December 2003 - cypherpunks-legacy

THE FREEDOM DAEMON
by Gary Jeffers 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

THIS ARTICLE IS FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY. I WILL NOT BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR THE USE OR MISUSE OF INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS ARTICLE. I would like to introduce new terms & a new concept. The terms are "RECHATTERER", "RECHAT", & "CHATTERBOX" (with a new meaning). The idea i analogous to the remailer concept. Remailers are series of mailing software machines that hide the location & identity of the sender of a file. This is a very good idea for privacy & freedom on the Internet. An overlooked necessity for the Internet are retransmitters for both CHAT MODE & for the sending of commands. Note: Latter in this text, I'll introduce the term "FREEDOM DAEMON". File transfers cannot replace the need for the interactive chat mode & for command transmits. Hence, the need for CHATTERBOXES. The need for chat mode security is obvious. The need for command retransmitters is less obvious & has great possibilities. With command retransmitters much internet activity could be done without disclosing the location of the worker. Consider the possibility of telnets assisted with CHATTERBOXES. With CHATTERBOXES almost no Internet activity need give away the location of the worker. This of course would raise the safety level of hackers/crackers by at least a magnitude. This would of course raise concerns for computing safety on the Internet. On the other hand, hacking/cracking may be necessary for the future freedom of the Internet. The Feds are currently trying to hijack the Internet with their Information Highway fraud. The Feds will try to regulate the Internet traffic. I find it difficult to believe that they would tolerate the existence of remailers. How secure are remailers? Are they easy to find? With CHATTERBOXES, much of the danger of establishing remailers in the future could be avoided. Could the establishment of remailers be auto- mated with programmed CHATTERBOXES doing the work? I suggest the possi- bility of mainframe hacking as a method of secretly making outlaw re- mailers. I got this idea from a book carried by Loompanics. The excerpt follows. "One way to get around this problem - & to simultaneously overcome many of the problems that arise when one sets up a BBS - is to use your hacking skills to break into a mainframe far away from your house, & use IT for the site of your electronic bulletin board." From the book, SECRETS OF A SUPERHACKER by The Knightmare. Published & distributed by Loompanics Unlimited. Loompanics Unlimited PO Box 1197 Port Townsend, Wa 98368 Current(April 22, 1994) price of their main catalog is $5.00. Loompanics is a great book distributor & publisher that I have used for many years. It carries books on many unusual topics. For instance if you wanted a textbook on murder, terrorism, homemade explosives, writ- ing computer viruses, hacking computers, making recreational drugs, life extension, weird science, conspiracies, torture, or brain & mind improvement then I perceive you have a need for the Loompanics catalog. They also have other exciting categories as well. But back to the subject. I thought it was a fantastic idea to hijack the resources of a foreign computer & use them for a pirate BBS. The same thing should be able to be done with remailers & CHATTERBOXES. Another idea I have for fighting off the possibility of technological capture of the Internet by the Feds is the idea of the "FREEDOM DAEMON". A FREEDOM DAEMON could be thought of as a CHATTERBOX with the following capabilities added: 1. A remailer 2. Virus capabilities. It reproduces itself. 3. Worm capabilities. It is self contained in its code. 4. Trojan horse capabilities. It plants itself in foreign computers like a daemon or software service machine. 5. Ability to take orders from its parent or another ancestor FREEDOM DAEMON, or its original human programmer or by certified users. Order taking would be authorized by an RSA encryption scheme. 6. Ability to be interrogated by its parent or another ancestor FREEDOM DAEMON or its human programmer, or by certified users through an RSA scheme. Note: It may carry several keys for different levels of security access. 7. It may contain histories of its ancestors or progeny or both. The histories would require access by RSA keys. 8. It may contain genetic algorithms as it may meet with a lot of state hostility in the form of destruction by human & programmed hunters. The genetic algorithms could create more worthy FREEDOM DAEMONS. I have suggested that the use of FREEDOM DAEMONS would be to per- petuate remailers, CHATTERBOXES, & themselves. I think that the thought- ful Cypherpunk could think up a number of other uses. In the near future the Internet could lose much of its freedom & could become a more dan- gerous place for freedom lovers. CHATTERBOXES & FREEDOM DAEMONS with their ability to enable the Cypherpunk to send commands, do telnets, & perform other functions without disclosing his location could enable the Cypherpunk to manufacture other freedom software machines with at least a magnitude of safety greater than he had before. Who would program the CHATTERBOXES & FREEDOM DAEMONS? My first idea is to the guys who are programming remailers. Those unsung, unpaid heroes who are much like Dr. Frankenstein, working away on his big guy. Hackers & Crackers should have a certain taste & experience with the activities needed. It should provide a field day for computer science types & cryptographers. Creative "wild idea" people could help. OTHER THOUGHTS How do hackers & crackers get caught? Could Cypherpunk technology keep them safe? Imagine hackers/crackers with CHATTERBOXES & FREEDOM DAEMONS & digital reputations who don't know each other's true names & have no idea of each other's true locations. - hence unable to betray each other. Weak hacker/crackers would not endanger their strong asso- ciates. A chain only as strong as it's strongest link? Could they be as safe as their strongest technology? Right now, captured hacker/crackers roll over on their associates, their mothers, & their pet dogs. We as Cypherpunks can help to stop this carnage. Note that we Cypherpunks are politicos & made of sterner stuff. I also don't want to characterize ALL hacker/crackers as weak. By now, many Cypherpunks are asking themselves just what the fuck I am doing concerning myself with the welfare of hacker/crackers & implying that Cypherpunks should do the same. Cypherpunks are saying aren't these people sort of well - UNSAVORY? - I have never tasted them. But on a more serious note: in a future Internet ravaged by state power grabs, many Cypherpunks may be in the position of today's hacker/crackers & may have their security concerns. Today, Cypherpunks write code, tomorrow they hack/crack? Wouldn't this proposed technology turn the Internet into the Wild West? Yes, it would. On Internet chat, there is a channel called #freedom. On this channel for years the people have chatted to each other in code. They talk quickly & seem to be unimpeded by the code. Well, I guess "we've" already gotten coded on the fly Iinternet chat. Well, Cypherpunks, I've been up to enough today. Maybe tomorrow I'll discuss my BLACK NET PEACE CORE plans. In the meantime- PUSH EM BACK! PUSH EM BACK! WWWAAAYYY BBBAAACCCKKKK! BBBEEEAAATTTT STATE! Yours Truly, Gary Jeffers

