December 2003 - cypherpunks-legacy

IP: Crypto News Flash (fwd)
by Bill Stewart 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

>From: "Michael Froomkin - U.Miami School of Law" > <froomkin(a)LAW.MIAMI.EDU> >Subject: IP: Crypto News Flash (fwd) >To: CYBERIA-L(a)LISTSERV.AOL.COM > >Amazing if true. Part of my amazement is that Sen. Kerry, who I think of >as somewhat moderate if not somewhat liberal, would be a party to this. ... >---------- Forwarded message ---------- >Date: Thu, 08 May 1997 12:51:01 -0400 >From: David Farber <farber(a)cis.upenn.edu> >Subject: IP: Crypto News Flash > > >CyberWire Dispatch // Copyright (c) 1997 // May 1997 > >Jacking in from the "Take My Crypto, Please" port: > >Washington, DC--A new anti-crypto bill now floating around Washington >would place restrictions on the import of strong crypto products into the >U.S. and possibly outlaw the use of non-government approved encryption >products. > >During a morning briefing at the Capitol, Sen. Bob Kerry >(D-Neb.), talking about his impending new crypto bill, which he will call >the "Secure Public Interest Act" said that the bill WILL include >IMPORT restrictions on crypto software. > >Incredible. We've heard rumblings the folks behind crypto strangling >efforts would jump to import controls on crypto software if key escrow >weren't widely adopted. > >Restricting imports, of course, is a kind of de facto domestic >restriction as well. It means that companies can't import strong >foreign made crypto products to use in their worldwide offices, forcing >them to use the govt. mandated weaker crypto products. > >Next step: outlawing some domestic crypto products. > >Kerry, when asked if there would be restrictions on private encryption, >said "I don't envision that at the outset, but it might end up in the bill." > >Meeks out... > > # Thanks; Bill # Bill Stewart, +1-415-442-2215 stewarts(a)ix.netcom.com # You can get PGP outside the US at ftp.ox.ac.uk/pub/crypto/pgp # (If this is a mailing list, please Cc: me on replies. Thanks.)

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We want to kiss you, NOW
by Shift Control 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

A is for Aardvark B is for Bite C is for the Cure D is for Dribble E is for Eurovision F is for Frog G is for Glasgow kiss H is for Halitosis I is for Implants J is for Judas K is for Kiss 'n' tell L is for Lips M is for Mistletoe N is for Necking O is for Osculation P is for Pucker Q is for the Queen R is for Radio stations S is for Snog T is for Tongue U is for Ulcer V is for Vampires W is for Wet X is for X Z is for Zit Shift Control is for kissing, in all its colours Shift Control is ready and waiting with a purse for you Shift Control is at www.shiftcontrol.com __________________________________________ Shift Control is produced by the Guardian's New Media Lab with help from Boddingtons and Stella Artois Dry To unsubscribe from this mailing list send e-mail to shiftcontrol-request(a)nml.guardian.co.uk with the following text in the body of the mail message: unsubscribe

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Business needs over citizen rights
by Tim May 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

It's interesting that in the various recent developments over crypto, the needs of business are taking priority over the basic rights of citizens. In fact, the debate is being driven by issues of "competitiveness." * In the latest round of crypto export policy, relayed to us by Will Rodger of "Interactive Week," it is relaxation of export for financial and banking software that is being pushed. (Possibly connected to the next item, though.) * Meanwhile, the Administration's "Crypto Import Restrictions" (officially entitled "The Safe Streets, Child Protection, and Public Safety Act") are about to be introduced, as reported to us by Brock Meeks (on this list by Bill Stewart). It is possible that this is also related to corporate interests, as this would stop certain offshore developers--unhindered by U.S. laws--from competing in the U.S. against U.S. companies (this is mere speculation on my part, but it may be part of the big picture). * And SAFE has special provisions for financial cryptography (read: Banking interests), while also putting the screws to any citizen-units who step out of bounds with crypto. ...and so on. What these trends add up to is an almost complete disregard for basic, fundamental issues of civil liberties and freedom in favor of various craftings of laws to advantage some American companies, disadvantage other American companies, and manipulate the international competitive scene. This is what politics has always been, of course. Pork barrels and pigs at the trough, to mix some porcine metaphors. It shows how far we have degenerated as a nation. Exactly which parts of the First, Second, etc. Amendments do these porkers not understand? May they all be vaporized. --Tim May There's something wrong when I'm a felon under an increasing number of laws. ---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---- Timothy C. May | Crypto Anarchy: encryption, digital money, tcmay(a)got.net 408-728-0152 | anonymous networks, digital pseudonyms, zero W.A.S.T.E.: Corralitos, CA | knowledge, reputations, information markets, Higher Power: 2^1398269 | black markets, collapse of governments. "National borders aren't even speed bumps on the information superhighway."

