November 2003 - cypherpunks-legacy

[mnet-devel] Grid Of Trust -- pre-design (fwd from amichrisde@yahoo.de)
by Eugen Leitl 21 Nov '03

21 Nov '03

----- Forwarded message from Some Guy <amichrisde(a)yahoo.de> -----

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test mail-pls ignore
by Sarad AV 21 Nov '03

21 Nov '03

test. __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Free Pop-Up Blocker - Get it now http://companion.yahoo.com/

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Re: Freedomphone
by Morlock Elloi 20 Nov '03

20 Nov '03

> From what I've gathered from the diagrams in [1], it seems to be using > AES-256 > in counter-mode XORed together with Twofish counter-mode output, Twofish also > being keyed with a 256 bit value. I sense paranoia here - but being paranoid > myself sometimes I very much welcome this decision! Those two keys are All I'd ask for in addition is ability for both sides to type in 10-40 digit secret key that they communicated in any way they chose, and have that XORed as well ... ===== end (of original message) Y-a*h*o-o (yes, they scan for this) spam follows: __________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Free Pop-Up Blocker - Get it now http://companion.yahoo.com/

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Re: Freedomphone
by Steve Schear 20 Nov '03

20 Nov '03

At 01:39 PM 11/19/2003 -0500, Jack Lloyd wrote: > > > "We allow everyone to check the security for themselves, because > > > we're the only ones who publish the source code," said Rop Gonggrijp > >"We are currently performing a internal round of reviews with a expert >group of security researchers and cryptographers. Depending on the results >of this review and the time it takes us to implement the relevant >recommendations, our current plan is to have the Source available for >Download: 23.11.2003" (http://www.cryptophone.de/html/downloads_en.html) > >We'll see. If and when this is accomplished the source could then be used, if it can't already, for PC-PC secure communications. A practical replacement for SpeakFreely may be at hand. The limitation of either direct phone or ISDN connection requirement is a problem though. steve

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can you hear me now?
by Major Variola (ret.) 20 Nov '03

20 Nov '03

"The ultimate in paranoia is not when everyone is against you but when everything is against you." ---PKD An appeals court this week put the brakes on an FBI surveillance technique that turns an automobile driver's on-board vehicle navigation system into a covert eavesdropping device, after finding that the spying effectively disables the system's emergency and roadside assistance features ...in which agents obtained a court order compelling a telematics company to secretly activate the stolen vehicle recovery feature in a customer's car. The feature, designed to listen-in on car thieves as they cruise around in a stolen auto, turns on a dashboard microphone and pipes conversations out over a cellphone connection -- normally to the company's response center, but in this case to an FBI listening post. http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/55/34100.html

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israeli torture center reason for no satellite pix?
by Major Variola (ret.) 20 Nov '03

20 Nov '03

The US has restrictions on even commercial satellite photos of Israel. http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/Story/0,2763,1084796,00.html might indicate why --the torture center is airbrushed out of other pix. ---- The price of empire is death.

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Cisco pushes for license to surf
by Eugen Leitl 20 Nov '03

20 Nov '03

Dumb, dumb idea. Almost as bad as Palladium. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2003/11/1… BUGP6351V31.DTL Cisco security initiative 4 major firms working to head off Net attacks David R. Baker, Chronicle Staff Writer Wednesday, November 19, 2003 In an unusual alliance among staunch competitors, Cisco Systems will collaborate with three of the largest computer security firms to fight virus and worm attacks. Cisco, Network Associates, Symantec and Trend Micro will develop a new system for protecting networks against infection. The system, which the four firms hope to start selling early next year, will be able to block network access to any computer or device that doesn't have its own security measures in place. Hackers' increasing sophistication -- as well as a little competitive pressure -- drove the companies to work together. In a conference call Tuesday, the chief executives of all four firms said virulent programs like Blaster and Slammer demanded a more coordinated defense, with security programs and hardware working together off a shared set of standards. "Clearly, nothing like this can be done without collaboration among industry leaders," said John Thompson, CEO of Symantec Corp. Cisco helped bring the competing security firms together by describing the initiative to customers and asking them to lobby Network Associates, Symantec and Trend Micro to participate, said Bob Gleichauf, Cisco's chief technology officer for security. And knowing that their competitors were interested, none of the firms wanted to be left out in the cold, he said. "Everybody realized that it was in their interests and in the customers' interests to do this," Gleichauf said in an interview. Other security firms will be allowed to join the initiative by licensing the necessary software. The system under development will allow a computer network to check the safety of incoming traffic. Any device trying to connect to the network will be checked to see whether it has security measures already in place. Those that don't can be denied access, shunted off into a quarantined segment of the network or forced to download a security program. The announcement of the collaboration had little effect on the companies' stocks. Cisco closed down 1.45 percent at $21.73. Network Associates slid 5.44 percent to $13.03, Symantec Corp. dropped 7.13 percent to $61.35, and Trend Micro gained 3.43 percent to close at $24.41. E-mail David R. Baker at dbaker(a)sfchronicle.com. -- Eugen* Leitl <a href="http://leitl.org">leitl</a> ______________________________________________________________ ICBM: 48.07078, 11.61144 http://www.leitl.org 8B29F6BE: 099D 78BA 2FD3 B014 B08A 7779 75B0 2443 8B29 F6BE http://moleculardevices.org http://nanomachines.net [demime 0.97c removed an attachment of type application/pgp-signature]

