September 2000 - cypherpunks-legacy

CDR: ZDNet UK News: Mathematics experts promise encryption boost
by mikefreeman＠hushmail.com 05 Sep '00

05 Sep '00

This ZDNET UK News story has been forwarded to you by mikefreeman(a)hushmail.com who has added these comments: Has anybody here looked at the algorithim? If so what are your thoughts? Mathematics experts promise encryption boost Thu, 31 Aug 2000 15:02:03 GMT Will Knight With the government's snooping bill looming, experts devise ways of making Net communications more secure A technique that promises to make advanced encryption more secure has been developed by mathematics experts at France's National Institute for Research in Computer Science and Control (INRIA). Robert Harley, a graduate student at INRIA and one of the researchers behind the new technique, says the new method will make "elliptic curve" cryptography less vulnerable to attack. Elliptic curve cryptography is a mathematical method for generating keys that are commonly used to secure email messages and Internet connections. Elliptic curve cryptography is more difficult to solve than older techniques but it takes time to calculate the curves in the first place. Harley has created an algorithm that makes it much easier to generate individual elliptic curves, which can be used to generate unique user keys for securing individual messages. "Most people who use elliptic curve cryptography stick with one curve. Within academic circles this is seen as slightly dangerous. It like putting all your eggs in one basket," says Harley. Harley's algorithm, which is based on theoretical work of Japanese mathematician Takakazu Satoh of Saitama University, makes it possible to calculate a curve with far less computing power than is conventionally required. The time taken for a common calculation is reduced from days to a matter of hours. The new technique is likely to have an impact on commercial applications cryptography. Harley says that US software company Encrsoft is already hoping to incorporate his technique into its encrypted instant messaging application Top Secret Messenger. Entrust has also expressed an interested in the technique. The approach may also be used to make SSL (Secure Socket Layer) encryption, which is used to send transactions and communications over HTTP Internet connections more secure. Researchers at Sun and Standford University are developing SSL solutions based on Harley's research. They can see you... Read about how and why in Surveillance (http://www.zdnet.co.uk/news/specials/1999/09/surveillance/) a ZDNet News Special What do you think? Tell the Mailroom (mailroomuk(a)zd.com) And read (http://www.zdnet.co.uk/news/mailroom.html) what others have said. If you found this ZDNN news report valuable, why not sign up for the free daily ZDNN News Alert - and we'll email you our top five headlines every day. http://www.zdnet.co.uk/misc/newsletters/news.html ZDNet News: The UK's best source for computing news - updated throughout the day. http://www.zdnet.co.uk/news/ Please report any abuse of this service to ukwebmaster(a)zd.com

1 0

CDR: Spread misinfo, got to jail?
by Blank Frank 05 Sep '00

05 Sep '00

Friday September 1 6:42 PM ET Bloomberg, Internet Wire Sued Over Emulex By Nicole Volpe NEW YORK (Reuters) - A Florida investor has filed a lawsuit against Internet Wire and Bloomberg LP over a false press release that led to a nosedive in the shares of Emulex Corp. (NasdaqNM:EMLX - news) last week in one of the biggest Web-based financial hoaxes ever, attorneys said on Friday. The suit, filed on behalf of retiree Ron Hart and which seeks class action status, accuses the two organizations of allegedly ``recklessly disseminating materially false and misleading information,'' Hartford, Conn.-based law firm Schatz & Nobel said in a statement. Hart lost as much as $15,000 as a result of the hoax, said Schatz partner Andrew Schatz. Both Internet Wire, a company announcement distribution service, and Bloomberg, a financial information and news company, declined to comment on the suit, which was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. ``We have not been served so we do not have a comment until we are,'' said Internet Wire spokeswoman Amy Orebaugh on Friday. Bloomberg spokeswoman Chris Taylor said that as of early Friday morning it had not been served a lawsuit and said the company does not comment on ongoing litigation. A false press release issued via Internet Wire and picked up by Bloomberg, Dow Jones and some other news organizations caused the data networking equipment maker's stock to fall more than 50 percent last Friday. Reuters did not carry the hoax. The release said that the company was under investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission, was about to restate its earnings and that its chief executive had quit. On Thursday, a 23-year-old college student was arrested and charged with the hoax and pocketing almost $250,000 from subsequent trading of Emulex stock. The ``plaintiff seeks to recover damages on behalf of all investors who sold Emulex stock or call options or purchased put options on August 25, 2000 before the resumption of trading at 1:30 p.m. EST,'' Schatz & Nobel said in a statement. Schatz said other investors had contacted him and he expected that some of them would join in the suit. Hart had about 500 Emulex shares and sold them at about $80 each in the middle of the share price plunge, which reversed as soon as the hoax was revealed, said Andrew Schatz. The company's shares, which fell to $48-1/16 on August 25 before trading was suspended, have since recovered to close at 107-1/2 on Friday.

