December 2003 - cypherpunks-legacy

Re: Cypherpunks as lobbying/propagandizing group
by cfrye＠mason1.gmu.edu 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Eric Hughes says: "It's a fine idea, except there's no way such a group can claim to represent cypherpunks at large." True enough -- my idea would be to say that our group is composed of folks who happen to be Cypherpunks subscribers. I agree that claiming to represent an anarchy is illogical and, well, an outright untruth. Curt

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Re: Random #'s via serial port dongle?
by koontzd＠lrcs.loral.com 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

>From: smb(a)research.att.com >To: hughes(a)ah.com (Eric Hughes) > >This has probably been discussed before, but has anyone built a little > >device that amplifies the white noise from a transistor junction, and > >converts it into serial data? > As Tim mentions, lots of people have talked about doing this, but few > actually have. Nevertheless, the device is still needed and no one > has done it. > I estimate you could sell 500 at $50 each within four months if there > were PGP support for it. And I'll give you advertising space on the > archive site. > Real random numbers should be a standard part of every computer. >Absolutely. Given a choice between a hardware encryptor -- even a >public key hardware encryptor -- and a true random number generator, >I'd unhesitatingly choose the latter. Having seen random noise sources in real digital crypto use I would give a couple of hints. A noise source is used to generate noise at a deterministic rate, either a rate at which it is consumed or the rate at which it is stored (in the case of one time pad generation). This implies two characteristics 1) that frequency distribution of noise is suitable for that rate, and 2) That the noise source is sampled or gated. The very act of converting noise to digital date is fraught with pitfalls. The noise source needs to be extremely well isolated from the rest of a system, to prevent unwanted coupling between digital transitions and the noise source (it just about always implies amplification for thresold sampling). Otherwise your noise source is not as random as could be hoped. It should also be suggested that a random noise source be tested (statistically) periodically, and should not present a single point failure that can endanger the security of communications (redundancy). All noise sources should be isolated from each other as well as from the system in which they are utilized. Intel got a COMSEC noise source module certified in the mid 80s, it would not be available to us nor be affordable. Previously the smallest available encapsulated module was the size of a Zippo lighter. I believe HP used to sell zener noise diodes, although you can reverse bias an EB junction on a transistor. Any and all parts should be screened for noise spectrum, especially disturbing would be any spectrum holes. You would be able to extrapolate a bell curve distribution, with your sampling rate(s) falling well toward the middle. Were you to use a noise source toward the outsides of the curve it would behoove you to consume more noise data over a longer period of time. NSA used to have an unclassified document on criteria for random noise sources, which got deleted in the early Reagan presidency when the U.S. started losing Perestroka. Note that as seen from CCEP chip specs and the clipper chip spec, block ciphers can be used with special data sets (including the seed) to generate a "random" initial vector (IV). The clipper chip spec shows a maximum of 650 clocks to generate and IV, including LEAF generation, while the clipper chip takes 64 clocks to execute 32 rounds of Skipjack. The LEAF should account 2 rounds (128 clocks). One could guess that statistical testing determines how many skipjack iterations to generate the IV in view of the maximum of 650 clocks. It is even possible that failing statistical tests causes a master alarm condition. Further speculation is entertaining. Were you to use noise sources for one time pads you have the problem of secure distribution.

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Re: Crypto books
by koontzd＠lrcs.loral.com 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

>From: Karl Lui Barrus <klbarrus(a)owlnet.rice.edu> >I have this book - "Cryptography and Secure Communications" by Man >Young Rhee. It covers basic cryptography (number theory, DES, block >ciphers, stream ciphers, public key systems) and also communications >(BCH codes, Reed-Solomon Codes, Error control for cryptosystems). If you like the Meyer/Matras book 'Crptography', you'll like this one.

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Expectation of Privacy
by Christian D. Odhner 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

I remember a while back (on this list I think) there was some discussion of a case in which it was ruled that the cops in some instance didn't need a warrent to intercept (or weren't in violation of ECPA?) a cordless phone phone call because the user didn't have the same "expectation of privacy" as they would with a normal phone... it seems to me the end judgement was that if the equipment you're using is easy enough to listen in on, then you can't complain if they do so. Fast-forward a few years to when the Digital Telephony Act and clippper chips have been mass deployed... does someone talking on a clipper phone over a DTA-compliant network have enough of an 'expectation of privacy' to require a warrent for intercepts? Happy Hunting, -Chris. ______________________________________________________________________________ Christian Douglas Odhner | "The NSA can have my secret key when they pry cdodhner(a)indirect.com | it from my cold, dead, hands... But they shall pgp 2.3 public key by finger | NEVER have the password it's encrypted with!" cypherpunks WOw dCD Traskcom Team Stupid Key fingerprint = 58 62 A2 84 FD 4F 56 38 82 69 6F 08 E4 F1 79 11 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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re: So what are we going to do
by Mark Hittinger 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