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Re: Freedomphone
by Major Variola (ret) 20 Nov '03

20 Nov '03

At 12:59 PM 11/19/03 -0800, Steve Schear wrote: >If and when this is accomplished the source could then be used, if it can't >already, for PC-PC secure communications. They claim to be releasing code for PCs for free. A practical replacement for >SpeakFreely may be at hand. The limitation of either direct phone or ISDN >connection requirement is a problem though. Since they use GSM *data* services, and since quality affects *delay* in their setup, they may be hindered by users acceptance. However, it might also be a reminder to the users of why they payed the kiloEuros. Read their FAQ. They have total clue. No one should think less of them for trying to make a Euro at first, paid by users well able to pay the price, endure the problems, and Metcalfe's law inconveniences. That's techonomics -CD players cost a kilobuck at first, and not every content was available. ----- An RPG a day keeps the invaders away.

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9th Cir. lets prisoners get books, rejects "encrypted" claim
by Declan McCullagh 19 Nov '03

19 Nov '03

TODD LEWIS ASHKER, Plaintiff-Appellee, v. CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS; JAMES GOMEZ; G. BONNIE GARIBAY; S. BONACCORSO; M. JENSEN; S. CAMBRA; S. STEINBERG, M.D.; WINSLOW; DR. ASTORGA; C. GOLLIHAR; S. RICCI, M.T.A.; K. BUTCHER; B. PATTON; M. BILLINGTON; B. GRINSTEAD; JOE MCGRATH, Warden, Defendants-Appellants. No. 02-17077 UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE NINTH CIRCUIT October 7, 2003, Argued and Submitted, San Francisco, California November 18, 2003, Filed PRIOR HISTORY: [*1] Appeal from the United States District Court for the Northern District of California. D.C. No. CV 97-1109 CW. Claudia Wilken, District Judge, Presiding. ... OPINION: TASHIMA, Circuit Judge: Defendants-Appellants, the California Department of Corrections and various prison officials (collectively, "CDC"), appeal an order of the district court granting summary judgment in favor of Plaintiff-Appellee, Todd Lewis Ashker, and issuing a permanent injunction against CDC. Ashker, a state prisoner housed in the Security Housing Unit ("SHU") at Pelican Bay State Prison ("PBSP"), challenged a prison policy requiring books and magazines mailed to the prison to have an approved vendor label affixed to [*2] the package. In a published opinion, the district court granted summary judgment in favor of Ashker because the policy unreasonably burdened Ashker's <http://www.lexis.com/research//research/buttonTFLink?_m=f301d9b0bbfb87b5626…>First Amendment rights and was not rationally related to a legitimate penological objective. <http://www.lexis.com/research//research/buttonTFLink?_m=f301d9b0bbfb87b5626…>Ashker v. Cal. Dep't of Corr.<http://www.lexis.com/research//research/buttonTFLink?_m=f301d9b0bbfb87b5626…>, 224 F. Supp. 2d 1253, 1262 (N.D. Cal. 2002). The court further held that Ashker was entitled to injunctive relief and issued a permanent injunction enjoining PBSP from enforcing the book label requirement. <http://www.lexis.com/research//research/buttonTFLink?_m=f301d9b0bbfb87b5626…>Id.<http://www.lexis.com/research//research/buttonTFLink?_m=f301d9b0bbfb87b5626…> at 1263-64. Our jurisdiction is pursuant to <http://www.lexis.com/research//research/buttonTFLink?_m=f301d9b0bbfb87b5626…>28 U.S.C. '' 1291<http://www.lexis.com/research//research/buttonTFLink?_m=f301d9b0bbfb87b5626…> and 1292(a). n1 We affirm. ... Glen Rodman, a sergeant at PBSP in Receiving and Release ("R&R"), explained that the majority of SHU inmates are involved in gang activity and are therefore likely to receive contraband in the mail, such as books containing drugs or encrypted with gang messages. All items received by PBSP are inspected for contraband and may further be inspected by a fluoroscope machine. Because such machines cannot detect encrypted material, the book label requirement is an additional security measure designed "to help ensure that reading material comes directly from the vendor, as opposed to passing through an unknown third party." According to Rodman, "an additional purpose served by the book label requirement is to reduce the amount of material that is required to be individually screened by" the three R&R staff members who are responsible for tracking the mail, searching it for contraband, and delivering approved materials to inmates. ... We agree with the district court that the evidence submitted by both Ashker and CDC "refutes any common-sense connection between the book label policy and PBSP's legitimate goals of ensuring against contraband and providing prison safety." <http://www.lexis.com/research//research/buttonTFLink?