1 0

CDR: another example of our second amendment rights at work
by mikefreeman＠hushmail.com 05 Sep '00

05 Sep '00

Please read this story on thestate.com, http://www.thestate.com/local/docs/moteldeath01.htm

1 0

CDR: IT NEWS WEEKLY
by news＠bluecom.com 05 Sep '00

05 Sep '00

IT.NEWS WEEKLY September 5, 2000, NO. 14 Welcome again to IT.NEWS - BlueCom's weekly newsletter for all players in the international IT Channel - vendors, distributors, resellers, dealers and brokers. Read about the latest trends in the IT market, products, prices, partnerships, major companies and much more. ------------------------------------------------------- THIS ISSUE: 1. Intel Recall Its 1.13 GHz Pentium III Chip 2. Dream Team Sponsors Linux Lab 3. First Storage Product From IBM/Compaq Alliance 4. Sony to Spend USD 940 Million on Chip Plant 5. Hyundai Joins Anti-Rambus Legal Fight 6. Handheld Makers Foresee Christmas Shortage ------------------------------------------------------- ************** SPONSOR MESSAGE This week's TOP-7 CRAZY prices at BlueCom Danmark A/S Intel Etherexpress Pro 10/100 Mbit WOL ONLY USD 35.50 Click here for the next 6 crazy prices http://www.bluecom.com/top7 ************** 1. Intel Recalls Its 1.13 GHz Pentium III Chip Last week Intel Corp. recalled its 1.13 GHz Pentium III processor on the very day that archrival Advanced Micro Devices Inc. announced that more than 10 PC makers are to produce models using its 1.1 GHz Athlon processor. Intel stated that it was recalling its processor because a lab test had highlighted malfunctions when using certain kernels of the Linux operating systems. The problem apparently results from the higher heat produced by the faster processor and some portion of the Linux code. Analysts say that AMD now has a clear lead in processors, and that Intel launched the 1.13 GHz Pentium III before it was completely ready in an attempt to remain competitive. Intel has announced that it will take several months to correct the problem, which gives AMD more time to ramp up its 1.1 GHz shipments. In the coming months AMD will introduce Athlon chips with even higher speed grains, aiming for 1.5 GHz in the first quarter. Source: CNet News and Electronic Buyers News. 2. Dream Team Sponsors Linux Lab Computing heavyweights IBM, NEC, Intel, Dell Computer and Hewlett Packard are joining with Linux companies to coax the operating system into high-end, multiprocessor machines, the companies announced last week. The computing powerhouses are joining forces to create a laboratory where open-source programmers can improve the performance of Linux and associated software on these expensive servers. The new Open-Source Development Laboratories, due to receive multi-million dollar funding annually from the companies participating, will provide a way for independent programmers to push Linux into this high-prestige domain. Source: CNet News 3. First Storage Product From IBM/Compaq Alliance The first open storage product of the IBM and Compaq alliance has been announced as the Modular Storage Server. The alliance was made public on 6th July. Since then, IBM has undertaken full training of its storage sales force and storage networking architects, plus many of its business partners. Customers will now be able to deploy open storage networking solutions using both IBM and Compaq products. IBM has also announced the availability of 36 gigabyte 10,000 RPM disk drives for its "Shark" Enterprise Storage Server, which can result in a performance improvement of up to 30 percent. It also introduced the IBM FastT200 Storage Server, the industry leading entry level server for the NT marketplace, featuring two one gigabit per second Fibre Channel connections. The Modular Storage Server will be available on 29th September and the FastT200 will be available on the 12th September. Source: IBM 4. Sony to Spend USD 940 Million on Chip Plant Sony stated last week that it will spend more than US$940 million over the next five years on a new plant to produce microchips used in mobile phones, digital cameras and other devices, as the company attempts to increase production of such goods. Sony will begin construction in November in the Kumamoto district on Japan's southern island of Kyushu. The factory is scheduled to begin production in October 2001. Source: Sony 5. Hyundai Joins Anti-Rambus Legal Fight The company says its lawsuit is a pre-emptive strike against Rambus's pressure to license its synchronous technology. At stake is the validity of the patents protecting the technology for memory ICs, microprocessors, and core-logic chipsets - and therefore who gets to control the industry's future. Similarly, Hyundai has joined Micron Technology in a separate effort to invalidate patents held by memory intellectual property designer Rambus. Source: TechWeb 6. Handheld Makers Foresee Christmas Shortage Palm, Handspring, Sony and other makers of handheld computers will have trouble filling orders for rhe Christmas period because of the ongoing parts shortage, according to executives and analysts. "We're in backlog on literally every single product in the line," Palm chief competitive officer Michael Mace said. "Today the thing holding us back is our ability to procure parts. That is by far the biggest barrier to further growth by Palm". Supplies are short, in part because of a scarcity of components such as liquid crystal displays, colour screens and flash-memory chips. Palm and the other handheld computer makers use many of the same components as cell phone makers and game console makers. More people are buying such devices and can sometimes afford to upgrade to newer products each year as prices drop, further straining supplies, said Rob Enderle, an analyst with technology market researcher Giga Information Group. Because electronic organizers have become more popular than expected, the shortages could persist through 2001 and threaten the widespread acceptance of the devices. Source: CNet News ************** SPONSOR MESSAGE This week's TOP-7 CRAZY prices at BlueCom Danmark A/S Intel Etherexpress Pro 10/100 Mbit WOL ONLY USD 35.50 Click here for the next 6 crazy prices http://www.bluecom.com/top7 ************** Please click here to unsubscribe to this newsletter http://www.bluecom.com/unsubscribe

