December 2003 - cypherpunks-legacy

Netscape for Linux
by Jeff Simmons 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Found this on Comp.os.linux.misc - hope it's true: Tobias Engel <s120808(a)fb1.fhtw-berlin.de> writes: >I looked at the Data Sheet-Page for the Netscape Navigator 2.0 today (http://home.netscape.com/comprod/products/navigator/version_2.0/datasheet.h…) >There is a "Supported Platforms"-List at the end of the Page. For Unix it >says: >--- >Digital Equipment Corp. Alpha (OSF/1 2.0) >Hewlett-Packard 700-series (HP-UX 9.03) >IBM RS/6000 AIX 3.2 >Silicon Graphics (IRIX 5.2) >Sun SPARC (Solaris 2.4, SunOS 4.1.3) >386/486/Pentium (BSDI) >--- >So, where is Linux??? In comp.infosystems.www.browsers.x Jamie Zawinski <jwz(a)netscape.com> said that there *will* be a 2.0 version for Linux. He also explained why Linux isn't listed and why Netscape will tell you that there will not be a supported version of Netscape for Linux. This is a copy of that article, which is worth reposting here, I think, because of the large threads about this subjects: From: Jamie Zawinski <jwz(a)netscape.com> Newsgroups: comp.infosystems.www.browsers.x Subject: Re: Netscape 2.0 for Linux Organization: Netscape Communications Date: Wed, 20 Sep 1995 16:11:19 -0700 Marco Trincardi wrote: > > There will be a Linux version of the new upcoming Netscape 2.0 ??? > At Netscape HomePage i didnt find usefull info. And I replied: > > Yes, once 2.0 is released (please don't ask me when) it will be > available for all platforms on which 1.1 is available. Since then, it would seem that some folks have called our customer support lines and gotten a seemingly different answer, so allow me to clarify: When someone in customer support tells you "we will not be supporting Linux in Netscape 2.0," they're right: but that's because we didn't support it in 1.0 or 1.1 either. "Support" means we sell the software, and you can buy a support contract. This is not, and has never been the case for Linux. You have never been able to get a *supported* version of Netscape Navigator for Linux. We have no Linux *product*; our sales and support folks don't deal with it in any way, and never have. However, there has been an unsupported educational/evaluation version available for that platform, and this will also be the case for 2.0. -- Jamie Zawinski jwz(a)netscape.com http://www.netscape.com/people/jwz/ -- -- Jos Vos <jos(a)xos.nl> -- X/OS Experts in Open Systems BV | Phone: +31 20 6938364 -- Amsterdam, The Netherlands | Fax: +31 20 6948204 -- Jeff Simmons jsimmons(a)goblin.punk.net

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Re: The Next Hack
by shamrock＠netcom.com 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- In article <199509211832.LAA24086(a)infinity.c2.org>, sameer(a)c2.org (sameer) wrote: >Proposal for action: > >1) Reverse-engineer a server to see if the keygen phase uses >a weak RNG seed. -- if so, determine the exact algorithim. > >2) Organize a net-wide search over the space of the RNG seed to >crack the private key of some well known secure server. > >3) Release the private key to the net. Count me in. Let's start with Netscape's own. - -- - -- Lucky Green <mailto:shamrock@netcom.com> PGP encrypted mail preferred. - --- [This message has been signed by an auto-signing service. A valid signature means only that it has been received at the address corresponding to the signature and forwarded.] -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: 2.6.2 Comment: Gratis auto-signing service iQBFAwUBMGMSJSoZzwIn1bdtAQFqiwF+IZKDv1t5Q2va2yE2JZMCHGITkxoDHHML alvjYK+XyxPNaVGgRgMk5gTsZMcHqBvz =meVk -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----

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RE: RE: House National Security committee guts SAFE, worse than no bill
by jay holovacs 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Here I am Jay -----BEGIN PGP PUBLIC KEY BLOCK----- Version: 2.6.2 mQCNAzCmKpkAAAEEANq8z8b2fiVI8rB3n3iJVyqDSGu7KdYy0hE95DDAbkh017ew oTEASfiZmP7mPXy9y7HWi9oYYIY1eGSH9Xe/oGLOfjoETKGES6YqObRJ5B5LmK+y Xxsv89NCw/K7s/OSm+CscewZqXt0cHnHFx7/9heGEqDNii3xgdXsLniA5KoFAAUR tB9KYXkgSG9sb3ZhY3MgPGhvbG92YWNzQGlvcy5jb20+ =c5gz -----END PGP PUBLIC KEY BLOCK----- ========================== >From: Hiawatha Bray <wathab(a)tiac.net> >Subject: RE: House National Security committee guts SAFE, worse than no bill >Date: Wed, Sep 10, 1997 4:40 PM > >I hate to tip folks off as to my column for tomorrow, but that's exactly >what I'm doing in it. I have written that if the Feds try to impose >key-recovery crypto on me, I'll start using some encryption program that >doesn't comply with the law, and I'll send copies of the messages to the >Feds, so they can come and arrest me. If I really thought they would, I >wouldn't have written it! But I'll stand by it. > >Anyway, I don't presently encrypt my mail. No reason to--I ain't no >pedophile...;-) >So if I want to send crypto I must find some partner in crime. Any >volunteers? > >Hiawatha Bray >Technology Reporter >Boston Globe >P.O. Box 2378 >135 Morrissey Blvd. >Boston, MA 02107-2378 USA >617-929-3115 voice >617-929-3183 fax >http://members.tripod.com/~krothering/index.html > > >On Wednesday, September 10, 1997 10:04 AM, Syniker(a)aol.com