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Did you ever think...
by Black Unicorn 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

> Did anyone ever think that maybe, just maybe, PGP was developed, and > before the programmer started giving it away for free, that he was > paid by the government to give them the key which can unlock ANY PGP > locked document/file/etc??? No.

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Liberty net?
by gtoal＠an-teallach.com 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Did anyone on this group give my email address to some pyramid-subscription scheme called 'Liberty net'? I'd quite like to know which of my 'friends' (as it says in the advert) was responsible... Thanks G

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ViaCrypt PGP and Linux
by markh＠wimsey.bc.ca 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Subject: ViaCrypt PGP and Linux A short note to say that the SCO version of ViaCrypt PGP for Unix works under the latest version of the ibcs emulator for Linux. If you have ViaCrypt PGP for Unix and want to give this a try, you need a recent Linux kernel (1.0+), and the following file available by anon ftp tsx-11.mit.edu:/pub/linux/ALPHA/ibcs-940422.tar.gz Be sure to get this version, and not one of the earlier versions. Disclaimers 1. My only connection with ViaCrypt is as a customer. 2. This message is provided _AS IS_. In particular, this may not work for you. I assume no responsibility for actions you may take partially or wholly based on this message, even if I have been negligent in some way by posting this message or not correctly verifying the content of this message. In other words, if you buy ViaCrypt PGP for Unix based on the fact that you believe you'll be able to run the SCO binary, and you can't make it work, don't come crying to me saying that you spent money based on my message. Fact is, it works for me, but that is all I'm saying. Sorry to be so pedantic, but given the way the world of Linux is, I'd be a fool not to say it. Mark -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: 2.4 iQBVAgUBLbidJGrJdmD9QWqxAQE1TAH/YwraTeBpVr9D9GWzzO9z4cBBOdmSrQOJ Ts5UpeuOqj4qKNKg4SCE6WJ0SmXrAulOjAYaXEKwxjb6Ljn941U0vg== =VJ9t -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- -- Mark Henderson markh(a)wimsey.bc.ca - RIPEM MD5: F1F5F0C3984CBEAF3889ADAFA2437433 ViaCrypt PGP key fingerprint: 21 F6 AF 2B 6A 8A 0B E1 A1 2A 2A 06 4A D5 92 46 low security key fingerprint: EC E7 C3 A9 2C 30 25 C6 F9 E1 25 F3 F5 AF 92 E3 cryptography archive maintainer -- anon ftp to ftp.wimsey.bc.ca:/pub/crypto

