December 2003 - cypherpunks-legacy

Netly News on Nutly News
by Declan McCullagh 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

http://cgi.pathfinder.com/netly/0,2326,201980909-14593,00.html The Arrest of the Nutly Bomber By Declan McCullagh (declan(a)well.com) [Part I of a Series For two years a pair of anonymous Net crackpots have been posting angry tirades to a cryptography discussion list under a takeoff of Netly called "Nutly News." Now the FBI and Royal Canadian Mounted Police say that a digital signature connects them to a bomb discovered last June in a Canadian courthouse.] It was about 5 p.m. on August 18. Carl Johnson, 49, was beating the heat inside the Rialto Theater in what passes for downtown Tuscon, Ariz. That morning a friend had tipped off Johnson that the police were trying to find him, but for now he had something else on his mind: his music. The itinerant musician and writer had spent the last month furiously scribbling lyrics, friends say, and he wanted a loan from someone he knew who worked at the theater. It was for some recording work, Johnson explained. This was going be his third album, after "My Way or the Highway" and "Please! Stop Me Before I Sing Again." But when Johnson left the Rialto, his musical career was cut short by two federal agents from the IRS's internal security division. They arrested him on charges of Internet threats against federal judges and police. The Canadians wanted Johnson, too, on charges of planting a bomb in a Saskatchewan courthouse. [...]

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CP Cite
by John Young 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

We're putting together copies of cpunk messages Jeff Gordon cites in the Carl Johnson complaint and have found all in the archives except one dated June10, 1998. Jeff describes it: 15. On June 10, 1998, an anonymous message was posted to the Cypherpunks Internet group. In the message, it is stated that the bomber "placed the bomb before embarking on a middle-leg of the TruthMonger SoftTarget Tour of Planet Terra." The message also referenced an RCMP plan to "drive a known madman crazy enough to finally put him away turned bad, and resulted in a backlash of death and destruction ..." I noted that this message contained information about the courthouse bomb incident which had not previously been made public, and was written in a style and manner which I recognized as being similar to other writings which my investigation has linked to JOHNSON. In his interview with Special Agent Sheridan, JOHNSON acknowledged using the name TruthMonger, and also stated he had psychological problems, both of which correspond to this message. We'd appreciate getting a copy (yes, Jeff, if you would, anon ok). BTW, there's a brief message from Lucky Green yesterday in the archives on CEJ which did not appear on the cyberpass list, AFAIK, although it was sent to ssz.com. Do such gaps happen much in CDR? Yeah, yeah, I post to toad, and aim to be the last one who does, so drive me AP-mad. BTW2, anybody know what Linda Reed thinks of her infame? BTW3, we heard from TX that CJ's music/perform art is going to be boosted in concert with his god-sent cornseed of publicity.

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SCADA in power grid
by Vladimir Z. Nuri 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

