August 2001 - cypherpunks-legacy

Teasing happy fun court
by Adam Shostack 08 Aug '01

08 Aug '01

> Lawyers May Reveal Secrets of Clients, Bar Group Rules > Backers of an initiative to overhaul legal ethics rules, allowing > lawyers more leeway to disclose client confidences to prevent fraud, > injury or death, won a partial victory at the annual meeting of the > American Bar Association in Chicago this week. > > The House of Delegates, the body that sets policy for the > organization, voted 243 to 184 on Monday to approve a proposal > allowing lawyers to disclose confidences when doing so prevents > "reasonably certain death or substantial bodily harm." http://www.nytimes.com/2001/08/08/national/08ETHI.html -- "It is seldom that liberty of any kind is lost all at once." -Hume

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Mixmaster Message Drops
by Public <Anonymous_Account> 08 Aug '01

08 Aug '01

My studies show about 1 chance in 20 that any particular running remailer will drop a message. This is based on sending a bunch of messages through chains of remailers of varying length and seeing how many arrive in a day or so, and then calculating the average probability. Note that in a chain of twenty remailers this causes many messages to be dropped. Even if we achieve a reliability rate of 1 in 100,000, this means about 1 in 5000 messages will be lost through a chain of 20 remailers. For some reason remailer culture has accepted message drops as normal. They aren't normal. There isn't any reason why a remailer should be any less reliable than a mail server. I estimate mail servers are far more reliable than 1 loss in 100,000 messages. One possibility is that some of my tests went through remailers that are just down. This hasn't been ruled out beyond any reasonable doubt, but it appears that the drops are occuring in remailers which are still carrying traffic. I did an extensive series of tests with an internal mixmaster network running Mixmaster 2.0.3. I had to fool around with it, but I was able to run many hundreds of messages through chains of 20 hops without a single message drop. The core software appears to be solid (unless bugs have been introduced into more recent releases ;-), but the setup needs to be tweaked. The practice of putting something like this into .forward is a problem: "|/usr9/loki/Devel/Mix/mixmaster -R >> /usr/spool/mail/username" If too many messages come in at once this brings a machine to its knees because it runs many mixmaster processes at once. There may also be a bug in mixmaster which is only expressed when many mixmaster processes simultaneously tries to queue a message. FYI, this also creates an easy DoS on a mixmaster node. Just send the node a bunch of messages which loop back into itself over and over again. This should rapidly cause sendmail to spawn many mixmaster processes and lock up the machine. I haven't tried this on anybody else's mixmaster node. The solution is to have a small program which puts incoming messages into a spool file. I've enclosed the perl script I used, which comes with no guarantees and hasn't been tested all that much. (It would be nice if errors went to a log file instead of being bounced.) The script copies the message into a file in the spool directory starting with "temp". Then it moves it to a file starting with "spool". The reason for the move is to guarantee that all "spool" files are complete messages. The time of creation is encoded in the name so a processing program can get the files in order. The other pieces needed are a small perl script which monitors the spool directory and calls mixmaster to queue up each file and another process which calls mixmaster repeatedly to process the queued messages. This setup causes no more than two mixmaster processes to run at a time and is more robust. Would somebody mind polling the remailer operators to see how many are running mixmaster directly from .forward? I suspect this is most of the problem. If it isn't, we need to eliminate it before pursuing the next suspect. ---cut here------cut here------cut here------cut here------cut here------cut here--- #!/usr/bin/perl -w # This code is in the public domain. # Put in a .forward file. Spools mail into a directory for processing # by something else. require 5; use strict; use English; my(@pwvals) = getpwuid($UID); my($homedir) = $pwvals[7]; my($spooldir) = "$homedir/spool"; die "Home directory doesn't exist." if ! -e $homedir; die "Home directory isn't a directory." if ! -d $homedir; die "$spooldir doesn't exist." if ! -e $spooldir; die "$spooldir is not a directory." if ! -d $spooldir; my($now) = time; my($now_string); if( length($now) < 12 ) { $now_string = ('0' x (12 - length($now))) . $now; } my($temppath) = "$spooldir/temp.$now_string.$$"; die "Amazingly, $temppath already exists." if -e $temppath; open(SPOOLFILE, ">$temppath") or die "Could not open $temppath for writing.\n"; while(<>) { print SPOOLFILE $_; } close(SPOOLFILE); my($spoolpath) = "$spooldir/spool.$now_string.$$"; die "Amazingly, $spoolpath already exists." if -e $spoolpath; if( ! rename $temppath, $spoolpath ) { die "Could not rename $temppath to $spoolpath."; } # Let sendmail know everything is fine. exit(0);

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Linux On Steroids: DIY supercomputer software from Sandia
by Faustine 08 Aug '01

