December 2003 - cypherpunks-legacy

InfoWar Epilogue 5 (Part III of 'The True Story of the InterNet')
by TruthMonger 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

1 0

List of reliable remailers
by Raph Levien 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

I operate a remailer pinging service which collects detailed information about remailer features and reliability. To use it, just finger remailer-list(a)kiwi.cs.berkeley.edu There is also a Web version of the same information, plus lots of interesting links to remailer-related resources, at: http://www.cs.berkeley.edu/~raph/remailer-list.html This information is used by premail, a remailer chaining and PGP encrypting client for outgoing mail. For more information, see: http://www.c2.org/~raph/premail.html For the PGP public keys of the remailers, finger pgpkeys(a)kiwi.cs.berkeley.edu This is the current info: REMAILER LIST This is an automatically generated listing of remailers. The first part of the listing shows the remailers along with configuration options and special features for each of the remailers. The second part shows the 12-day history, and average latency and uptime for each remailer. You can also get this list by fingering remailer-list(a)kiwi.cs.berkeley.edu. $remailer{'cyber'} = '<alias(a)alias.cyberpass.net> alpha pgp'; $remailer{"mix"} = "<mixmaster(a)remail.obscura.com> cpunk mix pgp hash latent cut ek ksub reord ?"; $remailer{"replay"} = "<remailer(a)replay.com> cpunk mix pgp hash latent cut post ek"; $remailer{"jam"} = "<remailer(a)cypherpunks.ca> cpunk mix pgp hash middle latent cut ek"; $remailer{"winsock"} = "<winsock(a)rigel.cyberpass.net> cpunk pgp pgponly hash cut ksub reord ?"; $remailer{'nym'} = '<config(a)nym.alias.net> newnym pgp'; $remailer{"squirrel"} = "<mix(a)squirrel.owl.de> cpunk mix pgp pgponly hash latent cut ek"; $remailer{'weasel'} = '<config(a)weasel.owl.de> newnym pgp'; $remailer{"reno"} = "<middleman(a)cyberpass.net> cpunk mix pgp hash middle latent cut ek reord ?"; $remailer{"cracker"} = "<remailer(a)anon.efga.org> cpunk mix remix pgp hash ksub esub latent cut ek reord post"; $remailer{'redneck'} = '<config(a)anon.efga.org> newnym pgp'; $remailer{"bureau42"} = "<remailer(a)bureau42.ml.org> cpunk mix pgp ksub hash latent cut ek"; $remailer{"neva"} = "<remailer(a)neva.org> cpunk pgp pgponly hash cut ksub ?"; $remailer{"lcs"} = "<mix(a)anon.lcs.mit.edu> mix"; $remailer{"medusa"} = "<medusa(a)weasel.owl.de> mix middle" $remailer{"McCain"} = "<mccain(a)notatla.demon.co.uk> mix middle"; $remailer{"valdeez"} = "<valdeez(a)juno.com> cpunk pgp pgponly hash ek"; $remailer{"arrid"} = "<arrid(a)juno.com> cpunk pgp pgponly hash ek"; $remailer{"hera"} = "<goddesshera(a)juno.com> cpunk pgp pgponly hash ek"; $remailer{"htuttle"} = "<h_tuttle(a)rigel.cyberpass.net> cpunk pgp hash latent cut post ek"; catalyst(a)netcom.com is _not_ a remailer. lmccarth(a)ducie.cs.umass.edu is _not_ a remailer. usura(a)replay.com is _not_ a remailer. remailer(a)crynwr.com is _not_ a remailer. There is no remailer at relay.com. Groups of remailers sharing a machine or operator: (cyber mix reno winsock) (weasel squirrel medusa) (cracker redneck) (nym lcs) (valdeez arrid hera) The remailer list here has been out of date for some time, but should be up to date now. I'm still working on updating the web page. Last update: Mon 20 Oct 97 6:49:47 PDT remailer email address history latency uptime ----------------------------------------------------------------------- hera goddesshera(a)juno.com ------------ 5:43:20 99.87% nym config(a)nym.alias.net ## +*#**#**# :54 98.85% redneck config(a)anon.efga.org ** #*##*+#** 2:01 98.73% neva remailer(a)neva.org - ------*** 1:18:50 98.70% squirrel mix(a)squirrel.owl.de ----- ---+- 2:40:29 98.48% mix mixmaster(a)remail.obscura.com +* +++ ++++* 22:14 98.34% winsock winsock(a)rigel.cyberpass.net -- -..-..-- 12:20:42 97.94% cyber alias(a)alias.cyberpass.net ** *++***+ * 10:04 97.76% replay remailer(a)replay.com ** **** ** 4:08 97.45% bureau42 remailer(a)bureau42.ml.org -- ------- 3:34:49 96.52% arrid arrid(a)juno.com -- ----.--- 8:34:46 96.27% cracker remailer(a)anon.efga.org + + +*+*+* 15:01 94.84% jam remailer(a)cypherpunks.ca + + +*-+++ 22:50 94.53% valdeez valdeez(a)juno.com 4:58:22 -33.42% reno middleman(a)cyberpass.net + 1:01:28 9.14% History key * # response in less than 5 minutes. * * response in less than 1 hour. * + response in less than 4 hours. * - response in less than 24 hours. * . response in more than 1 day. * _ response came back too late (more than 2 days). cpunk A major class of remailers. Supports Request-Remailing-To: field. eric A variant of the cpunk style. Uses Anon-Send-To: instead. penet The third class of remailers (at least for right now). Uses X-Anon-To: in the header. pgp Remailer supports encryption with PGP. A period after the keyword means that the short name, rather than the full email address, should be used as the encryption key ID. hash Supports ## pasting, so anything can be put into the headers of outgoing messages. ksub Remailer always kills subject header, even in non-pgp mode. nsub Remailer always preserves subject header, even in pgp mode. latent Supports Matt Ghio's Latent-Time: option. cut Supports Matt Ghio's Cutmarks: option. post Post to Usenet using Post-To: or Anon-Post-To: header. ek Encrypt responses in reply blocks using Encrypt-Key: header. special Accepts only pgp encrypted messages. mix Can accept messages in Mixmaster format. reord Attempts to foil traffic analysis by reordering messages. Note: I'm relying on the word of the remailer operator here, and haven't verified the reord info myself. mon Remailer has been known to monitor contents of private email. filter Remailer has been known to filter messages based on content. If not listed in conjunction with mon, then only messages destined for public forums are subject to filtering. Raph Levien

