December 2003 - cypherpunks-legacy

[Fwd: SafE Mail Encryption] got this today, anyone heard of it?
by Jack Mott 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

anyone heard of this? it was just sent to me. -- thecrow(a)iconn.net "It can't rain all the time" RSA ENCRYPTION IN 3 LINES OF PERL --------------------------------------------------------- #!/bin/perl -sp0777i<X+d*lMLa^*lN%0]dsXx++lMlN/dsM0<j]dsj $/=unpack('H*',$_);$_=`echo 16dio\U$k"SK$/SM$n\EsN0p[lN*1 lK[d2%Sa2/d0$^Ixp"|dc`;s/\W//g;$_=pack('H*',/((..)*)$/) To: thecrow(a)iconn.net Subject: SafE Mail Encryption From: safemail(a)ntrnet.net (Mike Wagoner (1)) Date: Fri, 26 Apr 1996 16:45:29 -0400 HI! Please look at our web address; http://www.sfmc.com We are information security technoligy through encyption, compresion, error correction and we are compatible with any open network or electronic mailing system. We use a public/private key approach. We work on Windows/DOS platform. The gentleman, DR. Vladyslave Oleynik, who created this software moved to The Research Triangle Park from St. Petersburg, Russia. His unique mathematical approach gives this software the longest encryption key length on the market today. This software also offers compression of up to 85% of all computer generated files as well as correct statistical errors up to 30% in a file.Because of its encryption strength, the highest compression on the market today, its error correction capability that no one else offers, and it is one of the easiest to use, this Russian technoligy will prove to change the standard of software security as we know it. Our E-mail address is safemail(a)nternet.net 1-800-252-9938-office 1-919-676-3810-fax Thanks, we awaite your response! Randy Estridge/ Mike Wagoner

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Re: Click here to become an International Arms Trafficker
by David K. Merriman 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

At 02:46 PM 04/26/96 -0400, Vince Cate wrote: > > "Click here to become an International Arms Trafficker" > >Offshore Information Services Ltd. has set up a web page to make it really >easy for people to become International Arms Traffickers. All they have to >do is fill in their name and email address and then click. Check out: > > http://online.offshore.com.ai/arms-trafficker/ > >If you think this is half as funny as I do, please make a link from >one of your pages to this one. > Well, I'm ITAR violator # 6 :-) Dave Merriman ------------------------------------------------------------- "Giving money and power to government is like giving whiskey and car keys to teenage boys." P. J. O'Rourke (b. 1947), U.S. journalist. <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> http://www.shellback.com/personal/merriman/index.htm

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Re: The Joy of Java
by tcmay＠got.net 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

At 6:51 PM 4/26/96, Bill Frantz wrote: >Tim May and Mike Duvos have expresses an enthusiasm for Java which I share. > There are a few practical issues which should be addresses. And bear in mind that "enthusiasm" does not mean certitude. We've all gotten enthusiastic at times about some Next Big Thing. I count this enthusiasm as part of the larger Web picture, which is unlikely to fizzle out. >Tim says: >>One interesting remark I read from someone was that the Java distribution >>model returns us to an era of easier distribution of small programs. The >>"application bloat" of very large programs may be at least partly fixed. >>We'll see. > >I have my doubts about this one. I think application bloat comes from >market forces and from the kind of bundling you see in XYZCorpOffice >products where you get 4 applications packaged together. This marketing >approach maximizes revenue by selling you products you don't need as a >matter of convenience. But, we shall see. If you mean "Microsoft Office," I wasn't really thinking of this. The point this person I cited (I don't remember who it was) was that this makes it easier for a application to get "shelf space," because the shelf is the Web. Payment is problematic, but distribution should be easy. Obviously, Mosaic (and then Netscape) was a good example of this. A small team, or even a single person, with a Good Idea, gets distribution. The Net and Unix have long had this (with Unix tools and languages), but the Web and applets may well extend this to a broader base. We'll see. >There are some features of Java which make it less than ideal for crypto >applications. These features can be overcome, but they will affect >implementors and users. I think the interesting target date to plan for is a year from now. >(1) There are not many sources of high-quality entropy available to Java >applets. Keystroke timings and scribble windows are probably the best >sources, but may represent an inconvenience for users. Shouldn't be any worse or any better than with the status quo, right? I'm not sure I see the Java issue. (I've been looking at SoundClip and AudioClip, but only cursorily.) By the way, Hal Finney is working on a bignum package. --Tim May Boycott "Big Brother Inside" software! 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, Licensed Ontologist | black markets, collapse of governments. "National borders aren't even speed bumps on the information superhighway."

