December 2003 - cypherpunks-legacy

Re: Pedophiles use encoding devices to make secret use of Internet
by Weld Pond 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

I guess they moved the URL. Try this one. http://www.nando.net/newsroom/ntn/info/112195/info429_4.html Weld Pond - weld(a)l0pht.com - http://www.l0pht.com/ L 0 p h t H e a v y I n d u s t r i e s Technical archives for the people - Bio/Electro/Crypto/Radio

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Pedophiles use encoding devices to make secret use of Internet
by Weld Pond 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Story in Nando Times http://www2.nando.net/newsroom/ntn/info/info429_4.html Weld Pond - weld(a)l0pht.com - http://www.l0pht.com/ L 0 p h t H e a v y I n d u s t r i e s Technical archives for the people - Bio/Electro/Crypto/Radio

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Re: Spam the Sign!
by Frank Stuart 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

[...] > Do you have a legal opinion to support this statement? Our lawyers >tell us that executives of netscape could go to jail if we make the >128bit version of netscape available from an "export controlled" >ftp or http server. We are working to clarify the situation with >the government or figure out an alternative distribution scheme that >will remove us from the grey area. No legal opinions here, but perhaps you give it to someone who you know is legally entitled to have it and give them permission to redistribute it. For example, MIT, RSA, and c2.org already distribute export-controlled software via FTP, so if they're willing, you could give copies to people there and publish MD5 checksums. > Getting the US version of netscape widely available is one of my >highest priorities, but I can't tell Barksdale that he should go to >jail over it. I'm constantly pushing from within the company to keep >things moving forward. It's appreciated as is your participation here. > In the mean time I appologize to the linux users who can't even >buy the 128 bit version. If something changes on this front I'll >be sure to let people know. | (Douglas) Hofstadter's Law: Frank Stuart | It always takes longer than you expect, even fstuart(a)vetmed.auburn.edu | when you take into account Hofstadter's Law.

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Syrinx Remailer is no more
by skaplin＠mirage.skypoint.com 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Effective immediately syrinx(a)c2.org is no more. I no longer have the time to keep this remailer up and running. Perhaps somewhere down the line I will set up another one. Please remove Syrinx from your chains. Sam

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The Mesh and the Net
by John Young 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

SciAm's December article on future high-tech carnage cites: "The Mesh and the Net: Speculations on Armed Conflict in a Time of Free Silicon," by Martin C. Libicki, March, 1994. (233kb) Available on the Web at: <http://www.ndu.edu/ndu/inss/macnair/mcnair28/m028cont.html> NDU is the National Defense University, Libicki's teat. He is quoted: "We're getting a lot of clever ideas about how to fight a Gulf War more efficiently, but we rarely get anything about how to fight a Vietnam more efficiently." Here are excerpts from his preface: Mesh -- the term applied to military applications -- points to the holes; as information technology places a finer mesh atop the battlefield, more objects are caught in it. Net -- the term applied to civilian applications -- points to the substance of the system; the connectivity of people and their machines suggests new patterns of social relationships and new venues for conflict. Silicon, that which is to become free, stands for both semiconductor chips (for computation) and optical fibers (for communications). Argument: The relationship of the once and future revolution in information technology to warfare is analyzed in several steps: * Chapter One outlines the basis for this revolution and explains why its most natural expression is the dispersion rather than accumulation of information power. * Chapter Two examines its expression on the battlefield in three aspects: Pop-up warfare, the rise of the Mesh, and the evolution of Fire-ant warfare. * Chapter Three examines whether the revolution on the battlefield translates into a commensurate revolution in military organization. * Chapter Four discusses implications for acquisition, research and development. * Chapter Five extends the analysis to the case of low-intensity conflict. * Chapter Six attempts a broader assessment of how civilian applications of information technology, the Net, may affect national security. * Chapter Seven contrasts the Mesh, and the Net. * The Epilogue considers certain reasons why information technology may not translate into the victory of the Small and the Many over the Few and the Large. ----- <www.ndu.edu/ndu/inss> and links offer an ape-lab of global insecurity ebolas.

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Re: PKZIP - Encryption
by L. DEkel 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