1 0

Re: [LONG, off-topic]] Interactive Programming (fwd)
by Brandon Crosby 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

> > LISP programmers are much more into writing programs which > > build and execute routines on the fly. > > As are some perl programmers. As both a perl programmer and a lisp > programer I have never had the need to use self modifing code. In fact I > would consider haveing to use s-m code as a sine that I have made a > mistate in my desinge. > PERL is a pretty high-level language... how do you add sub's after running the code? -Brandon Crosby

3 2

RE: One-Way Functions
by Ian Clysdale 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Yes, there are a number of other one-way functions. The Diffie-Hellman algorithm relies on the difficulty in taking logarithms versus finding an exponent. Elliptic-curve cryptography relies on some rather complicated group theory. Look either of those up to find out some more information. If you're interested in learning about this kind of stuff, I HIGHLY recommend Bruce Schneier's Applied Cryptography. Another good book is the Handbook of Applied Cryptography by Paul Van Oorschot, Alfred Menenzes and Scott Vanstone. ian >---------- >From: semprini@theschool.com[SMTP:semprini@theschool.com] >Sent: Monday, October 20, 1997 4:04 AM >To: cypherpunks(a)toad.com >Subject: One-Way Functions > >I've read tons about how DES, PGP, and all of those programs use a >one-way function involves the difficulty of factoring out numbers. >Are there other one-way functions? > >--Dylan >

1 0

How Fast Is your System?
by Robert Hettinga 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

