December 2003 - cypherpunks-legacy

CIA intelligence info
by Vladimir Z. Nuri 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

some interesting info on apparent efforts by the CIA spooks to get into economic espionage and be more "user friendly" .. (blecch) ------- Forwarded Message From: "Ron Pappas" <rpappas(a)ix.netcom.com> Date: Sun, 31 Dec 1995 18:17:52 +0000 Subject: Intelligence Anyone? FRM: Ron Pappas FOR: All - - -=> Quoting Paul McGinnis <=- April 12, 1994 -- the CIA released a document in February 1994 called "A Consumer's Guide to Intelligence". My copy arrived today, so I will provide a review for interested parties. This item has a slick marketing feel to it, similar to that of a prospectus for a new stock or something given to prospective car buyers. It's even printed on glossy paper. About the only thing missing, that other marketing documents have, is color photographs of happy employees. Apparently, in this era of shrinking budgets, it was prepared to "sell" the Intelligence Community to various government officials. In fact, inside the front cover, is the statement "This publication is prepared for the use of US government officials, and the format, coverage, and content are designed to meet their specific requirements." So, what's the content like? It discusses what various intelligence agencies actually do, types of intelligence, how intelligence is collected (helpful tip: if you have just come back from an exotic foreign country, the U.S. government would really like to have a friendly chat with you...) and the reports that can be provided to policymakers. For example, if you have enough political clout, you can get a free subscription to the following (quoted verbatim from page 23 of the CIA publication): Defense Intelligence Agency Current Assessments _______________________________________________ A tabloid product that provides a brief and timely assessment of an ongoing military or military-related situation or recent development considered highly significant to national-level decisionmakers. Given the word "tabloid" one wonders if it features lurid New York Post style headlines, such as "Serbian general's secret Bosnian girlfriend"... There are a few surprises though. For example, among current large consumers of intelligence information, it lists the Department of Agriculture and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). They also discuss the rarely mentioned MASINT field (Measurements and Signatures Intelligence). MASINT involves using scientists and engineers to study other characteristics of intelligence information gathered. For example, although it is not stated in this publication, it is believed that MASINT specialists studied the spectral characteristics of Soviet rocket exhausts to determine the fuel mixture used in the rocket. How does one obtain a copy of this document? It is available for $12.50 to addresses in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, and $25.00 elsewhere. (There was an error in the NTIS database entry I posted earlier which indicated the price was $17.50). Also, you need to add $3.00 for postage per order (not per copy) in the U.S., Canada and Mexico, and $4.00 for postage elsewhere. To order, make checks payable to NTIS, and request item # PB93-928021 from U.S. Department of Commerce National Technical Information Service Springfield, VA 22161 phone (703) 487-4650 Ask for a free copy of their catalog of products and services. So, is it worth ordering? If you are interested in intelligence, I recommend this publication. Also, it might be a good thing to leave laying around on your coffee table if you have "politically correct" visitors... Paul McGinnis / TRADER(a)cup.portal.com - - ------------------------------------------------ (This file was found elsewhere on the Internet and uploaded to the Patriot FTP site by S.P.I.R.A.L., the Society for the Protection of Individual Rights and Liberties. E-mail alex(a)spiral.org) Peace, Pap... The College Board 864.878.7340 FIDO - 1:3639/60 - ------- End of Forwarded Message ------- End of Forwarded Message

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Re: Why Net Censorship Doesn't Work
by tcmay＠got.net 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

At 8:17 PM 1/2/96, Duncan Frissell wrote: >That would require outlawry of crypto over the backbone and some way of >convincing the backbone to run government approved code. Quite a bit of >resistance would ensue. Have the Feds ever successfully mandated that large >numbers of people run government code? Aren't we all using Ada? --Tim May We got computers, we're tapping phone lines, we know that that ain't allowed. ---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---- 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: 2^756839 - 1 | black markets, collapse of governments. "National borders aren't even speed bumps on the information superhighway."

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New year's letter picked up by Netly News
by Raph Levien 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Hi cypherpunks, In case anyone missed it the first time, or just prefers to see it in HTML (with URLs), my new year's eve letter got picked up by the Netly News, Josh Quittner's daily column on Time's Pathfinder Web site. http://pathfinder.com/@@noje*HGS0AMAQNl0/Netly/nnhome.html The second part will run tomorrow. Raph

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Re: Foiling Traffic Analysis
by Carl Ellison 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