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Re: Another Netscape Bug (and possible security hole)
by cman＠communities.com 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Spent too much time last night playing with the Netscape bug; among other things wrote some code to throw various random binary URLs at Netscape. Netscape seems prepared to swallow the bait as long as the URL does _not_ contain characters screened as follows: if ((c != '"') && (c!='>') && (c!=0) && (c!='/') ) { This means you can't plant 0x00, 0x22, 0x3e or 0x2f. Anything else can be made to show up in various registers after things go blooey. I've only made it segfault in different places so far, still working on getting it to do something it wouldn't ordinarily do and not crash before it does it. [Working under Solaris 2.4; I may try my luck on Macs, since this bug crashes the whole OS... need to load up debug tools first though.] Hope this helps others... Doug

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Nat Sec Moves
by John Young 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

NYT reports today on the administration's proposal to allow more TLA access to medical records (as Attila earlier noted). A last minute addition to the proposal was to allow "intelligence agencies" to access the files. See the report at: http://www.hhs.gov A second report is on the return of Sun's supercomputer by the Chinese after protest by the USG, as represented by Domstic Export Czar Reinsch. Although Sun is reported to have quickly provided the gov information to trace the machine, it may be that the hit of refunding the purchase price is what Elvis cost, and a warning to all other exporters who don't toe the line. What is happening is that borderless government is developing in step with the borderless political and economic and legal and technological enterprise. Distinctions between domestic and foreign are quickly disappearing in all fields, but especially in law enforcement and intelligence. Export controls will shortly be indistinguishable form domestic controls -- in all nations now acting in unison to protect their ... take you picks of legacy of protected interests. Misbehave in any arena, and if you can't be punished as a threat to domestic tranquillity, then the international enforcers will whack you -- no place to hide, they hope, and pray, and dig deeper into data mines. Congressional briefings by TLAs surely include a sample of what's in the dark holes of congressional members, if not with specifics, then by insinuation. As all the world's previous Hoovers dared to threaten the folks at home with enemies within, enemeies subject to control by international forces -- commie, capital, anarch, western, eastern, black, white, green. Only the secret files know who's what flavor of the black budgetary year.

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Project: a standard cell random number generator
by John Gilmore 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Software-generated random numbers are likely to be of poor quality. There just isn't that much true randomness visible to computers. Several ways to build good hardware random number generators are known. But before hardware random number generators can be incorporated into common desktop computers, someone will have to put them into a small fraction of a chip. Currently, random number generators are chips or larger circuits. Nobody will pay to put these on a motherboard. But if a random number generating circuit occupied 1/1000th of a CPU chip or "multi-function I/O" chip, cost would not be a reason to leave it out. You probably can't build a hardware random number generator out of existing "gate array" gates or "standard cell" cells, because all the existing gates and cells are designed to behave completely predictably! It will take designing a new circuit structure. Do we know any solid state physics / circuit design experts who think this might be a fun thing to do? I bet you could get a paper out of it. And probably improve the world a few years later, when companies used your paper to close another hole in their computer security. John PS: It's possible that NSA collusion with chip-makers could produce bad pseudo-random-number generators in popular chips, giving NSA a back-door into any algorithm that used them. This would be harder to detect than poor software random number generators, since it requires prying the lid off the chip, getting out your microscope, and reverse-engineering the circuit, instead of just disassembling the software. In this sense, NSA ought to be *encouraging* Intel and IBM and Motorola to put "generate random bits" instructions into their instruction sets...