1 0

CDR: Re: Treatment of subjugated people (and bagpipes)
by ocorrain＠esatclear.ie 05 Sep '00

05 Sep '00

> There are ancient inscriptions in Wales > that no one has been able to read in modern times. Deciphering > an unknown langauge, not related to known languages, when it is > written in an unknown script is a feat of linguistics that > transcends mere cryptanalysis and has, so far, rarely or never > been done. However, one cannot discount the decipherment of Egyptian hieroglyphics the Rosetta Stone. I imagine it would be extremely difficult to decipher a language that very structurally different from what is known. It is interesting to speculate about artificial grammars. Most human and computer languages (with interesting exceptions, such as the Hopi Indians' concept of time -- others can describe computer exceptions) follow the verb, noun, preposition-based method of signification. I don't know whether any work has been done on constructing a seriously structurally different artificial grammar. Jorges Luis Borges has an interesting riff on the idea. If anyone's interested, I'll dig out the details. > "Poor Man's Crypto", possibly even better than digital crypto, > may consist in creating an artificial language together, and > then using it whenever you don't want to be eavesdropped on. As in thieves' cant. Or Irish. Speaking Irish was such a crime that schoolchildren wore a 'tally-stick' around their necks. Each Irish word meant a notch on the stick. A certain number of notches meant punishment, probably not gentle. Those who imposed this system were Irish, not English. In France, the Africans have an argot called verlins (an anagram of l'invers - the inverse) where syllables within words are transposed, or words are spoken backwards. Not very popular with the Corps Republican Securite. All the best Tiarnan

4 4

CDR: export reg timewarp? (Re: RC4 source as a literate program)
by Michael Motyka 05 Sep '00