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Re: THE FREEDOM DAEMON
by wcs＠anchor.ho.att.com 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Gary Jeffers proposes a system to perform remailing and chat-session relay which, among other proposed features, propagates itself by virus and worm approaches; the important issue is not the precise semantics of the differences, but that the thing tries to spread itself and run without the help or even permission of the owners of the machines it tries to run on. This is bad. It's offensive to try and run your stuff on people's machines without asking them or informing them. It can break stuff, it can hog their resources for your application (which is no more pro-freedom than having them hog your resources wihtout permission), and it's *so bloody unnecessary*! If you make a system that's easy to install and propagates information about how to get a copy of it (e.g. by sending header or signature lines in any mail it remails), then you can still propagate your software, but you can do it as a good guy rather than a bad guy. I have no more desire to have a "FREEDOM VIRUS" appear on my systems than a "BIG BROTHER VIRUS". Bill

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RE: Warrantless searches- sorry to bring this back....
by GERSTEIN＠SCSUD.CTSTATEU.EDU 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Sorry this reply has taken so long..... My comments are below. -------------- Date: Sun, 17 Apr 1994 16:48:16 -0400 (EDT) From: Llywelyn <samman(a)CS.YALE.EDU> Subject: RE: Warrantless searches -- A sign of things to come? To: cypherpunks(a)toad.com Cc: mrami(a)MINERVA.CIS.YALE.EDU Sender: owner-cypherpunks(a)toad.com Adam writes: > Anyway, the point is, these people aren't safe in their own homes. The parents > keep their children home from school because they are afraid that they will either > get shot (which happens quite a lot, one child was shot by a "gangsta" with a > sniper rifle while his mother was walking him to school- the kid was about 5 years > old) or that the kids will get involved in the gangs. > > For a while, the Chicago PD were unwilling to enter the buildings until after the > shooting had stopped, and would then go in to tag and bag the bodies. IT WAS BAD!!! Ok, now let me get this straight. The police who are supposed to 'serve and protect' weren't willing to go in there to protect their constituents because it was too dangerous, but in the same breath they want to remove these people's ability to protect themselves. Just wanted to make sure. Ben. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- The cops aren't unwilling to go in there, it's just not safe. Period. Think about it. The cops have a .38 or a 9mm if they are lucky. Some of them may even have bullet-proof vests to wear. Some of the smarter cops have been able to find two bp vests to wear on patrol. So, they're cruising along, when a call goes out. One of the CHA buildings has a sniper on the roof. If they go anywhere near that building, he'll take they're heads right off. Or maybe the call is to make a bust on some drug-dealer. The dealers usually have someone listening to the police frequencies on a scanner, so that when the cops show up, they'll have a big surprise waiting. In the form of assualt shotguns, semi- and fully-automatic machine guns (the Mac-10 and Uzi are quite popular with druggies and gang's these days). And what kind of bullets are the bad guys using? Not what the cops get to use. Oh-no! The baddies have the "Cop-Killer" bullets: armor piercing, Teflon coated bullets that two bp vests WILL NOT stop. Alternatively, the baddies could just pump the cop car full of lead. After all, a cop won't do much if he's busy bleeding to death from his knees, or if some "gangsta" shot his foot off. Think about it. The cops are out-gunned and out-manned. What would you do? And don't tell me that you would just go in there. I consider myself pretty brave, but I don't think even for a second that I would be able to even consider going in there, not without a nice, warm, cozy M1 Abrams Tank surrounding me. And even then I wouldn't be truly safe. These cops are doing the best that they can, and everyone in the U.S. are worrying more about the "rights" of these gang-bangers and drug-dealers than they are about the rights of the innocent people that are trapped in these buildings. And don't even start to tell me that the "innocents" can just leave, cos these CHA buildings are the only place they can afford to live. You folks are to busy yelling about the illegal searches to even think of coming up with an alternative. Maybe if you spent a little time thinking about what it's like to live in a place like this, you might shut up about the cops not doing their jobs. Adam Gerstein ------ Comments to GERSTEIN(a)SCSU.CTSTATEU.EDU Flames to /dev/null FIGHT CLIPPER -=- OPPOSE CLIPPER -=- FIGHT CLIPPER -=- OPPOSE CLIPPER -=-