08 Aug '01

Lots of interesting possibilities for cryptographic applications, I'm sure... Massively Parallel Computational Research Laboratory http://www.cs.sandia.gov/ Linux On Steroids By Jason Levitt You can salivate over the fastest computers in the world by browsing http://www.top500.org, or you can build your own. Sandia National Laboratories, which conducts research under the auspices of the Department of Energy, has released Cplant open-source software for building Linux supercomputing clusters. -->The 50 Mbytes of source code is available free to those who want to build a supercomputer using off-the-shelf hardware.<-- Cplant is designed to link PCs running Linux to create highly scalable, parallel computing clusters typically used for intensive number-crunching required by activities such as seismic research and economic forecasting. Building your own Linux cluster capable of supercomputer-class computing still will cost thousands, but by using conventional PCs running Linux, a Cplant cluster will be several orders of magnitude cheaper than a Sun E10000 Starfire, a Fujitsu VPP5000, or any other name-brand supercomputer or proprietary clustering system. "Our systems are roughly four times cheaper for the same Linpack number," says Neil Pundit, department manager of scalable computer systems at Sandia, in Albuquerque, N.M. Linpack is a benchmark program widely used to rate the basic computational performance of supercomputers. A 1,000-node Cplant cluster ranked 31st last year on the http://www.top500.org site with a Linpack number of 512 gigaflops. The Cplant software can be downloaded at http://www.sandia.gov. Sandia's Linux cluster, Antarctica, is one of the largest and most powerful in the world, with 1,500 rack-mounted Compaq 1U servers, each with a 466- MHz Alpha CPU and 256 Mbytes of RAM. The machines are interconnected using Myricom Inc.'s Myrinet gigabit clustering hardware, which is widely used for clustering and is sold by 18 of the 20 largest computer companies. The Cplant software requires you to use Myricom's clustering hardware, which roughly doubles the cost of hardware for each Linux system but is a key component of Cplant's fast internode communication. Sandia uses Antarctica to simulate physical phenomena such as the effects of radioactive materials as well as for weather forecasting.

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lynx for mirroring? (Re: Advertisements on Web Pages)
by Subcommander Bob 08 Aug '01

08 Aug '01

At 10:41 PM 8/7/01 -0500, measl(a)mfn.org wrote: > >> >(I'm surprised no one has urged me to use Lynx. Is it still being used?) >> >> For very limited values of "used", yes. Declan once gave a lynx command line that would download a website (recursing) less the images, of course. I found it didn't preserve file names or directory hierarchy, so it was less useful for mirroring sites I anticipated being oppressed. Can anyone recommend a better tool? For wintel?

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Product Give Away - Take 5 !
by Stephanie Key 08 Aug '01

08 Aug '01

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Thought-A-Day
by Fountain Of Joy 08 Aug '01

08 Aug '01

When anger rises, think of the consequences. --Confucius ===================================================== Your name has been recommended to receive thoughts of wisdom from Fountain of Joy. These thoughts will be delivered, free of cost, to your desktop,everyday, for an initial evaluation period of 60 days+.We believe that the meaningful insights of these carefully selected thoughts will make your life peaceful,successful & happy in a way you had never imagined before. If you have received this email in error & if you wish to unsubscribe, reply to this email with 'remove' in the subject line or click mailto:amaha@vsnl.net?subject=remove Director Fountain of Joy

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Re: Secret Warrants and Black Bag Jobs--Questions
by Faustine 08 Aug '01

08 Aug '01

Here's the most comprehensive source of case law covering the subject I've ever seen: Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section (CCIPS) Searching and Seizing Computers and Obtaining Electronic Evidence in Criminal Investigations "This publication provides a comprehensive guide to the legal issues that arise when federal law enforcement agents search and seize computers and obtain electronic evidence in criminal investigations. The topics covered include the application of the Fourth Amendment to computers and the Internet, the Electronic Communications Privacy Act, workplace privacy, the law of electronic surveillance, and evidentiary issues. This publication supersedes "Federal Guidelines for Searching and Seizing Computers" (1994), as well as the Guidelines' 1997 and 1999 Supplements." http://www.usdoj.gov/criminal/cybercrime/searching.html

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Watermarks, Satellite Hacking, DMCA and more.
by Peter Wayner 08 Aug '01

08 Aug '01

Lately I've been researching the world of satellite signal hacking. Some people think that there may be as many as 1 million people hacking into the DirecTV satellite signal so they can watch all of the sports, all of the movies and all of the porn without paying. As an experiment I decided to sell electronic copies of a long story on the topic. I think both the payment system and the watermarking/copyright protection mechanisms are pretty novel. To get a copy all you need to do is send 75 cents from a paypal account to satstory(a)flyzone.com. You'll get a personalized watermarked copy in return. This is a far cry from the micropayment digital cash systems of our dreams, but it is fully functional. The watermark is not sophisticated. You can learn how to disable it in the copyright notice to the story. There's no challenge for the 3L33t h4X0rs among you. After all of the fuss about copyright circumvention, I thought a light touch may be better. It was also substantially easier to engineer. My guess is that the ease of use will bring in more sales than are lost to hackers. More information can be found here: http://www.flyzone.com/satstory/ Please let me know if you have any thoughts, complaints, or other suggestions. Peter Wayner pcw(a)flyzone.com

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Pavlovich
by Aimee Farr 08 Aug '01