05 Sep '00

> The US export regulations no longer prevent export of crypto. PGP > exported binary copies of PGP from US websites, as now do many other > companies. Crypto source is exported also from numerous web sites. > > I don't follow why all the discussion talking as if ITAR and EARs were > still in effect in unmodified form. > > Adam > There is still the prior restraint of having to notify BXA when code is posted. And there is still the influence of the securty types over export licensing. Also there is the recent DeCSS nonsense. Linking is not speech? So what is interesting to me is not so much crypto export regs as it is when is something speech and when is it not. I'm pretty much at peace with my own opinion that I can write and publish in electronic form anything that I can on paper in any language I please and that nobody has any business trying to control me. The different treatment of electronic vs. paper publishing is still open even if the crypto regs have been tweaked Mike

1 0

CDR: RE: de minimus non curat lex
by f00dikator 05 Sep '00

05 Sep '00

The small shall not drive a lexus :-)

1 0

CDR: Treatment of subjugated people (and bagpipes)
by Ray Dillinger 05 Sep '00

05 Sep '00

On Thu, 31 Aug 2000, Sean Roach wrote: >As regards Petro's response to same. >Read up on the history of the U.S.A., and U.K. >Unless I've misinterpreted, slaves were forbidden to learn to read in the U.S. Not exactly. They weren't forbidden to learn; however, it was forbidden for anyone (including other slaves) to teach them. It amounts to the same general thing (instruction being unavailable to them) but when a bunch of slaves gathered around Sojourner Truth for lessons in reading, it was her that was breaking the law, not them. >Native Americans were made to give up thier traditions in favor of >"civilized" customs. Yeah. And some of them did and some of them didn't. >And the Irish were similary denied the ability to read, or to play thier >traditional music. (Bards tended to sing songs counter to the english >policies.) It's a long damn tradition, unfortunately. In England, it goes back to the Norman invasion and the way the Saxons were treated; but the Normans were just copying the Romans, and the Romans were just copying the Greeks. >Last I heard, the bagpipe was still considered a weapon. There's a guy who gives Foghorn "concerts" in Golden Gate Park. He has to wear hearing protection and a padded suit, otherwise it leaves bruises all over his body and he can't hear for a few days. His face still winds up black-and-blue, especially around the eyes. There's a law against playing amplified instruments without a permit -- but foghorns aren't amplified, they're just LOUD. After hearing this guy once, I did an interesting study in sound physics, which leads me to believe it is probably possible to create a vehicle-mounted, deisel-powered bagpipe-like device that could be used to play tunes and which would simultaneously destroy buildings. Considering the bagpipe a weapon isn't that far off.... and not just for reasons of the ideas behind the songs they traditionally accompany. >If I heard right, It became illegal to speak Scottish Gaelic, for a time. When the culture of a conqueror is sufficiently different, and they can get away with it, they always try to take the native language away. That takes away all the old songs and poetry, and most of the stories, and makes it easier to stamp your own culture on a subjugated people. Bear