> It may be too late for the federal gov't to regulate cryptography. >The genie is already out of the bottle. They might legislate it, even >criminalize it, but private non-clipper crypto is here. I believe it is >here to stay. At least, I'm not giving up _MY_ copy of PGP. As long as They could tax it. :-) -------- His system was just roadkill along the information superhighway. -----BEGIN PGP PUBLIC KEY BLOCK----- Version: 2.3a mQCNAiz4FWMAAAEEALBCb7HZS7V4gbsp9yJ7Yty49jQ9wcgRhkLjNNgdyJbrJZCq 5/sv4Ljy/4AhVhjlJyZS8L3owS8l0ClZVzWw4/kO3KN7MPz4YPPR7+qIlPQVM0yv gWpJ43EZZ8b8cvAkE9HATCKWktY2ReRSX5DLnScDH/n5jivw+MD/UO8fURCVAAUR tCBNYXJrIEhpdHRpbmdlciA8YnVnc0BuZXRzeXMuY29tPg== =VbKi -----END PGP PUBLIC KEY BLOCK-----

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re: AH NO!!!
by Mark Hittinger 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

I think it is a natural option they always fall back on when they can't actually control something. They want to tax tobacco and booze to pay for health care reform. They want to tax gambling to pay for welfare reform. They will clearly want to tax crypto for privacy reform. Its intuitively obvious to the most casual surviellance! Bet they thought of it before I did. -------- His system was just roadkill along the information superhighway. -----BEGIN PGP PUBLIC KEY BLOCK----- Version: 2.3a mQCNAiz4FWMAAAEEALBCb7HZS7V4gbsp9yJ7Yty49jQ9wcgRhkLjNNgdyJbrJZCq 5/sv4Ljy/4AhVhjlJyZS8L3owS8l0ClZVzWw4/kO3KN7MPz4YPPR7+qIlPQVM0yv gWpJ43EZZ8b8cvAkE9HATCKWktY2ReRSX5DLnScDH/n5jivw+MD/UO8fURCVAAUR tCBNYXJrIEhpdHRpbmdlciA8YnVnc0BuZXRzeXMuY29tPg== =VbKi -----END PGP PUBLIC KEY BLOCK-----

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Re: Constitution and Contract
by Blanc Weber 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

From: Black Unicorn Uni (who is not a centralist): "[It] almost sounds like you are calling for liberation from the Constitution of the United States." .... "I think it's difficult to accomplish what you propose. This seems to me to amount to calling for the status of sovereignty to apply to every individual. A system of individual sovereignty strikes me as unworkable, and again a slippery slope to complete lawlessness. " Say, is the Cypherpunks list? where they intend to use PGP in defiance of government decrees to the contrary? Uni: " What I feel is the obligation of the sovereign is to limit the level of corruption of the individual by forebearing from unneeded exertions of authority." Maybe they would do this if you said "Pretty Please". Blanc

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ticket switching
by David C. Taylor 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

According to the Elliot Wave Theorist (reprinted in "The Reaper", 6 Apr 1994) Hillary Clinton's commodities broker was sacked for, among other things, reassigning winning tickets to certain accounts. Sounds like a laundered gift to me. dct(a)newt.cs.byu.edu Soaring, the Ultimate Three Dimensional Art Form

