December 2003 - cypherpunks-legacy

SSZ - ISDN repairs today...
by Jim Choate 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Hi, As most of you are aware SSZ has been experiencing a great deal of ISDN stability issues the last 4-6 weeks (since the move to the new location). To date we have been through a cable throw from one trunk line to another which involved switching CO's. Since that throw we have seen intermittent outages lasting from a minute or so up to 15 minutes (perhaps longer but I didn't see them since logging is not always turned on). Well I get up this morning and find the ISDN exhibiting the exact same sort of intermittetent outages from last weekend, except now they ain't so intermittent. Seems the cool weather and light rain have exacerbated the issue such that we are in a nearly continous connect-disconnect cycle. We are still passing packets with no loss, beit slowly. I called SWBT and they are sending a installer out to put the line on another distinct pair as well as putting in a repeater to boost the pair-gain. Expect there to be intermittent outages of an hour or more today. If the fixes work we should be rock-solid again. ____________________________________________________________________ | | | The financial policy of the welfare state requires that there | | be no way for the owners of wealth to protect themselves. | | | | -Alan Greenspan- | | | | _____ The Armadillo Group | | ,::////;::-. Austin, Tx. USA | | /:'///// ``::>/|/ http://www.ssz.com/ | | .', |||| `/( e\ | | -====~~mm-'`-```-mm --'- Jim Choate | | ravage(a)ssz.com | | 512-451-7087 | |____________________________________________________________________|

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Freeh-style Encryption needed to fight infowar threat
by Tim May 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

I just saw the principle author of the recently released report of the "Commission on Critical Infrastructure Protection," interviewed on CNBC, a business program. Robert Marsh called for increased use of encyption to proect the nation's computer networks against hackers and crackers and info-terrorists. The catch? It's the FBI proposal he wants to see adopted. Personally, I think this issue, and Marsh in particular, are sleep-inducers to most people, so I don't see this as a driving force for GAK the way a building being blown up, or a child porn ring, will be. --Tim May The Feds have shown their hand: they want a ban on domestic cryptography ---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---- Timothy C. May | Crypto Anarchy: encryption, digital money, ComSec 3DES: 408-728-0152 | anonymous networks, digital pseudonyms, zero W.A.S.T.E.: Corralitos, CA | knowledge, reputations, information markets, Higher Power: 2^2,976,221 | black markets, collapse of governments. "National borders aren't even speed bumps on the information superhighway."

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A5
by klockstone＠cix.compulink.co.uk 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

The A5 code in the back of Schneier's 'Applied Cryptography' seems to have some errors in it - has anybody else had a serious play with it? Keith.

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Re: puff pieces vs tough crypto issues (Re: Singapore TOILET ALERT)
by Ariel Glenn 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Kent Crispin writes: >They could wave around TIS's products (designed by noted cypherpunk >Carl Ellison, I believe), or NorTel's Entrust, just as well. Hell, in >a few months they may be able to wave around Adam Backs CDR product, >which also facilitates GAK...[deleted] sure, but PGP has a certain name recognition that appears to extend beyond the computing business community; ask your average cs student what PGP is and they'll have heard of it *and* its reputation. Ask them about Entrust and see if you get the same result. (I could do that here with my managers as a demo. :-) Now figure out what your representatives in Congress know: even less. So, PGP gets cited by Congress as an example, and the other corporations building in GAK or who have signed on to get that good export license for DES don't. Ariel Glenn ariel(a)columbia.edu

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Re: PGP, Inc.--What were they thinking?
by Phillip M. Hallam-Baker 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

I should point out before starting that I now work for Verisign. This following personal opinion however and may not reflect any corporate policy that may or may not exist. I can understand the pressures on PGP to support key escrow. When I designed the Shen trust system for the Web I allowed for an escrow facility for much the same reasons that have been cited. If it was not for the unrelenting pressure from the US government to support GAK I am sure that commercial escrow would be a checkbox item. The problem is that as long as the pressure is there any step towards commercial escrow is also a step towards GAK. The problem with PGP's move is that it is the first significant break by the Internet software provider community. This will make it much easier for Netscape or Microsoft to cave in. It will also build the pressure on them. I wonder what would happen to Bills problem with the DoJ if he had a sudden change of heart. Somehow I don't see Netscape and Microsoft holding the line on GAK if PGP are happily exporting their product and grabbing market share. I really did not expect Phil Zimmerman to be the first to blink. I also don't understand it from the corporate perspective. PGP may be picking up some business in the corporate market but at the cost of alienating a significant part of the hacker community which has been his best supporter up till now. I would think his best strategy would have been to build on this customer base rather than sell it out at the first opportunity. If Phil Z. wants to get into the Enterprise market he is going to have to start speaking their language. Most companies today are looking for open standards. PGP may have been the de facto security solution three years ago but the reality today is several million copies of Comminicator and Explorer with S/MIME built in. If you are prepared to load certs manually for each person you communicate with you can even use the Web of trust model with S/MIME. Its easier if you can rely on a CA. I probably don't have to remind many people on this list that few people make security a priority although they are prepared to do so if it has little impact on them personally. I really don't want to get into a standards flamewar, the point I'm making is that this is a bigger issue in the Enterprise market than key escrow at this point. Phil claims to have an RSA license, if he wants to go after the enterprise market he can support S/MIME. Phill