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Cypherpunks September Bay Area Meeting _Update_
by Hugh Daniel 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Update, more detail in the Agenda and a request for folks to where their "Key Escrow Agent" jackets for a photo op (from behind I would guess, but bring your mirror shades in any case...). Please also note that this is the 5th anniversary of Cypherpunks Meetings! Can thing get much stranger then this? What: Cypherpunks September 1997 Bay Area Meeting When: Saturday September 13, 12 noon till 5pm Where: PGP World Headquarters, 2nd floor meeting room Bayview Bank Building, just south of Hwy. 92 2121 S. El Camino Real, San Mateo California http://www.pgp.com/pgpcorp/contactpgp.cgi#head Agenda: Cypherpunks at HIP'97, Lucky Green, David Del Torto Ecash announcement, Jeremey Barrett, BlueMoney Software Corp. Linux Onion Router, Jeremey Barrett Diffie-Helman Free of Patent, Three Cheers 13:00 Washingtoon Crypo Legislation update, Kelly ??? of PGP New FBI Anti-Crypto Bill, how to react, Eric Hughes Break Forbes Article background, everyone Domain name conference report, John Gilmore Attacks on US remailers etc., Bill Stewart ??? After: Eat dinner somewhere nearby yet to be decided... PGP Building Access: This is an Open Meeting on US Soil and it is free for anyone to attend. There is a minor building security formality due to the facilities being in a bank building: anytime after 12 noon, approach the Bayview Building's Information window (in the plaza, see below for directions), and ask the Guard on Duty to let you up to the 2nd Floor for the Cypherpunks meeting (use the passphrase "cypherpunks release code"). If you have any difficulty (eg. if the guard is on a break), simply call DDT at +1 415 730 3583 he I'll let you in. You can arrive at any time during the scheduled meeting hours, though earlier is better if you want to hear the interesting stuff.

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Re: Another Netscape Bug (and possible security hole)
by cman＠communities.com 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

>> >> >> Spent too much time last night playing with the Netscape bug; >> among other things wrote some code to throw various random binary >> URLs at Netscape. Netscape seems prepared to swallow the bait >> as long as the URL does _not_ contain characters screened as >> follows: >> >> if ((c != '"') && (c!='>') && (c!=0) && (c!='/') ) { >> >> This means you can't plant 0x00, 0x22, 0x3e or 0x2f. > > Did you check 0x20 and 0xa0? (space and shift-space) I'm sure >that a space will terminate the href in <a>. > This seems not to be the case. See: http://www.communities.com/foo/bad.html (which contains these bytes fairly early in the sequence, and still does a lovely job of crashing.) Showed the bug to EC's president, he immediately wanted to try it. It completely blew his PPC Mac (I've got a Powerbook 540C) out of the water. (Error of type 11, dialog with only the restart button.) My powerbook hangs on for a bit and then locks up. Onward to the exploit!

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house NSC member list
by landon_dyer＠wayfarer.com 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

from http://www.house.gov/nsc/members.htm according to the list, smith of washington was the only "no" vote in committee --------- The following is the official House National Security Committee Membership list for the 105th Congress. Republican Members Democrat Members -------------------------------- --------------------------------------------- Floyd D. Spence, South Carolina, Chairman Ronald V. Dellums, California, Ranking Member Bob Stump, Arizona, Vice-Chairman Ike Skelton, Missouri Duncan Hunter, California Norman Sisisky, Virginia John R. Kasich, Ohio John M. Spratt, Jr., South Carolina Herbert H. Bateman, Virginia Solomon P. Ortiz, Texas James V. Hansen, Utah Owen Pickett, Virginia Curt Weldon, Pennsylvania Lane Evans, Illinois Joel Hefley, Colorado Gene Taylor, Mississippi Jim Saxton, New Jersey Neil Abercrombie, Hawaii Steve Buyer, Indiana Martin T. Meehan, Massachusetts Tillie K. Fowler, Florida Robert A. Underwood, Guam John M. McHugh, New York Jane Harman, California James Talent, Missouri Paul McHale, Pennsylvania Terry Everett, Alabama Patrick J. Kennedy, Rhode Island Roscoe G. Bartlett, Maryland Rod R. Blagojevich, Illinois Howard "Buck" McKeon, California Silvestre Reyes, Texas Ron Lewis, Kentucky Tom Allen, Maine J.C. Watts, Jr., Oklahoma Victor F. Snyder, Arkansas Mac Thornberry, Texas Jim Turner, Texas John N. Hostettler, Indiana Allen Boyd, Florida Saxby Chambliss, Georgia Adam Smith, Washington Van Hilleary, Tennessee Loretta Sanchez, California Joe Scarborough, Florida James H. Maloney, Connecticut Walter B. Jones, Jr., North Carolina Mike McIntyre, North Carolina Lindsey O. Graham, South Carolina Ciro Rodriguez, Texas Sonny Bono, California Cynthia McKinney, Georgia Jim Ryun, Kansas Michael Pappas, New Jersey Bob Riley, Alabama Jim Gibbons, Nevada Bill Redmond, New Mexico "Democracy is government by the people and for the people, on the theory that the people should get the kind of government they deserve, good and hard." -- Robert Frezza, _The VMR Theory_

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Re: Fwd: Re: Project: a standard cell random number generator
by Dave_Neuenschwander＠va.arca.com 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Jeff, Yes Fortezza cards can be instructed to produce a random number through one of its library calls (someday they'll have a real API). One of the diagnostic tools I had tested this function. What algorithm do they use? Haven't a clue. Sources say that the RNG implementation may vary from vendor to vendor (i.e., GTC, Spyrus, Mykotronix, etc.). Daven ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Arca Systems, Inc. Leaders in Security Integration ----------------------------------------------------------------------

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