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Mega Death
by John Young 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

White House press briefing May 8: Q Mike, Attorney General Reno today confirmed that the Justice Department is investigating the possibility of a high-level Israeli spy in the U.S. government. How is it going to impact relations with Israel at this point? MR. MCCURRY: No comment on that subject.

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[ADMIN] Stego in posts
by nobody＠huge.cajones.com 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

>> In a message dated 97-05-05 20:54:49 EDT, you write: >> >> << >> Write a guys/girls name here_______________ or say aloud. In 21 days he/she >> will show his/her love 4-U!! CAUTION! Any guy/girl who breaks this chain >> will have bad like w/ guy/girls 4-ever!!!!!!!!!!! >> Pass this on 10 times!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! >>

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Cryptography Short Course
by Robert Hettinga 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

--- begin forwarded text Date: Thu, 8 May 1997 22:09:58 -0400 (EDT) From: Christof Paar <christof(a)ece.WPI.EDU> To: DCSB <dcsb(a)ai.mit.edu> cc: Arlene Lowenstein <arlowenstein(a)jake.WPI.EDU> Subject: Cryptography Short Course MIME-Version: 1.0 Sender: bounce-dcsb(a)ai.mit.edu Precedence: bulk Reply-To: Christof Paar <christof(a)ece.WPI.EDU> WPI's Continuing Education Program is offering a 5-day short course in cryptography. I will be teaching the course from August 4-8, in Waltham. Waltham is 10 miles West of Boston. Please find below a detailed course description and a registration form. If you have any question about course contents etc., please feel free to contact me by email. For questions regarding registration, contact Arlene Lowenstein at: arlowenstein(a)jake.wpi.edu Best regards, Christof ************************************************************************* Christof Paar http://ee.wpi.edu/People/faculty/cxp.html Assistant Professor email: christof(a)ece.wpi.edu Cryptography Group phone: (508) 831 5061 ECE Department, WPI fax: (508) 831 5491 100 Institute Road Worcester, MA 01609, USA ************************************************************************* ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Worcester Polytechnic Institute 5-Day Short Course APPLIED CRYPTOGRAPHY AND DATA SECURITY Seminar Leader: Dr. Christof Paar Many of today's information technology applications have data security as a central system requirement. Applications such as wireless computer networks, electronic commerce, and many www applications rely heavily on a high degree of system security. This five-day course will provide you with an in-depth introduction to the field of applied cryptography. Virtually all important aspects of public-key and private-key algorithms as well as protocols will be introduced. The course keeps the theoretical background and technical applications well-balanced. You will leave the course with a solid, broad knowledge of state-of-the-arts cryptography. You will have skills to carefully choose and design a security scheme for a given application. Background Note: The seminar is based on a highly successful course which has been taught to more than 150 professionals in industry and graduate students on campus. COURSE OUTLINE Day 1, AM - Introduction Principles of cryptography. Classical algorithms. Attacks on cryptographic systems. Day 1, PM - Private-key algorithms Stream ciphers. Pseudo-random generators. One-time pads. Day 2, AM - Private-key algorithms Data Encryption Standard (DES): Function, performance, implementation, security. Overview on other modern block ciphers. Key length and long-term security. Day 2, PM - Usage of private key-algorithms Operation modes of block ciphers. Multiple encryption. Key whitening. Day 3, AM - Public-key cryptography Introduction. One-way functions. Some number theory. Day 3, PM - Public-key algorithms RSA: Function, performance, implementation, security. Recent attacks. Day 4, AM - Public-key algorithms The generalized discrete logarithm problem. Diffie-Hellman key exchange. ElGamal encryption. Elliptic curve cryptosystems. Day 4, PM - Protocol building blocks Digital Signatures. Hash Functions. Security Services: Privacy, authentication, integrity, identification, non-repudiation. Day 5, AM - Key distribution Key distribution protocols. Principle of Kerberos. Certificates. Trusted authorities. Day 5, PM - Identification Smart Cards. Principles of identification. Challenge-and-response protocols. Course summary. WHO SHOULD ATTEND Engineers and other technical professional who develop, implement, or assess information security applications in software or hardware. Technical managers who need a solid understanding of data security issues will also greatly benefit from the course. ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR Dr. Christof Paar leads the Cryptography and Data Security group at WPI's ECE Department. His research interests include security issues in wireless and ATM networks, efficient algorithms for elliptic and hyperelliptic curve systems, and hardware implementation of cryptosystems. DATES AND LOCATIONS August 4 - 8, 1997 in Waltham, MA (10 miles from Boston) FEE $1795 for first registration $1625 for subsequent registrations --------------------- print and cut here ----------------------------- WPI CONTINUING EDUCATION REGISTRATION FORM Please print out, complete, and return this form to Office of Continuing Education, WPI, Worcester, MA 01609-2280, call (508) 831-5517 or FAX this form to (508) 831-5694. Make copies of this form for multiple registrations. Title of Seminar: APPLIED CRYPTOGRAPHY AND DATA SECURITY Date of Seminar: August 4-8, 1997, WPI Waltham Campus, Waltham, MA Name (Mr.)(Ms.) ___________________________________________________ Title _____________________________________________________________ Organization ______________________________________________________ Business Address __________________________________________________ City _______________________________________ State ________ Zip _________________________ Business Phone ____________________________ FAX _____________________ Home Phone ______________ Fee Enclosed (Make checks payable to WPI) ______ Bill my Company, P.O.# __________ Please charge my: VISA Mastercard Discover Name on card ________________________________________________ Exp. date _____________________ Card # ______________________________________________________ Signature ___________________________________________________ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ To unsubscribe from the dcsb list, send a letter to: Majordomo(a)ai.mit.edu In the body of the message, write: unsubscribe dcsb Or, to subscribe, write: subscribe dcsb If you have questions, write to me at Owner-DCSB(a)ai.mit.edu --- end forwarded text ----------------- Robert Hettinga (rah(a)shipwright.com) Philodox e$, 44 Farquhar Street, Boston, MA 02131 USA "... however it may deserve respect for its usefulness and antiquity, [predicting the end of the world] has not been found agreeable to experience." -- Edward Gibbon, 'Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire' The e$ Home Page: http://www.shipwright.com/

