December 2001 - cypherpunks-legacy

IP: Antivirus firms deny Magic Lantern backdoor plans (fwd)
by Eugene Leitl 11 Dec '01

11 Dec '01

-- Eugen* Leitl <a href="http://leitl.org">leitl</a> ______________________________________________________________ ICBMTO: N48 04'14.8'' E11 36'41.2'' http://www.leitl.org 57F9CFD3: ED90 0433 EB74 E4A9 537F CFF5 86E7 629B 57F9 CFD3 ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Tue, 11 Dec 2001 06:04:54 -0500 From: David Farber <dave(a)farber.net> Reply-To: farber(a)cis.upenn.edu To: ip-sub-1(a)majordomo.pobox.com Subject: IP: Antivirus firms deny Magic Lantern backdoor plans >From: "Bill Sodeman" <bill(a)sodeman.com> >To: <farber(a)cis.upenn.edu> >Subject: Antivirus firms deny Magic Lantern backdoor plans >Date: Mon, 10 Dec 2001 23:47:17 -0600 >X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook, Build 10.0.3311 >Importance: Normal > >http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20011210/tc/attack_tech_dc.html > >Monday December 10 8:30 PM ET >Antivirus Firms Say They Won't Create FBI Loophole >By Elinor Mills Abreu > >SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Anti-virus software vendors said on Monday >they don't want to create a loophole in their security products to let >the FBI or other government agencies use a virus to eavesdrop on the >computer communications of suspected criminals. > >Under a project code named "Magic Lantern," the U.S. Federal Bureau of >Investigation is creating an e-mail-borne virus or Trojan horse that >hides itself on the computer and captures all keystrokes made, including >passwords that could be used to read encrypted mail, according to a >report on MSNBC.com in November. > >Despite subsequent reports to the contrary, officials at Symantec Corp. >and Network Associates Inc. said they had no intention of voluntarily >modifying their products to satisfy the FBI. Spokesmen at two other >computer security companies, Japan-based Trend Micro Inc. and the U.S. >subsidiary of UK-based Sophos PLc., made similar statements. > >All four anti-virus companies said they had not contacted or been >contacted by the U.S. government on the matter. > >"We're in the business of providing a virus-free environment for our >users and we're not going to do anything to compromise that security," >said Tony Thompson of Network Associates. > >"Symantec's first priority is to protect our customers from malicious >and illegal attacks," Symantec Chief Executive John W. Thompson said in >a statement. "We have no intention of creating or leaving a hole in our >software that might compromise that security." > >If anti-virus vendors were to leave a hole for an FBI-created Trojan >horse program, malicious hackers would try to exploit the hole too, >experts said. > >"If you leave the weakness for the FBI, you leave it for everybody," >said Fred Cohen, an independent security expert and digital forensics >professor at the University of New Haven. > > >From the industry perspective, leaving a hole in anti-virus software >would erode public confidence and damage the reputation of the vendor, >sending customers to competing companies, the vendors said. > >The government would have to convince all anti-virus vendors to >cooperate or the plan wouldn't work, since those not cooperating would >have a market advantage and since they all share information, said a >Symantec spokeswoman. > >"The thought that you would be able to convince the industry as a whole >to do this is kind of naive," she said. > >All four anti-virus companies said they had not contacted or been >contacted by the U.S. government on the matter. > >The FBI declined to confirm or deny the report about "Magic Lantern," >when it was first published by MSNBC.com and a spokesman was not >available for comment on Monday. > >PLAN WOULD ALIENATE OTHER COUNTRIES > >Symantec and Networks Associates, both of whom have investments in >China, would not jeopardize their footings in that market, said Rob >Rosenberger, editor of www.vmyths.com, a Web site that debunks virus >hoaxes. > >"If (the Chinese) thought that the company was a tool of the CIA (news - >web sites), China would stop using those products in critical >environments," Rosenberger said. "It is in the best interest of >anti-virus vendors not to heed the call of the FBI." > >"We always try to cooperate with the authorities when it's appropriate. >Having said that, our No. 1 goal is to protect our customers," said >Barbara Woolf of Trend Micro. "I've heard reports that the government is >upset this got out and is going back to the drawing board." > >Appeasing the U.S. government would be difficult for vendors who have >parent companies and customers outside the United States, they said. > >"If the laws of the land were to change to permit this kind of activity >then we would abide by the law," said David Hughes, president of Sophos' >U.S. subsidiary. > >But "how would a vendor provide protection for customers outside of the >specific jurisdiction?" Hughes asked. "If we were to do this for the >U.S. government we'd also have to do it for the government of any other >nation that would want to do something similar." > > >========================== > >Bill Sodeman >bill(a)sodeman.com / http://bill.sodeman.com > >1-512-845-0119 For archives see: http://www.interesting-people.org/archives/interesting-people/

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by Early Bird 11 Dec '01

11 Dec '01

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Please CONFIRM your SUBSCRIPTION to our list
by SubscribeMail＠advanced.visitbrightstar.com 11 Dec '01

11 Dec '01

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The Fading Altruism of Open Source Development
by mattd 11 Dec '01

11 Dec '01

"...regardless of how software is produced in the real world, its increasing extensibility seems to be in the public interest and should be encouraged where feasible." Last sentence.Misleading leadin methinks,jimmy.However,if true may be balanced by...Twilight of the crypto-geeks Lone-wolf digital libertarians are beginning to abandon their faith in technology uber alles and espouse suspiciously socialist-sounding ideas. At... http://www.salon.com/tech/feature/2000/04/13/libertarians/print.html Wots pantheists jim?,we have black panthers running free in this state,I saw one once and one was filmed just recently.