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Re: Mixmaster message formats
by loki＠obscura.com 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- I know Raph already answered this, but I want to toss my few cents in. It is important to understand the threat model of Mixmaster. I assumed that all links and some remailers would be compromised. My goal was to ensure that no information about the message was revealed except to the first and last remailers in the chain. To borrow from physics (black hole) terminology, the message must have no hair. Any active padding by the remailer implies that it knows an upper limit on the size of the actual message. If each remailer removes some information, which must be replaced, then conspiring remailers can obtain information about the where messages are going, by comparing size, and knowing that the "kernel" of the message can only shrink. This last statement is true unless remailers add extra hops, which they encrypt. The reason this is not effective has been thoroughly discussed on this list. Take a look at the essay on my home page. It explains most of the design decisions. -Lance Cottrell At 5:25 PM 4/25/96, Mark M. wrote: >-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- > >I was thinking about how Mixmaster needs a separate message format so it >can make messages a fixed size and add a packet ID. However, couldn't all >this be done with PGP? With PGP, the length of the file being encrypted is >encrypted itself, so it would be possible to append random data to the end >of the file to make the message a fixed length like Mixmaster. Also, the >packet-ID could be implemented by putting a line such as the following in the >message: > >:: >Packet-ID: foobar > >The only other thing that would have to be taken care of is chaining. The >way I could see this working is to have a header in the encrypted message that >tells the remailer whether it should de-armor the message at the next layer, >append random data, then re-armor, and pass it to the next remailer. Am I >missing something? > >- -- Mark > >=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= >markm(a)voicenet.com | finger -l for PGP key 0xf9b22ba5 >http://www.voicenet.com/~markm/ | bd24d08e3cbb53472054fa56002258d5 >"The concept of normalcy is just a conspiracy of the majority" -me > >-----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- >Version: 2.6.3 >Charset: noconv > >iQCVAwUBMYAXxLZc+sv5siulAQG5CwP/Qbgune3sjNyB7Y8xNxNW6hCahtgBNJDk >oT+hZHdlmcB6CZXjgDUSczIfAnygS71PBBysB4DJnugluMTMTGfqmgeikXdvL1zt >vnwx5xlG0HQeTbVE2+c1uW4uamkdb0MZmNLR06S9M+2i0ROaWzGwNO6WEHqoEL3W >qwXZ7zPtId0= >=MaO4 >-----END PGP SIGNATURE----- -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: 2.6.2 iQEVAwUBMYFHQfPzr81BVjMVAQH0qgf8DbhHB2rHxYAAMBKoOAiDRW7zy+UViknf 2BmIv6NDW2MYtTHNSLykDVx3XQCeGG4QuuFcmdveD3livQizC9Tb5Rj8cMNI/Qb6 R7RYEAsaraluxBYNxHxFPejZUy/r9jjJm+LzSVaYVfEdzgt5jjNrm2YV53nOinD8 4sfgBtWNKWAyiyl7lTFWKAhLdfYsp3klTecnEBuPetZlv1V3b4RR2xZi4ggIK4VR lFkASSQUp/c+JhkJWRcNw6z+Df2XJ59ORUGC+MuJp/W56YoTGicca3mI64qGwg7J 745XF8oAOuD3OCvreWiOYU/LScG3lKKMYfhCyWnGXpt32BJyM5hm1w== =WD5g -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- ---------------------------------------------------------- Lance Cottrell loki(a)obscura.com PGP 2.6 key available by finger or server. Mixmaster, the next generation remailer, is now available! http://www.obscura.com/~loki/Welcome.html or FTP to obscura.com "Love is a snowmobile racing across the tundra. Suddenly it flips over, pinning you underneath. At night the ice weasels come." --Nietzsche ----------------------------------------------------------

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RSA129
by Black Unicorn 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

At one point someone asked about how the breaking of RSA129 might impact on the calculation of MIPSyears to crack a 512 bit RSA key (i.e. a PGP 512 bit key). Was there ever an answer to this question? Are there current guesses for 1024 and 512 bit keys out there? --- My preferred and soon to be permanent e-mail address:unicorn@schloss.li "In fact, had Bancroft not existed, potestas scientiae in usu est Franklin might have had to invent him." in nihilum nil posse reverti 00B9289C28DC0E55 E16D5378B81E1C96 - Finger for Current Key Information Opp. Counsel: For all your expert testimony needs: jimbell(a)pacifier.com

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WWW proxies?
by Black Unicorn 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Has anyone developed such a beast yet? Will we have as extensive a WWW proxy network as remailer network? --- My preferred and soon to be permanent e-mail address:unicorn@schloss.li "In fact, had Bancroft not existed, potestas scientiae in usu est Franklin might have had to invent him." in nihilum nil posse reverti 00B9289C28DC0E55 E16D5378B81E1C96 - Finger for Current Key Information Opp. Counsel: For all your expert testimony needs: jimbell(a)pacifier.com