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Re: Banking Secrecy and Nazi Gold
by Rich Graves 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- According to the archives, Tim May wrote: > I suspect the U.S. pressure on Swiss banks has a political dimension > related to forcing a New World Order on international banking. The > U.S. wants banking secrecy subject to U.S. control (so that banks > like Castle Bank, Nugan Hand Bank, Banco Ambrosiano, BCCI, and the > Bank of America can continue to be used for U.S. interests, and > only U.S. interests). I think this is the first time I've ever said this about Tim, whom I usually read first, but "That's nuts." The political game is simple: The Wiesenthal Center and the World Jewish Congress are in a pissing contest to see who can recover the most cash. (There are two different class action lawsuits going, one from each organization.) Senator Alphonse "I Love to Make Noise" D'Amato is pandering. Some former members of the intelligence community are involved, but that shouldn't be surprising given the fact that they grew up as Nazi hunters. In general I agree with Tim's argument and the mean (if not all the details) of the followups, but I'd like to restress a few things: 1) The reason Jews used Swiss banks is precisely that they were secret, fercryingoutloud. 2) Sure, some banks took advantage of the power disparity (even if the victims had little guarantee that they'd be able to recover their assets, if they didn't squirrel them away soon they'd be sure to go to the Nazis). That makes them scum. But screwing with bank secrecy ain't the way to fix that Reputation Problem. 3) The reason governments and not just banks & individuals are involved is that some unclaimed deposits went to the government, which sent them off to Eastern Europe. - -rich http://www.stanford.edu/~llurch/ -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: 4.5 iQBVAwUBM3LIZpNcNyVVy0jxAQERfgIAiaOqRZrwRxyNWqRUo0ypLT4WDzawsdvB VxiYN3E/nw5k9ZL7AUQQes2AJHS3tDaN086rflJ0GHUwg4TFA8Vsng== =shYb -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----

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64-bit CPU 10x faster in crypto?
by Bill Stout 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

During a Digital seminar, a statement was made that 64-bit CPUs are about 10x faster than a 32-bit CPU in dealing with crypto, and that Alphas are favorites of Crypto-affiliated Gov't agencies. I spoke with a reference within Digital and the following logic was presented: o A 128-bit key is processed in two 64-bit chunks, vs four 32-bit chunks, greatly reducing processing time. o The Alpha executes four instructions per clock cycle. o Alpha clock ratings are 600MHz this summer. o Caveat: The O.S. needs to support 64-bit processing (Digital UNIX or Linux, not NT). I'm concerned about the strength of personal/corporate crypto in face of large jumps in processing power. I do not subscribe to cypherpunks due to the volume, so please respond to me directly on this question. stoutb(a)pios.com Bill Stout

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Banking Secrecy and Nazi Gold
by Tim May 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