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05/03/94 Digital Telephony / Clipper House hearings
by steven cherry 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Voters Telecomm Watch (VTW) Legislative Action Alert vtw-list-request(a)panix.com 5/3/94 House Clipper/Digital Telephony hearings being held HERE'S WHERE TO CALL TO VOICE YOUR OPINION ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ============================================================================ On May 3rd there will be hearings on Digital Telephony. This is the bill proposed by the FBI which would mandate wiretapping equipment be built into all communications devices. The FBI has done little to assure the public that the scheme will not be: -prone to abuse because of a lack of safeguards, and -secure from malicious eavesdroppers And yet, without this proof, they are asking us to allow them to pass a law which would mandate building these wiretaps into every piece of communication equipment. Our privacy is too precious to be entrusted to bureaucrats who don't feel the need to answer to us. The House Science, Space, and Technology subcommittee on Technology, Environment, and Aviation will hold a hearing to address both the Clipper and Digital Telephony issues. If you see your representative below in the list, call them and tell them you oppose the Clipper chip and Digital Telephony as being a danger to your privacy. If you don't know who your representative is, or if you don't see them on the list, call in your comments to the House subcommittee at: (202) 225-8115 (voice) (202) 225-7815 (fax) [If you live in any of the states below, please try to call your Representative. Otherwise, the number above will be fine.] House Science, Space, & Technology subcommittee on Technology, Environment, and Aviation (Rep. Tim Valentine, Chairman) Dist ST Name, Address, and Party Phone Fax ==== == ======================== ============== ============== 2 NC Valentine, Tim (D) 1-202-225-4531 1-202-225-1539 2229 RHOB 4 KS Glickman, Daniel (D) 1-202-225-6216 na 2371 RHOB 12 TX Geren, Peter (D) 1-202-225-5071 1-202-225-2786 1730 LHOB 3 IN Roemer, Timothy (D) 1-202-225-3915 1-202-225-6798 415 Cannon 2 NH Swett, Richard N. (D) 1-202-225-5206 na 230 Cannon 8 NJ Klein, Herbert C. (D) 1-202-225-5751 na 1728 LHOB 15 PA McHale, Paul (D) 1-202-225-6411 1-202-225-5320 511 Cannon 36 CA Harman, Jane (D) 1-202-225-8220 na 325 Cannon 10 GA Johnson, Don (D) 1-202-225-4101 1-202-226-1466 226 Cannon 1 AZ Coppersmith, Sam* (D) 1-202-225-2635 1-202-225-2607 1607 LHOB 14 CA Eshoo, Anna G. (D) 1-202-225-8104 na 1505 LHOB 4 WA Inslee, Jay (D) 1-202-225-5816 1-202-226-1137 1431 LHOB 30 TX Johnson, Eddie Bernice (D) 1-202-225-8885 na 1721 LHOB 2 MN Minge, David (D) 1-202-225-2331 na 1508 LHOB 9 GA Deal, Nathan (D) 1-202-225-5211 1-202-225-8272 1406 LHOB 30 CA Becerra, Xavier (D) 1-202-225-6235 1-202-225-2202 1710 LHOB 9 NJ Torricelli, Robert (D) 1-202-224-5061 1-202-225-0843 2159 RHOB 15 FL Bacchus, James (D) 1-202-225-3671 1-202-225-9039 432 Cannon 5 MI Barcia, James A. (D) 1-202-225-8171 1-202-225-2168 1717 LHOB 40 CA Lewis, Jerry (R) 1-202-225-5861 1-202-225-6498 2312 RHOB 8 MD Morella, Constance (R) 1-202-225-5341 1-202-225-1389 223 Cannon 43 CA Calvert, Ken (R) 1-202-225-1986 na 1523 LHOB 7 MI Smith, Nick (R) 1-202-225-6276 na 1708 LHOB 6 MN Grams, Rod (R) 1-202-225-2271 1-202-225-9802 1713 LHOB 4 GA Linder, John (R) 1-202-225-4272 na 1605 LHOB 3 MA Blute, Peter I. (R) 1-202-225-6101 1-202-225-2217 1029 LHOB 6 MD Bartlett, Roscoe G. (R) 1-202-225-2721 na 312 Cannon 45 CA Rohrabacher, Dana (R) 1-202-225-2415 1-202-225-7067 1027 LHOB 12 NJ Zimmer, Richard A. (R) 1-202-225-5801 1-202-225-9181 228 Cannon 10 OH Hoke, Martin R. (R) 1-202-225-5871 1-202-226-0994 212 Cannon 39 CA Royce, Ed (R) 1-202-225-4111 na 1404 LHOB Faxes and phone calls tend to be brief chances at communication. Here is a sample, concise one that may give you ideas for your own. SAMPLE LETTER OR PHONE CALL The Honorable Representative ____________ I understand you will be attending the hearings on the Clipper chip and the FBI's Digital Telephony bill. I wanted to express my concern about the use of the Clipper chip in personal communications. The Clipper chip would mandate a privacy standard that is prone to significant abuse. Unlike most recent work in cryptography, the academic work surrounding the chip has been kept from the public, developed in secret. Decent cryptography exists today to protect my communications. The Clipper chip threatens my ability to use that technology. The Digital Telephony bill would mandate wiretaps be built into almost all communications equipment. Furthermore, it would arrange for "call setup" information (about who I call, and for how long) to be sent to the FBI over their networks. The potential for abuse of such a tool is great, while the ability to have it abused is even greater. Please oppose the Digital Telephony bill, as it does little to protect citizens from abuse of this technology once in the hands of computer intruders and corrupt law enforcement officials. Please oppose the Clipper chip and the Digital Telephony bill, Sincerely, __________________ ============================================================================ For more information about the VTW (Voters Telecomm Watch), write to vtw(a)panix.com. We are in no way affiliated with Panix Public Access.

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Re: Constitution and Contract [Was: CIA & FBI]
by Black Unicorn 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

I've often felt that the solution to this problem is that citizenship should not be given by birth. Everyone, whether born in the US or abroad, should have to go through roughly the present process to be granted citizenship. I'm explicitly including required study of US history and taking an oath to support the Constitution. ++PLS <- So what protections does a minor have before he or she passes the "test"? Will a passport be issued to a non-citizen?

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