this is from http://www.garynorth.com/y2k/detail_.cfm/2439 Gary North's Y2K Links and Forums Summary and Comments (feel free to mail this page) ---------------------------------------------------------------- Category: Power_Grid Date: 1998-08-29 13:57:30 Subject: The Convenient Lie: Link: http://y2ktimebomb.com/PP/RC/dm9834.htm Comment: On August 27, I spoke before a meeting of 500 people -- 5% of a local town. At that meeting, representatives of several industries spoke: banking, telephone, electrical power. When pressed by someone in the audience, the representative of the power company insisted they could run the entire company on manual systems without compliant computers. Forget about noncompliant chips. The company can do it manually. I asked him straight: Can they run the SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition) system without telecommunications? That's the computerized system that tells them how much power is running through the lines. "Yes," he said. A week before I had been told by an engineer with a large urban power company that without SCADA, they would fry the lines permanently. "There is no way we could run the system manually." I guess engineers don't agree. I told the audience this: "No system can be switched to pre-computer manual operations without training. Any outfit that claims that it can be run manually had better have a highly trained technical staff to take over in 2000. Does the outfit have a training manual? How much training money has it budgeted?" Any outfit that does not have the staff being trained right now is lying when it says that it can be run manually. It cannot be run manually by phantom workers. The men who knew how to run it manually were fired 30 years ago. The manual systems were replaced. The industry did not spend hundreds of billions of dollars on computerization so as to have two separate operation systems. They spent the money to get rid of manual systems. Any time you hear some representative tell you his public utility can be run manually, ask five questions: 1. How many trained personnel do you need, including substitutes, to run your system manually? 2. How many are currently undergoing training for this task, and how many have finished it? 3. May I come in and see your training manual that you use to train these people? 4. How much money has your company budgeted to train this staff? 5. How much has already been spent? You must call their bluff. They're lying. They have no intention of trying to run anything manually. It's just a PR ploy. It's Monica Lewinsky syndrome. Nobody suffers any consequences for lying to the public. But can't they be sued for lying, i.e., misleading the public? Not if all companies in the industry collapse for the same reason. They will share the blame, or pass it on to a higher authority: "An act of God." When you catch one of them in a lie this big, you can rest assured: he knows that it can't be fixed by anyone, so he knows he can't be successfully sued. Training to convert to manual systems won't work, of course. The power industry can't be run manually, and it's too late to fix the code. Besides, nobody in the industry will pay any attention to such warnings. But at least it lets the industry know that you don't believe the lie any more. Dick Mills, who is a public optimist about the power grid, recently issued a warning to the industry: begin contingency planning. This includes training. This is the best advice that anyone could give the power industry -- not because the advice could work at this late date, but because it's time to call their bluff. This is from Westergaard's site. * * * * * * * * * . . . Isn't there already a national emergency plan in place for such as critical infrastructure such as power? No, not to my knowledge. Please write and tell me if I'm wrong. Never before, has there been a threat to the power system of such sweeping scope and magnitude as Y2K. There was no need for a national electric-power emergency plan. Prudence requires that we have such a plan, not only for Y2K but also for other future threats. I foresee that this plan will need to span national, state, local, public, private, utility and non-utility boundaries. How might we accomplish that? I've been told that existing presidential executive orders allow the entire industry to be nationalized at the stroke of a pen in case of emergency. Thus the authority exists, but it will do no good unless there are plans and trained organizations in place to use it effectively. There are numerous mitigating possibilities to be considered. That is true of not only to electric power but also to all industries and all facets of the Y2K problem. . . . It is already too late to finish Y2K remediation for many companies, but it is not too late for disaster preparations. To actually get practical and practiced disaster preparedness plans in place, we must accomplish three things. I see these three as my working goals. I hope you do the same. . . . We must plan, train, and practice the implementation of emergency procedures. Those are key elements of all emergency services like fire and police. In the Y2K case, we have to combine strangers into teams, invent new roles, and practice. That takes time. Link: http://y2ktimebomb.com/PP/RC/dm9834.htm ---------------------------------------------------------------- Return to Category: Power_Grid Return to Main Categories Return to Home Page

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Checking CDR
by John Young 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Those of us on cyberpass.net are not getting mail this morning so I've subbed to algebra and ssz to see if the x-posting is working.

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Re: radio net (fwd)
by Jim Choate 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Forwarded message: > Date: Wed, 09 Sep 1998 00:51:49 -0700 > From: "William J. Hartwell" <billh(a)ibag.com> > Subject: Re: radio net > I think a radio network linked to the Amateur networks sending secure > packets, > using tunneling or maybe just encrypted traffic (There may be some FCC > rules regarding this. The FCC prohibits the transmission of encrypted data via analog or digital signals by amateurs. ____________________________________________________________________ The seeker is a finder. Ancient Persian Proverb The Armadillo Group ,::////;::-. James Choate Austin, Tx /:'///// ``::>/|/ ravage(a)ssz.com www.ssz.com .', |||| `/( e\ 512-451-7087 -====~~mm-'`-```-mm --'- --------------------------------------------------------------------