I try to deconstruct events, to determine what the real issues are. Take the case of the ongoing flap over Switzerland and claims that Swiss banks hid gold, jewels, and other forms of money for high-ranking Nazis. Adding to the flap--actually, making it a newsworthy event--is the allegation, probably true, that some of the gold was taken from Jews and others sent to extermination camps. (A further claim, not related to the Nazi claim directly, is that the bank accounts of those who perished in the war were not made available to heirs, that in some cases the banks even liquidated the accounts and used the money for (unspecified) purposes. I know little about this particular claim, and won't discuss it further.) OK, so it's clear to all right-thinking persons what should be done: Switzerland should return the money to the heirs of those killed by the Nazis. Ah, but it's not so clear to me. I guess I'm not a right-thinking person. First, it is not a matter of "Switzerland" having done something, it is a matter of several major banks and dozens (I presume) of lesser banks. It is Credit Suisse, Union Bank, etc. who presumably took in deposits, with numbered accounts (perfectly legal by Swiss law at the time), not the "state of Switzerland." Second, how could the _provenance_ of the deposits be determined by, say Credit Suisse? How could Hans the Banker taking a deposit from Fritz the Depositer somehow know that the money Fritz was depositing was from money seized from Jews? For all Hans knew, especially in 1939-43, before any real knowleedge of the extermination of Jews became available (and such knowledge was still rare, as any examination of the newspapers of the day will show), the money was from German families seeking to protect their own assets, or was even money siphoned from the German war effort, and so on. Third, the notion that "Switzerland must do something!" is pernicious and inimical to banking secrecy and basic privacy issues. A drumbeat is building which will serve to undermine banking secrecy around the world. (Now what happened to the Jews in Europe was horrible, depicable, etc. It was an example of the power of the total state to order the liquidation of some religious or ethnic faction. But the horror of the liquidation of millions of Jews, or millions of Chinese, or millions of Tutsis/Hutus, etc., must not be an excuse for expanding the power of states still further. That circular logic will ultimately kill even more in factions out of favor.) This issue relates to Chaumian anonymous cash, of course. One can imagine various scenarios by which crypto anarchy is used to transfer funds, etc. Left as an exercise for the imaginative. As the "Nazi Gold" story continues to build, expect "Swiss bankers" to be added to the list of the "Horsemen." (Swiss bankers always have been viewed with some suspicion--and admiration. Usually related to their "sheltering" of funds from dictators and mobsters. And their has long been the hint of complicity with the Reich in some areas. But now the move is on to associate Swiss banks with the Holocaust more explicitly.) I suspect the U.S. pressure on Swiss banks has a political dimension related to forcing a New World Order on international banking. The U.S. wants banking secrecy subject to U.S. control (so that banks like Castle Bank, Nugan Hand Bank, Banco Ambrosiano, BCCI, and the Bank of America can continue to be used for U.S. interests, and only U.S. interests). The Jews killed by the German state in the war are dead and gone. Most of their money is irretrievably gone. The clamor to break banking secrecy and "force" the banks to disclose all records is part of a larger political game. --Tim May There's something wrong when I'm a felon under an increasing number of laws. ---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---- Timothy C. May | Crypto Anarchy: encryption, digital money, tcmay(a)got.net 408-728-0152 | anonymous networks, digital pseudonyms, zero W.A.S.T.E.: Corralitos, CA | knowledge, reputations, information markets, Higher Power: 2^1398269 | black markets, collapse of governments. "National borders aren't even speed bumps on the information superhighway."