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RE: eCash reported mortally wounded...
by Anonymous 11 Dec '01

11 Dec '01

Lucky Green wrote: > Eugene wrote: > > On Sun, 9 Dec 2001, Lucky Green wrote: > > > > > --Lucky, waiting patiently for 2005. > > > > Patent expiration date? Which one? > > US Patent 4759063 "Blind Signature Systems" will expire on July 19, > 2005. Given that this is a Tuesday and taking into account that whoever > may own the patents at that time is not about to file a patent > infringement suit on Monday, the last day the patent is valid, I hereby > announce a patent expiration party at my place on Saturday, July 16 > 2005. No need to wait so long for ecash implementations. Ben Laurie's Lucre software uses Wagner blinding, which is a non-signature based blinding system. The coin can only be verified by the bank, contrary to the definition of a digital signature, so the blind signature patent does not apply. Read more at http://anoncvs.aldigital.co.uk/lucre/.

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Thuraya Profits From Satphone Stampede
by Steve Schear 11 Dec '01

11 Dec '01

Thuraya Profits From Satphone Stampede This year's war on terrorism has proved to be a good thing for the Thuraya satphone, with everyone from journalists to warlords buying the phones in Afghanistan. Savanna International Telecommunication, which is selling the phones and service, says it isn't asking any questions; rather, it is just taking in the money. During the past five days, the carrier says it has sold more than 120 sets, and people continue to stand in line for the $700 handsets. Savanna says its phones can't be monitored, but others are skeptical of this claim. Reported by The Gulf News. http://www.offshoretele.com/product/hss.htm

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Professor Punished for Witty Remark
by Eric Cordian 11 Dec '01

11 Dec '01

There's also a blacklist on the Web of people in academia who have publicly stated less than glowing support for Bush's war against "evil." McCarthyism meets Wounded Knee meets Mike Echols. :) ----- ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- A University of New Mexico history professor who joked in class about the Sept. 11 attacks has been barred from teaching freshmen for now, the school said Monday. Professor Richard Berthold will also get a letter of reprimand and undergo review, said Brian L. Foster, university provost. The 55-year-old tenured professor told a freshman history class just after the attacks that "anyone who can blow up the Pentagon has my vote." Berthold has apologized for his comment, which he called "an incredibly stupid joke." He did not immediately return a phone call Monday. Berthold stayed off campus for a brief period while police investigated obscene and threatening calls to the history department. He also said he was assaulted in front of his home. -- Eric Michael Cordian 0+ O:.T:.O:. Mathematical Munitions Division "Do What Thou Wilt Shall Be The Whole Of The Law"

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11 Dec '01

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Re: "Spoiling" digital cash
by Anonymous 11 Dec '01

11 Dec '01

"George" writes: > Th idea is, when buying some good or service with > digital cash, the customer first forwards the cash to the vendor > in some transformed way such that the vendor > can't yet spend it, but can verify that it is > good cash of the correct amount, and that > the customer will no longer be able to spend it. > > The idea is, if the vendor follows through on his side, > the customer will supply the additional information the > vendor will need to redeem the cash. The customer can still > rip the vendor off by refusing to do so, but he has no incentive, > the money's already gone for him. Conversely, an > unscrupulous "vendor" could in principle trick a customer > into throwing away money on nothing, but he would gain no profit > in doing so. Yep, see Marcus Jakobsson, "Ripping Coins for Fair Exchange", http://www-cse.ucsd.edu/users/markus/rip.ps. The idea is analogous to tearing a $100 bill in half and giving half to the taxi driver so he'll wait while you go take care of some business. The two halves together are worth $100, but either alone is worthless. Once you give him the first half you're out $100, so you have no incentive to cheat him by not giving the other half when you come back. A simplification of Jakobsson's scheme works with Chaumian blinded cash where the bank's RSA exponent e = e1*e2, where e1 > 1 is an odd integer and e2 is prime. The passenger (in the taxi example) withdrew the coin by choosing a value x which had some special structure, blinding it and getting a signature s on x such that s^e = x, mod n. To spend the coin normally he would reveal x and s which the bank would accept as it satisfies this relation. To rip the coin, the passenger gives the taxi driver t = s^e1, along with x. The driver can verify that t^e2 = s^(e1*e2) = s^e1 = x mod n which tells him that it is a real coin. He also sends (t, x) to the bank, which verifies that no such x has been spent before (no double spending) and also stores x as a ripped coin such that only the driver can spend it. When the passenger comes back he gives the taxi driver s, the real RSA signature, so the driver can now spend the coin for good. The passenger can't renege and spend the coin himself because the driver has put a block on that x value in the database.

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Threats to kill,"A cry for help"
by mattd 11 Dec '01

11 Dec '01

A doctor called Asperger that we'll call Hans Had plenty to do and plenty of plans To name a syndrome after himself So that people like me weren't left on the shelf Many years later thanks to Old Hans People were diagnosed and they became his fans Parents and doctors and teachers alike Understood Asperger Syndrome just like riding a bike They thanked Old Hans many years on As the diagnosis kept going on and on Lots of research does even more good Just like the books by Tony Attwood Hans Asperger is sadly no longer with us But he did leave a lot so that he could give us We thank him for making our lives much easier And I myself feel a whole lot pleasier. QUESTION: Where did the name Asperger Syndrome comes from? ANSWER: Hans Asperger, an Austrian scientist in 1944, discovered the syndrome. He found out why children and adults behaved differently from other people and linked it with autism, except that he found that these people had average or above average intelligence. The word Asperger also seems to be a Dutch word as a language translation website proved, the word means "sparrow grass" in English. We believe that the words Asperger and asparagus are related to each other as both words translate as exactly the same word. Someone also told me that the French word asperge also seems to be a translation for both Asperger and asparagus.

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