"L. DEkel" writes: >> PKZIP Encryption: >> >> PKZIP encryption is often said to be: Weak, "a joke" ,"a deception" etc. >> Maybe it's time to put things in the right perspective. >> >> One must realize (yet again) the difference between: >> Theoretical Cryptography - and - Practical Cryptography: "Perry E. Metzger" writes: > I could see why one would want to use a weak encryption system if it > bought you something. However, good encryption systems are as cheap to > use as bad ones. Therefore, why ever use a bad one? If the top of the > line lock costs the same amount as a toy lock, why buy a toy? Your remark is basically correct, here are few clarifications: I didn't recommended PKZIP for encryption, I said it's an Archiver that has an option to encrypt it's files, and that Practically this encryption is not so bad as people think. About costs: a complete system, including hardware, to support "full armor" for a computer, is far more expensive than using PKZIP, so the question is again of money, but that depends of what you're trying to encrypt. If you are a bank for example, it would make sense to spend several thousands on such a system, if you just send your friend a letter once in a while, containing a movies lists, than PKZIP is enough, you don't have do use say PGP. An good opposite example is PGP: you could define it as an Encrypter which has an archiving option (Of course it archives for the purpose of encryption), so why not use PGP as an archiver instead of PKZIP ? Because: There is the question of convenience (security=1/convenience - postulate), people don't like to pass their plaintext through several utils, where one compresses it, the other encrypts etc., they want a convenient util to use. But: Who says this old postulate (security=1/convenience) is correct today ? you can write a program/script/batch to do all sorts of dirty jobs, why not write a multi-purpose: compression/encryption/mailing/etc. system ? or just use a simple script/batch util to "glue" the different utils together ? Of course it has been done: (here are some examples) compression/encryption system - with HPACK archiver which uses PGP, the UC2 (PRO) archiver which uses 3DES. encryption/mailing(sometimes with compression) system - PEM, RIPEM etc. More problems there: These utils are not "standard" as yet, many people say they want a popular archiver where they know "everybody" use, and PKZIP is among the popular and multi-featured among the archivers, so why,they say, would they bother to adopt an esoteric encrypter or archiver ? The main problem: people are not "privacy protecting" oriented, they don't care too much about the subject. ("who will bother to crack this system just to read my mail ?") What do we do ? Educate them of course. That is why the spread of knowledge in the subject is so important. (Knowledge, not unsubstantiated rumors). All in all, there is no reason not to use a crypto system, if you think your privacy/safety are in danger. I claim that in this world of compromises, choosing PKZIP is not as bad as presented, knowledge should be passed to all user about the risks involving the use of one system or the other, but there is too much rumors that obscure the subject and can misguide a user, not versed in the field of cryptography. And if you "must", choose PKZIP (it is better encrypting then none, and better than some, like ARJ, but certainly not among the best). ,,,,,,,,,,,,, DEkel (noXys) '''''''''''''

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Re: towards a theory of reputation
by James A. Donald 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

At 01:14 PM 11/21/95 -0800, Wei Dai wrote: > The first step toward a theory of reputation is defining what reputation > is. [...] If these interactions are mainly economic in nature, > then we can represent Alice's reputation of Bob by a graph with > the horizontal axis labeled price and the vertical axis labeled > expected utility. Any attempt to discuss and analyze reputations using morally neutral language is bound to wind up as boring long winded meaningless complicated word salad. You will wind up in the same place as the behaviorists did, going in ever diminishing epistemological circles until you vanish into the whichness of why and the whyness of which. Some things, for example reputations, behavior, or the principle of mathematical induction, necessarily involve concepts that are philosophically problematical. Any attempt to discuss these things while avoiding philosophically problematic concepts invariably degenerates into total fog. --------------------------------------------------------------------- | We have the right to defend ourselves | http://www.jim.com/jamesd/ and our property, because of the kind | of animals that we are. True law | James A. Donald derives from this right, not from the | arbitrary power of the state. | jamesd(a)echeque.com

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Re: PROPOSAL: cypherpunks-news@toad.com? (was: rand-test)
by post＠txcc.net 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

At 01:28 PM 11/22/95 -0500, you wrote: > >A.Back(a)exeter.ac.uk writes: >> It is much more efficient of list bandwidth to post short pointers >> only, of the style John Young <jya(a)pipeline.com> posts. > >I agree with you. John's posts are not always strictly on topic but >they are always just pointers, and he typically posts them in a single >group a day. They are also always very high quality information. I >find them to be perfectly fine. > >The recent "Friend;" stuff just annoyed me, though. > >Perry > > I agree with you. Sid

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Re: Spam the Sign!
by Jeff Simmons 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

> > > > I do what RSADSI does with ftp.rsa.com. It requires a cronjob > > and sed. I didn't get the NSA to approve it, but I figure if it's good > > enough for RSADSI it's good enough for me. > > Do you have a legal opinion to support this statement? Our lawyers > tell us that executives of netscape could go to jail if we make the > 128bit version of netscape available from an "export controlled" > ftp or http server. We are working to clarify the situation with > the government or figure out an alternative distribution scheme that > will remove us from the grey area. > > Getting the US version of netscape widely available is one of my > highest priorities, but I can't tell Barksdale that he should go to > jail over it. I'm constantly pushing from within the company to keep > things moving forward. Actually ;-) Barksdale going to jail would probably advance the cause of strong cryptography more than anything I can think of. Can you imagine the media circus when he's led out the door in handcuffs? A man worth somewhere around a billion dollars being arrested for trying to give away his product? Court reporters trying to explain ITAR to the public? The mind boggles. ... and he looked over at me and said, "What are ya in for?" and I said, "Giving away free software," and they all moved away from me on the bench ... You guys didn't get to where you are now waiting around for HTML v3.0 to be approved. There must be some way to challenge an attempt to use ITAR to stop the DOMESTIC spread of strong crypto that doesn't involve the incarceration of your top executives ... -- Jeff Simmons jsimmons(a)goblin.punk.net

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Re: Junk E-Mail
by James M. Cobb 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Friend, People are complaining about junk mail. No problem... 11 21 95 The Electronic Telegraph reports: THE European Parliament will decide today whether to ban junk mail. Euro MPs are also considering whether to outlaw credit card transactions by phone and whether direct selling via E-mail should be curbed. Today's vote has been triggered by proposals from the European Commission to protect consumers buying goods without seeing them. Your complaints are highly valued at Minute Mortuary at 2d & Main, which advertises "Privacy Knows No Limits." Cordially, Jim NOTE. The Electronic Telegraph website's URL: http://www.telegraph.co.uk The newsstory's headline: Junk mail faces last post Its online filename: wjunk21.html

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