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Use crypto, face a death squad
by pgut001＠cs.auckland.ac.nz 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

There have been various rumours and comments over the past few years that the use of crypto in certain countries (Syria, Iraq, possibly China) is very dangerous for the end user, but very little actual evidence to substantiate this. About a week ago I got some evidence (well, something better than the usual rumours) on the situation with using crypto in Iraq which people might find interesting. I was talking to someone who worked for a large multinational corporation which maintains a comprehensive directory of who to contact in each country they operate in (basically every country on earth, this was before the gulf war so Iraq was included) for any kind of emergency. This consists of a huge file of data intended to cover every imaginable type of situation. Included in the information on Iraq was a comment to the effect that you should never, ever use any form of encryption when sending messages to the contact people there. He can't remember the exact details any more, but the implication was that any encrypted messages sent to them would result in them quietly disappearing. Since this was a very big company with a lot of sensitive information which it would go to great lengths to protect, I would assume they had very good reasons for advising against the use of crypto in this instance. Peter.

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Re: PGP, Inc.--What were they thinking? (fwd)
by Jim Choate 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Forwarded message: > Date: Wed, 22 Oct 1997 19:57:59 -0600 > From: TruthMonger <tm(a)dev.null> > Subject: Re: PGP, Inc.--What were they thinking? > *Starts* eavesdropping? Where you been, Bubba? > When a Company has the 'right' to wiretap you, search you, and make > you piss in a jar, as well as having their own armed forces monitoring > you and patrolling your workplace, the main difference between them > and the government is that the corporation usually doesn't pretend > to allow you to vote. This is plain and simple bullshit. There are a variety of differences between a government and what they can do by general charter in a democracy and a company which operates on specific contracts. > TruthMonger ParanoiaMonger is more like it. ____________________________________________________________________ | | | The financial policy of the welfare state requires that there | | be no way for the owners of wealth to protect themselves. | | | | -Alan Greenspan- | | | | _____ The Armadillo Group | | ,::////;::-. Austin, Tx. USA | | /:'///// ``::>/|/ http://www.ssz.com/ | | .', |||| `/( e\ | | -====~~mm-'`-```-mm --'- Jim Choate | | ravage(a)ssz.com | | 512-451-7087 | |____________________________________________________________________|

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Trip to SF/Bay Area around November 24, cypherpunk meeting?
by Declan McCullagh 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

I'm thinking of spending a few days in the Bay Area in about a month, maybe the week of Thanksgiving. My S.O., a cypherpunkish Net and telecommunications lawyer here in DC, seems likely to join me. I'd love to come to a Bay Area cypherpunk meeting if there are any then, and spend some time with folks out there. Any plans to have one around Nov 24-27? This is more of a pleasure than a business trip, though I'll write an article if there are any interesting developments on the crypto-front. (Any suggestions on places to stay?) -Declan

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Proof IE4 not an OS, was Re: Bill Gates, the Bully Savior
by James Love 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Nifty comment by Michael McMain on JavaLobbyCafe(a)iceworld.org list: -------------------------- A friend at work made an interesting point about MS's claim that IE4 is simply an OS extension and not an application. All the DA has to do is turn on a Power Mac, start IE4, turn to MS and say "So what other parts of your OS run on the Macintosh exactly?".

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DC cypherpunks party on Sunday, November 2
by Declan McCullagh 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

A DC cypherpunk working meeting and party is tentatively scheduled for Sunday, November 2. The party is open to all, including non-cypherpunks and even (especially?) NSA spooks. (I somehow got suckered into organizing this portion.) Folks who showed up to my party and the cypherpunk meeting before it last month remember that Marc Rotenberg and his wife at that time volunteered to host the next one. Their home is near the National Cathedral in NW Washington, DC. About a 20 minute walk from the Woodley Park Metro, lots of parking. Special guests likely will include Peter Neumann and Simon Davies. Details forthcoming. -Declan

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