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Re: Citizenship silliness. Re: e$: crypto-expatriatism (fwd)
by Jim Choate 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Forwarded message: > Date: Wed, 9 Sep 1998 10:03:25 -0500 > From: Petro <petro(a)playboy.com> > Subject: Re: Citizenship silliness. Re: e$: crypto-expatriatism (fwd) > There already are several, the problem is the cannot be centralized > the way oil is. That's not really the problem... > Alcohol is acceptable (and in some ways better) than gasoline for > cars and motorcycles, but anyone can set up a still and compete with RDS & > Standard. The problem with alcohol is that there isn't enough free land in order grow enough plant material to provide the necessary quantities without seriously restricting the amount of land available for actual foodstuffs and living space (unless you want everyone to move to Black Rock desert or live on the top of a mountain). Alcohol is also much more of a fire hazard than gas. It burns hotter, isn't put out by water spray easily, and burns invisibly (well all right in the near-UV). > A mix of solar Again not enough land to make it feasible, not to mention the low efficiency of even the best panels. > wind Not enough places in the US (or anywhere else for that matter) where the wind blows with sufficient force 18 hours a day to make it economical. > coal Coal isn't an acceptable substitute, mainly because there isn't enough low-sulphur deposits in the world to supply the US, let alone the rest of the world. Plus it isn't renewable. > hydroelectric Not enough rivers with sufficient hydrodynamic head to make this work for the US let alone the rest of the planet. > nuclear I'll buck the general consensus because I like nuclear energy, however there is a single MAJOR caveat, we need fussion and not fission reactors to make it economical. The waste problem with fission reactors is enough to vote in the negative on them. > and other sources cop-out. The reality is that the clathrate deposits occur across the entire ocean. The existing Magnesium Nodule treaties could be extended to cover the countries that don't have coastlines. They are the first renewable, occurring in sufficient quantity, and with realizable and economicly feasible methods for mining, processing, and distributing to have been put on the table. As to the gas and oil folk being against them, they're about the only ones with an existing infrastructure (ie extracting oil and gas from the sea floor) to take advantage of the source, implying that existing changes in the infrastructure would be minor. ____________________________________________________________________ The seeker is a finder. Ancient Persian Proverb The Armadillo Group ,::////;::-. James Choate Austin, Tx /:'///// ``::>/|/ ravage(a)ssz.com www.ssz.com .', |||| `/( e\ 512-451-7087 -====~~mm-'`-```-mm --'- --------------------------------------------------------------------

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No Subject
by Anonymous 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Dear Mr Gordon, When I checked the digital signature on the Internet death threat using the PGP software and JOHNSON'S secret key ring, the computer identified the signature as one of the signature keys stored in JOHNSON'S computer. Because both the "private" and "public" portions of the "key" were stored on JOHNSON'S computer, the message can be authenticated as having been generated by the person who possessed this "secret key" and knew the correct password. In other words, only the person possessing the secret key found on JOHNSON'S computer could have generated the "death threat" message. Why would you claim only one person possessed the secret key? As you doubtlessly know, some of the TruthMonger secret keys have been posted to Cypherpunks anonymously. This is not authentication. Thank you.

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Re: Carl Johnson Warrant and Complaint
by Information Security 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

> From: Tim May <tcmay(a)got.net> > > As I'd been deleting nearly all of Toto's stuff unread, I missed all the > stuff about (allegedly) threatening to bomb the RCMP. That's probably true for most of us...it was an unbelievable volume of crap he sent the list. (as opposed to my crap ;-) > Best to leave rants at the general, protected speech level, and to not get > into specifics of names and working habits of agents. For example: # Date: Mon, 7 Sep 1998 22:39:01 -0700 # To: cypherpunks(a)cyberpass.net # From: Tim May <tcmay(a)got.net> # Subject: Tax silliness # # Fox News is reporting that the IRS has said it may seek to # assess "gift taxes" if the guy who recovered Mark McGwire's 61st home # baseball gives the ball back to Mark McGwire. # # Those fuckers in D. C. need to be put out of our misery. Yeah, much better, Tim. ;-) But don't start holding rallies and saying it in public in NYC, or Rudolph Giuliani might have you arrested. ---- http://jya.com/usa-v-cej-wc.htm > 8. On December 9, 1997, an anonymous message was posted to the > Cypherpunks Internet mail group with the subject listed as "Encrypted > InterNet DEATH THREAT!!! / ATTN: Ninth District Judges / PASSWORD: > sog"[.] The body of the message was encrypted with the publicly > available encryption software PGP, and was initially unreadable. Using > PGP software and the password shown in the subject line of the > message, I was able to decrypt the message, which contained a > rambling, five-page statement, including the following: That would appear to be this post: http://www.inet-one.com/cypherpunks/dir.97.12.04-97.12.10/msg00356.html Entirely unexplained is how one goes from passphrase "sog" (Shit on government?) to decrypting the PGP message. What public or private key was used? > 9. I noted that this message contained a PGP digital signature. From > my training and experience, I am aware that this digital signature is > used as a way to authenticate digital documents to make sure that they > are authored by the purported author and that no one has tampered with > them. When I checked the signature using only PGP software, the PGP > program was unable to identify it. What key...? > Only July 1, 1998, Royal Canadian > Mounted Police (RCMP) Investigator Steve Foster provided me with a PGP > "Secret Key Ring" which he stated he had obtained from a computer > which Canadian Customs authorities had seized from an individual by > the name of CARL EDWARD JOHNSON. [A "secret key ring" is a > user-generated code which allows for the encryption (and later > authentication) of computer-generated documents.] When I checked the > digital signature on the Internet death threat using the PGP software > and JOHNSON'S secret key ring, the computer identified the signature > as one of the signature keys stored in JOHNSON'S computer. Because > both the "private" and "public" portions of the "key" were stored on > JOHNSON'S computer, the message can be authenticated as having been > generated by the person who possessed this "secret key" and knew the > correct password. In other words, only the person possessing the > secret key found on JOHNSON'S computer could have generated the "death > threat" message. Sparky got it wrong. Many people could have the same public/secret key pairs, all they have to do is give them out. And you don't authenticate messages with the "secret key" in standard use. This person seems to have no clue, after months of tracking, how basic public key encryption software works. In fact, the key ring could be edited to have a fake secret key and the public key that works as the digital signature for the posted message. More questions: did they get the passphrase for his computer's PGP secret key? How? And why did RCMP customs seize his computer? ---guy

