December 2003 - cypherpunks-legacy

NYT article on Holocaust
by Martin Minow 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

An article in today's (Tue, Nov 19, 1996) New York Times described how British intelligence had early information of the slaughter of European Jewery through the decryption of German radio messages. (Although not noted in the article, this is presumably Ultra decryption of Enigma). The information was not acted upon, and the article offers a number of reasons, among which was a (not unreasonable) fear that doing so would compromise Ultra. The article also notes that the decryptions were kept so secret that the information was not available at post-WW2 war crimes trials (such as Nurenburg). I suppose that this could offer a counter argument to the NSA FUD "If you only knew what we know." Martin. minow(a)apple.com

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Re: 1996 Codebreakers
by dlv＠bwalk.dm.com 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Adam Shostack <adam(a)homeport.org> writes: > I just got a review copy of the new (1996) ed. of Kahn's The > Codebreakers from my local used bookstore. Its a little disapointing, ... > & DH. Nothing on Cypherpunks, little on how privacy can be enhanced. Some folks have a very unrealistic opinion of their own importance. --- Dr.Dimitri Vulis KOTM Brighton Beach Boardwalk BBS, Forest Hills, N.Y.: +1-718-261-2013, 14.4Kbps

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Re: Playing Cards - Caution!
by ph＠netcom.com 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

At 6:59 PM 11/19/1996, Ian Goldberg wrote: > I studied the "imperfect shuffle" thing in my Randomized Algorithms class > last year. If I remember correctly, an "imperfect shuffle" is something like > this: > Cut the deck into two piles, left and right. The number of cards in > (say) the left pile is distributed binomially. > Drop one card at a time to form the new deck. A card is dropped from the > left or right pile, with probability proportional to the number of cards > remaining in that pile. > - Ian "someone else can figure out the entropy of this..." This is the approach described by Diaconis. I think his book will show you how to calculate the entropy, too. (It's a cool book. The same section shows how to do a magic trick using three riffle shuffles. A member of the audience inserts the mystery card in the deck after the three riffle shuffles. Then the magician spreads the cards on the table and looks for one which does not line up with one of the several interleaved sequences in the deck.) However, it is not obvious to me that this is how it works every time, for sure, guaranteed, no doubt at all, in the real world. Diaconis mentions that the amount of entropy varies very substantially by shuffler. I also judged his experimental data to be limited. Furthermore, I am suspicious of the model itself. A binomial distribution is convenient to use, but I don't think that's how people cut cards in practice. I think that it is a much more "pointy" distribution with lower entropy. When I cut the deck there are less than 4 bits of entropy. But, I have to admit that if I worked my way through the book and learned a little related math, I might be convinced. But, even then I would probably judge it to be too tenuous for security applications. Incidentally, some big names have worked on this problem, like Graham and Shannon. Peter Hendrickson ph(a)netcom.com

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Re: [NOISE] U.S. CIA employee caught spying
by Jean-Francois Avon 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

> Tim Scanlon <tfs(a)adsl-122.cais.com> writes: > > This is on the local DC news; > > Harold Nicholson age 46, a CIA employee was arrested for spying today Did he used any crypto-tools we use? Did he used PGP? Would be fun to hear about... :) jfa Jean-Francois Avon, Pierrefonds (Montreal) QC Canada DePompadour, Societe d'Importation Ltee Finest Limoges porcelain and crystal JFA Technologies, R&D consultants physicists and engineers, LabView programing PGP keys at: http://w3.citenet.net/users/jf_avon ID# C58ADD0D : 529645E8205A8A5E F87CC86FAEFEF891 ID# 5B51964D : 152ACCBCD4A481B0 254011193237822C

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Re: Does John Gilmore...
by Dave Hayes 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

