studio. In the later case he should add some noise to the next to bottom bit, or generate and add some -85 db white noise and then replace the bottom bit.

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