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clipper/chosen plaintext attacks
by Matt Thomlinson 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

even with plaintext/ciphertext pairs, it has been shown that hundreds of millions of pairs are needed to determine anything about the key involved (DES). I'm sure some of the many responses to your post will include more precise facts. Matt Thomlinson University of Washington, Seattle, Washington. phone: (206) 548-9804 Check my home page -- ftp://ftp.u.washington.edu/public/phantom/home.html PGP 2.2 key available via email, or finger phantom(a)hardy.u.washington.edu

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Re: Secure Hash Standard (SHS/SHA) Broken by NSA
by lcottrell＠popmail.ucsd.edu 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Jim Gillogly Says > NIST ANNOUNCES TECHNICAL CORRECTION TO SECURE HASH STANDARD > ----------------------------------------------------------- > > The National Institute of Standards and Technology today announced it > will initiate a technical modification to a computer security standard > used to support the authentication of electronic messages. The > revision will correct a minor flaw that government mathematicians > discovered in a formula that underlies the standard. > > ... remains a highly secure way to ensure integrity of ... > NIST expects that products implementing the current standard can be > used until the technical correction becomes effective. > > Researchers at the National Security Agency, who developed the formula > and discovered the flaw in a continuing evaluation process, now believe > that although the forumla in FIPS 180 is less secure than originally > thought, it is still extremely reliable as a technical computer > security mechanism. The discovery of this flaw indicates the value of > continued research on existing and new standards. So, have they mentioned what the problem was, or how to fix it? -------------------------------------------------- Lance Cottrell who does not speak for CASS/UCSD loki(a)nately.ucsd.edu PGP 2.3 key available by finger or server. "Love is a snowmobile racing across the tundra. Suddenly it flips over, pinning you underneath. At night the ice weasels come." --Nietzsche

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Cypherpunk Criminal
by paul＠hawksbill.sprintmrn.com 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Christian, I finally received my tees in the mail yesterday. Very, very cool. The .gifs certainly didn't do them justice. Thanks again, _______________________________________________________________________________ Paul Ferguson US Sprint Enterprise Internet Engineering tel: 703.904.2437 Herndon, Virginia USA internet: paul(a)hawk.sprintmrn.com

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How to explain...
by Jim Sewell - KD4CKQ 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Hi folks! I have something I'm sure someone on the list can help with. I need to explain to someone who is "mostly-illiterate" about computers why it is so difficult to break an RSA or DES type code. This person is a good user and a beginning programmer. I understand intuitively, but not well enough to explain it. His thinking is that if you have formula X to go from plain to crypt then just reverse X and you'll have the decryption algorithm. He figures that reversing a math formula could be difficult, but given a desire and a few weeks that nearly any formula can simply be reversed. If you can explain it well and simplistically I'd appreciate it. (As I said, I intuitively understand, but can't explain it well.) Thanks, Jim -- Tantalus Inc. Bringing people together Jim Sewell-KD4CKQ 2407 N. Roosevelt Blvd. to have a little fun. Internet: jims(a)mpgn.com Key West, FL 33041 CIS: 71061,1027 (305) 293-8100 "We keep coding and coding and coding..."

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