_m=f301d9b0bbfb87b5626…>Ashker<http://www.lexis.com/research//research/buttonTFLink?_m=f301d9b0bbfb87b5626…>, 224 F. Supp. 2d at 1260. When the inmate presents such evidence, the state is required to "'present enough counter-evidence to show that the connection is not so remote as to render the policy arbitrary or irrational.'" <http://www.lexis.com/research//research/buttonTFLink?_m=f301d9b0bbfb87b5626…>Prison Legal News<http://www.lexis.com/research//research/buttonTFLink?_m=f301d9b0bbfb87b5626…>, 238 F.3d at 1150 (quoting <http://www.lexis.com/research//research/buttonTFLink?_m=f301d9b0bbfb87b5626…>Frost<http://www.lexis.com/research//research/buttonTFLink?_m=f301d9b0bbfb87b5626…>, 197 F.3d at 357). CDC has failed to do so. First, CDC already [*12] requires that books be sent directly from approved vendors. As the district court reasoned, prison staff can easily determine whether packages have been sent directly by vendors or have been sent to a third party first by checking address labels and invoices. See <http://www.lexis.com/research//research/buttonTFLink?_m=f301d9b0bbfb87b5626…>Ashker<http://www.lexis.com/research//research/buttonTFLink?_m=f301d9b0bbfb87b5626…>, 224 F. Supp. 2d at 1261. If the package had been sent to a third party, who then sent the package to the prisoner, the vendor's address label and invoice would indicate that fact. Requiring R&R staff to check the address label seems no more burdensome than requiring them to check for the vendor label and the vendor stamp in the appropriate box on the label. CDC has presented no evidence or argument to refute this reasoning. Second, all personal property received by inmates in the mail is searched prior to delivery. CDC contends that these searches are not always effective, pointing out that contraband has been missed due to human error. However, "CDC [has] articulated no scenario in which the book label policy provides a measure of security not afforded by these routine and mandatory searches." <http://www.lexis.com/research//research/buttonTFLink?_m=f301d9b0bbfb87b5626…>Id. CDC further argues that the fluoroscope machine does not detect weapons or encrypted messages. [*13] That the lack of a book label can act as a sort of "red flag," alerting prison staff to books sent by non-vendors when their routine search may have missed this fact may be a legitimate concern, but it is a concern that is quite lacking in substantial evidentiary support. The district court pointed out that Sergeant Rodman "provided absolutely no specific facts regarding the alleged incident" in which drugs escaped the detection of the fluoroscope machine, id., and, on appeal, CDC has pointed to no evidence in the record regarding the efficacy of the book label policy. Finally, at least with respect to contraband, there is no rational basis for CDC to impose an approved vendor label requirement on books, but not on tennis shoes, thermal clothing, or appliances. CDC has made no effort to explain why books are more susceptible to being used to deliver contraband than other items. "Common sense would dictate that PBSP's concern would extend to such items." <http://www.lexis.com/research//research/buttonTFLink?_m=f301d9b0bbfb87b5626…>Id.<http://www.lexis.com/research//research/buttonTFLink?_m=f301d9b0bbfb87b5626…> at 1262. Because the book label policy fails the first Turner factor, we do not address the other factors. n4 <http://www.lexis.com/research//research/buttonTFLink?_m=f301d9b0bbfb87b5626…>Morrison<http://www.lexis.com/research//research/buttonTFLink?_m=f301d9b0bbfb87b5626…>, 261 F.3d at 901.

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Re: Ashcroft's bake sale, no questions allowed, gvt-issued photo ID required
by privacy.at Anonymous Remailer 19 Nov '03

19 Nov '03

Declan McCullagh (declan(a)well.com) wrote on 2003-11-19: > There will be no questions and answers. To a non native speaker, this phrase seems to imply a scary level of control over the media people. "There will be no questions. Dissenters will be shot on the spot."

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