> On Tue, 19 Nov 1996, Dave Hayes wrote: > > Black Unicorn writes: > > > Dave Hayes writes: > > > > > Again, you confuse free speech with free broadcast. > > > > Isn't broadcast a subset of speech, especially in this culture? > > > That which is broadcast is certainly speech. > > > Trying to draw some kind of "right to be broadcast" as a result is > > > stupidity or ignorance, or both. > > Then I suppose you want to control all mailing lists, USENET groups, > > and web pages. These are broadcasts, and of course they have no rights > > other than what you seem to want to give them. > If I owned it, of course I would control it. If you really owned it, you would not need to control it. > You are simply exhibiting the symptoms of a spoiled brat because you have > been fortunate enough, thus far, to rely on the benevolance of whoever is > providing you your newsfeed. Methinks you know not to whom you are speaking to. Those that know may see just how the seeds of assumptions are sown in this person's mindset. > The fact that control is not exercised, does not mean it doesn't > exist. In reality control is exercised in many ways. The fact that control exists does not mean it is effective, necessary, or appropriate. Unchecked need to control is merely an outward sign of a lack of inner control, which is a disease most control freaks have. > Thus your attempt to demonize me merely exposes your ire for the system as > it now exists, your fanciful dreams of how it should be aside. I am not attempting to demonize you...you do that to yourself well enough. I have no interest in your support or opposition, other than as a tool to show those who can see where certain specific attitudes come from. > This is where you fail, with the basic inability to distinguish ownership > of intellectual content and the right to compell its broadcast by whomever > might control the medium. I maintain that it is neither appropriate nor in any sense beneficial to apply this kind of draconian control to internet communication in the general sense. > > > Learn the difference. Go to law school before you argue free speech > > > concepts in any detail. > > "Laws" do not cover the net's "multicast" technology. > >Snort< I suppose you live in the only true anarchy? Why is it that when less regulation is desirable, the kneejerk response is to declare that desire anarchistic? Human attempts at creating and imposing "law" are arbitrary, inefficient, and subject to change based on the whim of those who claim to own their implementation. > > Distinguishing communication types so as to control those who use them > > is not going to solve your problem. You are much better off, from a > > practical standpoint, learning to control what you see and hear rather > > than attempting to control others. > I'm not sure what the above babble means. Hence your attempt to control others. > I'm not sure you are either. Hence your inability to understand the concept of "honor". > > One does not need a school to see this, it sits under one's nose like > > a milk moustache. > This is the uneducated man's excuse. "Education" has very little to do with knowledge and a lot more to do with external approval, in the sense you appear to be using it. "Indoctrination" and "Conditioning" are the two terms that best fit your apparent notion. We all know how far those have gotten us in the past 2000 years. One can see this "progress" by looking at the net's attempts to control Mr. Grubor... ------ Dave Hayes - Altadena CA, USA - dave(a)jetcafe.org Freedom Knight of Usenet - http://www.jetcafe.org/~dave/usenet A king who feared wasps once decreed that they would be abolished. As it happened, they did him no harm. But he was eventually stung to death by scorpions.

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Symantec ask user to post registry(passwords and all) in newsgroup
by ! Drive 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Path: usenet73.supernews.com!news.good.net!news.good.net!www.nntp.primenet.com!nntp.primenet.com!mr.net!news.clark.net!phzzzt!service.symantec.com!usenet From: "Nancy Ives [Symantec]" <nives(a)symantec.com> Newsgroups: symantec.support.win95.nortonutilities.general Subject: Re: Crashing while searching with Reg Editor - continued (For Nancy Ives/Symantec). Date: 20 Nov 1996 00:06:09 GMT Organization: Support Request Lines: 40 Message-ID: <01bbd675$eb9440e0$7357409b(a)nanio.symantec.com> References: <01bbd1a6$ea377560$9e2774cf(a)HALLM999.JH.COM> NNTP-Posting-Host: 155.64.87.115 X-Newsreader: Microsoft Internet News 4.70.1155 Thanks for the input. Could you send me a copy of your Registry? Export the whole thing and attach it to a post. Thanks! -- Nancy Ives Symantec Product Support

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Snare, any info
by Craig S. Wright 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Does anyone have any info on a piece of software called: Snare It is an encryption program for tcp/ip from windows PC's or so they say from http://www.capres.com Thanks Craig

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Re: "Don't Hire Lists" of FASCIST SCUM Tim May
by Jean-Francois Avon 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

On 20 Nov 96 at 0:43, George A. Stathis wrote: > In any case... > ************************************************************************** > Congratulations, Master Tim, you've earned yourself the No[1] place in our > own... _legal_ blacklist of Fascist Scum who are Undesirables in... Greek > Islands. If you ever come to Greece we'll *ruin* your holidays... :-) > ************************************************************************** [snip] > HOWEVER... > This is *nothing*, compared to what _will_ happen in a few years time, > when SUCH so-called 'UNEMPLOYABLE PERSONS FILES' are gonna be taken to > Publicity and also to (European) Justice. We'll convict you to pay such > a great FINE for malicious harm to individuals all over the world, that > you will CRAWL inside a hole somewhere in your United States and never, > ************************************************************ > ever, ever, attempt to leave the shitty polluted hole of yours anymore. [snip] > >We got computers, we're tapping phone lines, I know that that ain't allowed. > We got computers, we're TRANSCENDING your technology, we'll smash you one > day LEGALLY (if your compatriots don't murder you ILLEGALLY, long before > then)... Tim May, May you (already) "live" in an "interesting time" (Chinese > Curse). ("live"?... for how long? :-) ) With *much* delight about your > self-chosen TROUBLES, Hey George, have you ever heard a guy named Jim Bell? jfa Jean-Francois Avon, Montreal QC Canada "One of theses centuries, the brutes, private or public, who believe that they can rule their betters by force, will learn the lesson of what happens when brute force encounters mind and force." - Ragnar Danneskjold PGP key at: http://w3.citenet.net/users/jf_avon ID# C58ADD0D : 529645E8205A8A5E F87CC86FAEFEF891