3 2

CDR: IT NEWS WEEKLY
by news＠bluecom.com 05 Sep '00

05 Sep '00

IT.NEWS WEEKLY September 5, 2000, NO. 14 Welcome again to IT.NEWS - BlueCom's weekly newsletter for all players in the international IT Channel - vendors, distributors, resellers, dealers and brokers. Read about the latest trends in the IT market, products, prices, partnerships, major companies and much more. ------------------------------------------------------- THIS ISSUE: 1. Intel Recall Its 1.13 GHz Pentium III Chip 2. Dream Team Sponsors Linux Lab 3. First Storage Product From IBM/Compaq Alliance 4. Sony to Spend USD 940 Million on Chip Plant 5. Hyundai Joins Anti-Rambus Legal Fight 6. Handheld Makers Foresee Christmas Shortage ------------------------------------------------------- ************** SPONSOR MESSAGE This week's TOP-7 CRAZY prices at BlueCom Danmark A/S Intel Etherexpress Pro 10/100 Mbit WOL ONLY USD 35.50 Click here for the next 6 crazy prices http://www.bluecom.com/top7 ************** 1. Intel Recalls Its 1.13 GHz Pentium III Chip Last week Intel Corp. recalled its 1.13 GHz Pentium III processor on the very day that archrival Advanced Micro Devices Inc. announced that more than 10 PC makers are to produce models using its 1.1 GHz Athlon processor. Intel stated that it was recalling its processor because a lab test had highlighted malfunctions when using certain kernels of the Linux operating systems. The problem apparently results from the higher heat produced by the faster processor and some portion of the Linux code. Analysts say that AMD now has a clear lead in processors, and that Intel launched the 1.13 GHz Pentium III before it was completely ready in an attempt to remain competitive. Intel has announced that it will take several months to correct the problem, which gives AMD more time to ramp up its 1.1 GHz shipments. In the coming months AMD will introduce Athlon chips with even higher speed grains, aiming for 1.5 GHz in the first quarter. Source: CNet News and Electronic Buyers News. 2. Dream Team Sponsors Linux Lab Computing heavyweights IBM, NEC, Intel, Dell Computer and Hewlett Packard are joining with Linux companies to coax the operating system into high-end, multiprocessor machines, the companies announced last week. The computing powerhouses are joining forces to create a laboratory where open-source programmers can improve the performance of Linux and associated software on these expensive servers. The new Open-Source Development Laboratories, due to receive multi-million dollar funding annually from the companies participating, will provide a way for independent programmers to push Linux into this high-prestige domain. Source: CNet News 3. First Storage Product From IBM/Compaq Alliance The first open storage product of the IBM and Compaq alliance has been announced as the Modular Storage Server. The alliance was made public on 6th July. Since then, IBM has undertaken full training of its storage sales force and storage networking architects, plus many of its business partners. Customers will now be able to deploy open storage networking solutions using both IBM and Compaq products. IBM has also announced the availability of 36 gigabyte 10,000 RPM disk drives for its "Shark" Enterprise Storage Server, which can result in a performance improvement of up to 30 percent. It also introduced the IBM FastT200 Storage Server, the industry leading entry level server for the NT marketplace, featuring two one gigabit per second Fibre Channel connections. The Modular Storage Server will be available on 29th September and the FastT200 will be available on the 12th September. Source: IBM 4. Sony to Spend USD 940 Million on Chip Plant Sony stated last week that it will spend more than US$940 million over the next five years on a new plant to produce microchips used in mobile phones, digital cameras and other devices, as the company attempts to increase production of such goods. Sony will begin construction in November in the Kumamoto district on Japan's southern island of Kyushu. The factory is scheduled to begin production in October 2001. Source: Sony 5. Hyundai Joins Anti-Rambus Legal Fight The company says its lawsuit is a pre-emptive strike against Rambus's pressure to license its synchronous technology. At stake is the validity of the patents protecting the technology for memory ICs, microprocessors, and core-logic chipsets - and therefore who gets to control the industry's future. Similarly, Hyundai has joined Micron Technology in a separate effort to invalidate patents held by memory intellectual property designer Rambus. Source: TechWeb 6. Handheld Makers Foresee Christmas Shortage Palm, Handspring, Sony and other makers of handheld computers will have trouble filling orders for rhe Christmas period because of the ongoing parts shortage, according to executives and analysts. "We're in backlog on literally every single product in the line," Palm chief competitive officer Michael Mace said. "Today the thing holding us back is our ability to procure parts. That is by far the biggest barrier to further growth by Palm". Supplies are short, in part because of a scarcity of components such as liquid crystal displays, colour screens and flash-memory chips. Palm and the other handheld computer makers use many of the same components as cell phone makers and game console makers. More people are buying such devices and can sometimes afford to upgrade to newer products each year as prices drop, further straining supplies, said Rob Enderle, an analyst with technology market researcher Giga Information Group. Because electronic organizers have become more popular than expected, the shortages could persist through 2001 and threaten the widespread acceptance of the devices. Source: CNet News ************** SPONSOR MESSAGE This week's TOP-7 CRAZY prices at BlueCom Danmark A/S Intel Etherexpress Pro 10/100 Mbit WOL ONLY USD 35.50 Click here for the next 6 crazy prices http://www.bluecom.com/top7 ************** Please click here to unsubscribe to this newsletter http://www.bluecom.com/unsubscribe

1 0

CDR: Re: Is kerberos broken?
by Tom Vogt 05 Sep '00

05 Sep '00

petro wrote: > Of course, a *simple* substitution of one word (or even > spaces) would make this *much* harder. > > "Friends, Romulans, fellow countrymen, lend me your beers..." not likely. crack has been guessing simple substitutions for years.

2 2