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Re: e$: In Vino Veritas
by Stephen Cobb, CISSP 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Robert Thanks so much for a truly enjoyable and thought-provoking piece of writing. It gladdens my heart to know that there are still people out there who know what happened to the Romantics! But you do have to be careful about typing behavior with age. I live in Florida and yes, we have a lot of old folks, but a sadly significant number of the moralists are in their 20s and 30s. In Brevard County where I live (and shuttles are launched) they have banned nude sunbathing, even on Federal property (also thong bikinis and male swim wear that "permits discernible turgidity" -- by this standard most of the Olympic finalists in the men's 100 meters would have been breaking the law if Brevard County had been hosting). Much of the ban-the-nudist lobbying was done people well under 40. There was a great moment at the televised County meeting when a frail old man made his way to the podium and we all braced for another "skin is sin" speech. But this is what he said "I'm a nudist and believe me, you have no idea who else is." So, it is not age that makes folks stupid. My mother took me on a ban-the-bomb march when I was 6. I helped disrupt a tour by the all-white South African rugby team when I was 17. But in the town were I grew up we had both hippies and Nazi-loving, Paki-bashing skinheads (I use the term Paki-bashing only because that is what people called it). We also had Young Conservatives, aging beatniks, and leftists who were so far left they actually admired Stalin (they were so screwed up that, despite being atheists, they protested the British government's decision to deny a priest, jailed for helping the IRA blow up parts of Coventry, conduct mass in prison). Me, I'm 45 and hope I will be my own kind of libertarian until I die. My mother is in her 70s and still working for the cause of freedom and dignity. My brother quit banking to write security software, some of which is causing brains to hurt at the UK's DTI. But getting back to prohibition, do the words "when will they ever learn?" strike a chord? It is so damn obvious that prohibition=organized crime I can't believe it isn't genetic already, like not eating things that smell rotten. But I digress. A book worth reading on the subject, if only for the examples and footnotes, is "Ain't Nobody's Business If You Do: The Absurdity of Consensual Crimes in a Free Society" by Peter McWilliams Now available in paperback, published by Prelude Press. Personally, I look forward to reading more of your postings. Stephen Certified Information Systems Security Professional Owner, Cobb Associates: "An independent information technology & security consulting firm...since 1987" "The best weapon with which to defend information.. ..is information." Cobb, Guide to PC & LAN Security 2825 Garden, Suite 7-11, Titusville, Florida 32796 Tel: 1 407 383 0977 Fax: 0336 Email: stephen(a)iu.net Try http://www.2cobbs.com & http://www.cobweb.co.uk

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