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FUCK YOU punk/was:Taking out the garbage
by aga 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

On Tue, 19 Nov 1996, Dr.Dimitri Vulis KOTM wrote: > Date: Tue, 19 Nov 96 07:42:36 EST > From: "Dr.Dimitri Vulis KOTM" <dlv(a)bwalk.dm.com> > Reply-To: freedom-knights(a)jetcafe.org > To: freedom-knights(a)jetcafe.org > Subject: Re: Taking out the garbage > > >From cypherpunks-errors(a)toad.com Tue Nov 19 02:39:20 1996 > Received: by bwalk.dm.com (1.65/waf) > via UUCP; Tue, 19 Nov 96 07:38:34 EST > for dlv > Received: from toad.com by uu.psi.com (5.65b/4.0.061193-PSI/PSINet) via SMTP; > id AA05505 for cypherpunks; Tue, 19 Nov 96 02:39:20 -0500 > Received: (from majordom@localhost) by toad.com (8.7.5/8.7.3) id SAA02766 for cypherpunks-outgoing; Mon, 18 Nov 1996 18:15:31 -0800 (PST) > Received: from netcom6.netcom.com (shamrock(a)netcom6.netcom.com [192.100.81.114]) by toad.com (8.7.5/8.7.3) with SMTP id SAA02760 for <cypherpunks(a)toad.com>; Mon, 18 Nov 1996 18:15:17 -0800 (PST) > Received: (from shamrock@localhost) by netcom6.netcom.com (8.6.13/Netcom) > id SAA04695; Mon, 18 Nov 1996 18:15:16 -0800 > Date: Mon, 18 Nov 1996 18:15:15 -0800 (PST) > From: Lucky Green <shamrock(a)netcom.com> > Subject: Taking out the garbage > To: cypherpunks(a)toad.com > Message-Id: <Pine.3.89.9611181823.A3117-0100000@netcom6> > Mime-Version: 1.0 > Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII > Sender: owner-cypherpunks(a)toad.com > Precedence: bulk > > Beginning Monday, 11/25/96, I will bounce all email from the various > (non-)subscribers polluting this list with garbage back to the > authors. Furthermore, I will attach documents describing basic > Internet rules of conduct to each bounce. > Somebody tell this stupid motherfucker that there are NO "basic Internet rules of conduct." He who tries to make or enforce any rules DIES! > I would encourage other Cypherpunks to do the same. > Yeah boy, you are a PUNK allright. A "punk" is a wimp-like pussy, and anybody that associates with John Gilmore is suspected of also being a faggot. > [Flames: /dev/null.] > -- Lucky Green <mailto:shamrock@netcom.com> PGP encrypted mail preferred > If you try to make or enforce any rules and YOU DIE cocksucker! Your presents shall be totally eliminated form this InterNet! Your connection will be TERMINATED at once! fuck you punk, and fuck all of your "rules" -aga

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RE: [NOISE] U.S. CIA employee caught spying
by John Fricker 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

According to this mornings AP story, the FBI recovered deleted files from his notebook computer. Apparently, working for the CIA does not imply knowledge of basic computer security. >Jean-Francois Avon (jf_avon(a)citenet.net) said something about Re: [NOISE] U.S. CIA employee caught spying on or about 11/19/96 10:45 PM > >> Tim Scanlon <tfs(a)adsl-122.cais.com> writes: >> > This is on the local DC news; >> > Harold Nicholson age 46, a CIA employee was arrested for spying today > >Did he used any crypto-tools we use? Did he used PGP? Would be fun to hear >about... :) > >jfa >Jean-Francois Avon, Pierrefonds (Montreal) QC Canada > DePompadour, Societe d'Importation Ltee > Finest Limoges porcelain and crystal > JFA Technologies, R&D consultants > physicists and engineers, LabView programing >PGP keys at: http://w3.citenet.net/users/jf_avon >ID# C58ADD0D : 529645E8205A8A5E F87CC86FAEFEF891 >ID# 5B51964D : 152ACCBCD4A481B0 254011193237822C >End of message --j ----------------------------------- | John Fricker (jfricker(a)vertexgroup.com) | -random notes- | My PGP public key is available by sending me mail with subject "send pgp key". | www.Program.com is a good programmer web site. -----------------------------------

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