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Re: Is the public involved in the crypto policy debate?
by tcmay＠got.net 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Alex Strasheim sent me a private message, which I did not realize was not also addressed to the list as a whole. I'll remove any of his quoted comments so I can post my comments here. (This is an important issue. I think most people who write thoughtful essays, as Alex did in his private message to me, should post their thoughts publically. "Saving bandwidth" is hardly a good thing to do when the issues are so central to why we exist as a group.) About whether we and people like us have had an influence, or are seen by Washington, Bonn, Moscow, etc. as a bunch of meddlers and spoiled children: The "vocal public sector" consists of: - the attendess at CFP and similar conferences - many of the readers of "Wired" and similar mags - nearly all members of the Cypherpunks and similar lists - a huge fraction of the readers of Usenet - various "public interest" lobbying groups, including the ACLU, EFF, EPIC, etc. - many members of the press who write articles critical of crypto policy - nearly all libertarians (and Libertarians) - professors and policy analysts who write articles critical of crypto policy - many leftists who fear government snooping, COINTELPRO, etc. - many rightists who fear government snooping, anti-militia laws, Waco, etc. This is a powerful "axis." Do Americans support our position? Some say yes. I'm not so sure we should rest easy. If the issue is rephrased as: "Should nuclear terrorists be free to plot the destruction of New York City with unbreakable cryptography the FBI is powerless to do anything about?," the answer will be "Of course not." (Well, maybe not if New York City is the exemplar....) This is why I am so skeptical of public opinion polls on crypto. Those who live by the sword shall die by the sword. And if this round of crypto regulation is "lost" by the Administration, or if a major new terrorist incident occurs, or if PGP is involved in a heinous incident, or if a more statist Administration comes to power, I fully expect a campaign invoking the Four Horsemen of the Infocalypse. Then we will likely find that "most Americans" support "reasonable restrictions" on communications privacy, including limits on crypto strength, mandatory escrow, major limits on anonymous digital cash, etc. This is why we must get to the "point of no return," the point of the phase transition, before "they" do. --Tim May Boycott "Big Brother Inside" software! 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, Licensed Ontologist | black markets, collapse of governments. "National borders aren't even speed bumps on the information superhighway."

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alias servers (al la alias.c2.org)
by Black Unicorn 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Is anyone besides c2.org running an alias server? --- My preferred and soon to be permanent e-mail address:unicorn@schloss.li "In fact, had Bancroft not existed, potestas scientiae in usu est Franklin might have had to invent him." in nihilum nil posse reverti 00B9289C28DC0E55 E16D5378B81E1C96 - Finger for Current Key Information Opp. Counsel: For all your expert testimony needs: jimbell(a)pacifier.com

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Re: The Joy of Java
by frantz＠netcom.com 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

At 3:57 PM 4/26/96 -0700, Timothy C. May wrote: >I think the interesting target date to plan for is a year from now. I said a few months ago that I thought Java would be ready for prime time in a couple of years. I think we are in complete agreement here. >>(1) There are not many sources of high-quality entropy available to Java >>applets. Keystroke timings and scribble windows are probably the best >>sources, but may represent an inconvenience for users. > >Shouldn't be any worse or any better than with the status quo, right? I'm >not sure I see the Java issue. (I've been looking at SoundClip and >AudioClip, but only cursorily.) I think it is a bit worse since an applet doesn't get access to a lot of stuff a C program, or even better an OS gets. A C program has a lot of environmental queries that might produce some entropy, although they would also be available to an attacker on the same system. The OS has access to interrupt times, mouse movements, and keyboard timings for ALL the applications that have run since boot. >By the way, Hal Finney is working on a bignum package. I know. I have an (old) version on my disk. AFAIK, Hal is the most active person developing crypto and crypto related Java code. He deserves thanks from all of us. Regards - Bill ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Bill Frantz | The CDA means | Periwinkle -- Computer Consulting (408)356-8506 | lost jobs and | 16345 Englewood Ave. frantz(a)netcom.com | dead teenagers | Los Gatos, CA 95032, USA

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code vs cypher
by hochiminh＠alpha.c2.org 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Perry E. Metzger" <perry(a)piermont.com> writes: pm> tm> Timothy C. May writes: pm> tm> Well, I was not invited to join the elite and secret pm> tm> coderpunks list, pm> It is neither elite nor secret. It is fairly high signal to noise. pm> I think only about one in every fifty or so cypherpunks pm> messages has any content at all worth mentioning. Agreed! I wasn't "invited". I simply requested access and was quickly welcomed to the list. pm> tm> but I still have some thoughts on coding and, pm> tm> especially, on the opportunities offered by Java. pm> tm> Sorry if this interferes with discussions of Rabbi pm> tm> Heir and Morris Dees. pm> You have no right to grumble about the situation here. pm> It is exactly what you wanted. Here you were, a person pm> of some personal gravitas and moral authority, and you pm> put your stamp on the "post whatever you like; don't let pm> the grumbling censors stop you". Well, as you sow, so pm> shall you reap. Its your fault, more than anyone else's. TC May was not the first person to substantialy digress from chartered topics but he certainly "ran with the ball" when he got his chance to expose his ignorance and intolerance of other races and religions ( the cypher-relevance or "charter topicality of which always escaped me). I was discouraged by the encouragement given to the murder advocating moron, Jim Bell to post his insance littany. pm> If Cypherpunks has become a cesspit, well, its YOUR cesspit, pm> Tim. Its the list you always strove to create, but it appears pm> that you now don't like the smell of your own wallow. Well, pm> sorry. Deal with it. Well put, Perry!

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