08 Aug '01

http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/data2/californiastatecases/h021961.pdf Filed 8/7/01 CERTIFIED FOR PUBLICATION IN THE COURT OF APPEAL OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA SIXTH APPELLATE DISTRICT MATTHEW PAVLOVICH, Petitioner, v. THE SUPERIOR COURT OF SANTA CLARA COUNTY, Respondent; DVD COPY CONTROL ASSOCIATION, INC., Real Party in Interest. H021961 (Santa Clara County Super. Ct. No. CV786804) Petitioner Matthew Pavlovich petitions for a writ of mandate to compel the trial court to quash service of process. We deny the petition. PROCEDURAL HISTORY On December 27, 1999, real party in interest DVD Copy Control Association, Inc. (DVD CCA) filed a complaint in the superior court against petitioner and other defendants for misappropriation of trade secrets. The complaint alleged that petitioner had repeatedly republished DVD CCAs trade secrets and copyrighted material throughout the Internet. ...Pavlovich is the president of a start-up technology company. He was, [f]or the most part of . . . four years, a computer engineering student at Purdue University, and had worked as a computer technician for Best Buy and Pingtek Corporation. The discovery materials on record indicate that Pavlovich and the other defendants developed and/or posted computer programs on the Internet, including a program called DeCSS, that misappropriate DVD CCAs trade secrets. Such computer programs have been designed... ...The question in this case is whether Californias long-arm statute reaches owners, publishers, and operators of those Web sites when, in violation of California law, they make available for copying or distribution trade secrets or copyrighted material of California companies. We hold it does. ...Here, Pavlovich, a computer engineering student, a technician in the computer and telecommunications industry, and the founder and president of a start-up technology company, knew that California is commonly known as the center of the motion picture industry, and that the computer industry holds a commanding presence in the state. In his deposition, Pavlovich spoke of Californias dominance in the motion picture industry, as follows: Q. . . . Are you aware -- do you have any understanding where the major motion pictures studios [sic] are located? A [by Pavlovich]. By major Im just going to go out on a limb here in that you mean some of the larger motion picture producers or production companies. Q. Thats correct. The sort of plaintiffs that were the plaintiffs in the matter that you were just an expert witness in. A. Okay. That makes a lot of sense. Yeah, they make a lot of movies in California, Hollywood, yeah. Q. Right. So whats your understanding of the term Hollywood? A. Hollywood is the big area in California where they make a lot of movies and a lot of movie stars live and whatnot. ...So also here, the fact that Pavlovich used the new medium of the Internet to inflict harm on a California plaintiff, instead of the print media that was used in Calder, is irrelevant. It should not matter whether the delivery system used to inflict the injury is the traditional delivery system of air, land, or sea transportation, or the cutting-edge technological system of cyberspace, satellites, cable, and electro-magnetic waves. ...Pavlovich cannot claim innocent intent. As a computer engineering student, a technician in the computer and telecommunications industry, a founder and president of a technology start-up company, and a leader in the open source movement, Pavlovich knew, or should have known, that by posting the misappropriated information on the Internet, he was making the information available to a wide range of Internet users and consumers throughout the Internet world, including users and consumers in California. Accordingly, there is sufficient showing of purposeful availment within the.... [...] ~Aimee

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Calif law applies everywhere; DeCSS
by Alfred Qaeda 08 Aug '01

08 Aug '01

http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/cn/20010807/tc/out-of-state_resident_can_be_su… Out-of-state resident can be sued in DVD case By Jim Hu CNET News.com An out-of-state resident who allegedly posted computer code that circumvents DVD encryption measures can be sued under California law, a California appeals court ruled Tuesday. The Sixth Appellate Court of California decided that Matthew Pavlovich, who is not a California resident, could be tried for violating the state's trade secrets law. "The reach of the Internet is also the reach of the extension of the poster's presence," the ruling stated. The decision follows what appeared to have been a small victory for Pavlovich in December 2000, when the California Supreme Court ordered a lower court to show he should remain in the case even though he is not a California resident. Because of the ruling, others involved in the case living outside California will remain under the state's jurisdiction. The ruling could show that the Internet is not immune to California's long-arm statutes even when the publisher of the site is located outside the state. The DVD Copy Control Association originally filed a complaint in December 1999 against Pavlovich for allegedly posting the DeCSS (news - web sites) code on his Web site. The suit was meant to prevent the dissemination of DeCSS, a code whose original intent was to let programmers create a DVD player for Linux (news - web sites) machines. The movie industry and DVD CCA argued that DeCSS could be used to illegally copy DVDs and have taken legal action against people posting the code on their sites. In a federal case filed in New York, for example, the Motion Picture Association of America is suing 2600, a site that published and linked to the DeCSS code. Allon Levy, the attorney representing Pavlovich, could not be reached for comment. "The very significance in it has held that persons like Pavlovich in various parts of the country are subject to jurisdiction in a California court if they did what Pavlovich did," said Robert Sugarman, an attorney at Weil, Gotshal & Manges and a legal counsel for the DVD CCA.

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