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The full Monica: Novel new 'service'/Collectors' issue - New interface tomorrow
by STUFFED NEWS DAILY 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Today is the last day using the current interface. After much research we designed a new front end along the lines of what many of you had been asking for. And it's turned out to be super-fast too. That's tomorrow's issue. But for today, here's what you also get! + 30+ FREE HI-RES JPEGS + PAGE 2 'SPREAD': A GORGEOUS GAL + RAUNCHY RECIPE: CRAFTY COOK + LA WINDSKY: AMAZING MODEL + KEEP IT IN THE FAMILY: STRANGE ENCOUNTER + CLINTON CONDOMS: YES IT'S TRUE + ASS-PIRIN: SEX AND DRUGS + WILD THUMBNAILS: 10 FREE PICS + SEXY STORY: "THE GROUPIE" + THE VERY BEST OF EUREKA! - YOUR FAVORITE SITES + SEXY SURPRISE THUMBS: 10 MORE FREE PICS + FOOD FOR SEX: FASCINATING FEATURE + MEGA THUMBNAIL ORGY: ANOTHER 10 FREE PICS + ULTRA HI-RES POSTER PIC: SAVE IT, PRINT IT + LOADS AND LOADS MORE STUFF: CHECK IT OUT! - Have fun! ----> http://stuffed.net/98/9/9/ <---- Welcome to today's issue of Stuffed. To read it you should click on the URL above. If it is not made clickable by your email program you will need to use your mouse to highlight the URL, copy it and then paste it into your browser (then press Return). This email is never sent unsolicited. Stuffed is the supplement for the Eureka newsletter you subscribed to. Full instructions on unsubscribing are in every issue of Eureka! ----> http://stuffed.net/98/9/9/ <----

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Re: Any good hacking sites?
by Anonymous 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

M I T wrote: > ... > also, any1 here into AOL hacking??? > Oh, this is almost _too_ easy... Yeah, we know about AOL hacking... First, you get a couple of million clueless fucktards like yourself together and give all of them the same 800-number to dial in... Watch what follows: <closeup of two fuckholes; if breathing weren't an autonomic response, they'd both be dead> bzzzt... bzzzt... bzzzt... <fx: busy signal> Lamer #1: "Hey, d00d, whatcha doin?" bzzzt... bzzzt... bzzzt... Lamer #2: "I'm hacking AOL, man." bzzzt... bzzzt... bzzzt... Lamer #1: "Whoa! C00l, d00d! Can I like, watch?" bzzzt... bzzzt... bzzzt... Lamer #2: "Sure, man." <cut to screen showing WinBlows "Starfield Simulation" screensaver> ... Any questions?

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