>Date: Tue, 02 Jan 1996 19:44:53 -0800 >From: shamrock(a)netcom.com (Lucky Green) >Subject: Re: Foiling Traffic Analysis >At 20:02 1/2/96, Jon Lasser wrote: > >>When the group of packets arrives at a given station, it replaces its >>current encrypted packet with a new packet; >All participants in this network are clearly guilty of conspiracy. Their >assets will be confiscated under RICO. Sounds like disasterizing to me. This is merely a technical means for producing anonymous communications. Anonymity = conspiracy? - Carl +--------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Carl M. Ellison cme(a)acm.org http://www.clark.net/pub/cme | | PGP: E0414C79B5AF36750217BC1A57386478 & 61E2DE7FCB9D7984E9C8048BA63221A2 | | ``Officer, officer, arrest that man! He's whistling a dirty song.'' | +---------------------------------------------- Jean Ellison (aka Mother) -+

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Shut 'er down
by Duncan Frissell 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

At 03:06 PM 1/2/96 -0500, Brian Davis wrote: >BTW our office collects more every year (from fines, foreclosures, >bankruptcies, affirmative civil cases, etc. etc.) than our total office >budget. We make money -- so why am I unpaid this week! :-) The courts cost too though. Also there's your share of general government overhead. You may cover variable direct costs but perhaps not indirect and fixed costs. I take it you are unpaid but working. Couldn't we reverse the process and pay you not to work? Sort of like protection money. It would be worth it I think. DCF "Some of my best friends are public employees but I wouldn't want my sister to marry one. She needs someone with a steady income and future prospects."

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Re: Guerilla Internet Service Providers (fwd)
by shamrock＠netcom.com 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

At 22:11 1/2/96, Anonymous wrote: >frantz(a)netcom.com (Bill Frantz) wrote: > >> Don't forget about infrared to cross public rights-of-way. > >What about fog? Infrared and laser are not very reliable between buildings during fog. Between your house and your neighbor, a low cost 900MHz bridge would be the best way to go. On such short distances, an omni-directional antenna will work just fine. Check out Solectek (cheaper) or Cylink (faster). Both offer DES link encryption. -- Lucky Green <mailto:shamrock@netcom.com> PGP encrypted mail preferred.

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Re: Guerilla Internet Service Providers (fwd)
by shamrock＠netcom.com 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

At 22:51 1/2/96, Steve Gibbons wrote: >I had a similar thought about a month ago. In particular, I was thinking that >skyrise office buildings would be a great market for ISPs to target. Rent a >closet in the basement/top floor close to the telco demarc. Run lots of >UTP to >the cients through the existing conduit, ceiling acces, air ducts, or whatever >and boom, lots of clients, low overhead, telco bills cut to 1/2 of the >competitions'. Up-front costs might (or might not be) higher, since the wire >installation would now be the burden of the ISP. [...] >FWIW, (and if anyone winds up doing something like this, I want a "finders >fee" ;-) ) Sorry, I thought of this months ago :-) But there is an even better business opportunity out there. Wireless T1 service covering a whole downtown area. I speced the whole system for the last company I worked for before they ran out of money. My calculations show that you can deliver close to T1 speed to corporate customers at fraction of the cost using land lines. In the best case scenario, you can produce the individual connection at below $200. No land line based ISP can ever touch that. The total cost for a land line based IPS is at least $395/T1. Set-up fee is lower too. Best, the whole thing can be set up self financing. If I wasn't so busy with other projects, I'd implement it myself. -- Lucky Green <mailto:shamrock@netcom.com> PGP encrypted mail preferred.

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Re: Guerilla ISP's...
by shamrock＠netcom.com 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

At 12:49 1/2/96, Ed Carp [khijol SysAdmin] wrote: >And the servers could really be set up anonymously. Pay cash to an ISP >for a SLIP or PPP account, get a phone line under a ficticious name, set >up a PO box for the (few) bills, find somewhere to set up the machine, >and away you go... Only to have the box impounded within a few days after going on-line. A very costly and likely short lived hobby. -- Lucky Green <mailto:shamrock@netcom.com> PGP encrypted mail preferred.

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Re: Guerilla Internet Service Providers (fwd)
by frantz＠netcom.com 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

At 22:11 1/2/96 -0800, Anonymous wrote: >frantz(a)netcom.com (Bill Frantz) wrote: > >> Don't forget about infrared to cross public rights-of-way. > >What about fog? How much reliability do you need? As a first approxmation, look out your window. How often is it that you can't see your neighbor's house? Here in California, power failures are more frequent. (N.B. higher level protocols will recover from interruptions due to, e.g. large trucks.) I first heard of people using the technology to extend an IBM mainframe channel across a freeway 15 or 20 years ago. Bill

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Re: Why Net Censorship Doesn't Work
by nobody＠REPLAY.COM 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Ed Carp: >Tell that to folks in the contries of used-to-be-Russia. Lots of old >Communist leaders getting back into power - some folks are even saying >that the old days under the Communists were better than living in a free >market economy. > >Never underestimate the value of human stupidity and shortsightedness. Definitely. The number of warm and well-fed people who are willing to lecture the cold and starving on morals and higher principles is mind-boggling.

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