--- begin forwarded text X-Sender: fm(a)mail.espace.net Mime-Version: 1.0 Date: Mon, 20 Oct 1997 10:52:46 +0100 To: usual(a)espace.net From: Fearghas McKay <fm(a)espace.net> Subject: How Fast Is your System? Sender: <usual(a)espace.net> Precedence: Bulk List-Software: LetterRip 2.0.1 by Fog City Software, Inc. List-Subscribe: <mailto:requests@espace.net?subject=subscribe%20usual> List-Unsubscribe: <mailto:requests@espace.net?subject=unsubscribe%20usual> Status: U --- begin forwarded text How Fast Is your System? Project RC5 is an attempt to beat the RSA Secret-Key Challenge by using desktop computers to plug away at possible solutions in their spare processor time. One nifty side effect of all these boxes attempting the same process is an accurate comparison of true processor speeds. The compiled statistics show clearly what is often overlooked: not all megahertzes are created equal. A 180-MHz Pentium Pro ranges from 413 kk/s (thousand keys per second) running Windows 95 to 461 kk/s under Linux. In comparison, 180-MHz Macs range from 434 kk/s (a Motorola machine with a 603e chip running MacOS 7.6.1) to 530 kk/s (a Motorola 604e with MacOS 8). That's a significant difference. The fastest single-processor computer is a Power Mac 9600/350, with a 350-Mhz PowerPC 604e chip, that slices through 1012 kk/s. Check these stats out and compare not only platforms, but operating systems, too. [Netsurfer=92s Digest] RC5: <http://www.distributed.net/rc5/>=20 RSA: <http://www.rsa.com/rsalabs/97challenge/>=20 Stats: <http://www.alde.com/speed.html> --- end forwarded text --- end forwarded text ----------------- Robert Hettinga (rah(a)shipwright.com) Philodox e$, 44 Farquhar Street, Boston, MA 02131 USA "... however it may deserve respect for its usefulness and antiquity, [predicting the end of the world] has not been found agreeable to experience." -- Edward Gibbon, 'Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire' The e$ Home Page: http://www.shipwright.com/ Ask me about FC98 in Anguilla!: <http://www.fc98.ai/>

1 0

A Beehive in their Bonnet, from The Netly News
by Declan McCullagh 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

*********** http://cgi.pathfinder.com/netly/opinion/0,1042,1509,00.html The Netly News (http://netlynews.com/) October 20, 1997 A Beehive in Their Bonnet by Declan McCullagh (declan(a)well.com) John Caldeira's remark in a beekeeper's discussion area on Prodigy seemed innocuous enough: It described how to rid honeybees of parasites. "Two ounces of Mavrik mixed with one gallon of water and sprayed on the bottom boards of one's hives several times a year. It is reportedly very effective," Caldeira wrote. Honey may attract flies, but this discussion about its production drew swarms of bureaucrats. The Texas Department of Agriculture charged Caldeira with violating a state law banning unapproved discussions of bee medicines and fined the 42-year-old hobbyist $600. A draft statement from the department complains that Caldeira was "criticizing regulations" and improbably argues that "the honey market in the U.S. could become depressed because of widespread concerns about its safety and due to Mr. Caldeira's suggestion that commercial beekeepers are using Mavrik in their hives." But the Texas bureaucrats have a problem: The law seems to violate the First Amendment's guarantees of freedom of speech. "There is absolutely no doubt that John Caldeira's speech is -- and should be -- protected speech under the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution," says Mike Godwin, staff counsel to the Electronic Frontier Foundation. [...]

1 0

index.html
by Jim Choate 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

CNN logo Navigation Infoseek/Big Yellow Pathfinder/Warner Bros Tech banner IBM Reinventing Education rule JUSTICE SEEKS $1 MILLION A DAY CONTEMPT FINE AGAINST MICROSOFT Microsoft logo October 20, 1997 Web posted at: 1:29 p.m. EDT (1729 GMT) WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Justice Department asked a federal court Monday to hold the computer software giant Microsoft Corp. in contempt for requiring personal computer manufacturers to license and distribute its Internet browser. The department said the company violated a 1995 court order the government obtained to bar the company from anticompetitive licensing practices. The government sought a $1 million a day fine. "Microsoft is unlawfully taking advantage of its Windows monopoly to protect and extend that monopoly," Attorney General Janet Reno told reporters. Janet Reno "This is a very serious abuse," said Assistant Attorney General Joel I. Klein, head of the antitrust division. He said Microsoft's action was designed to undermine the dominant market position of its major competitor for Internet browsers, Netscape. Internet browsers are important, Klein said, because they "could erode Microsoft's operating system monopoly" in the Windows operating system. "This kind of product forcing is an abuse of monopoly power and we seek to put an end to it." Klein emphasized that the Justice Department is still investigating other practices by Microsoft but declined to give details. The Justice Department objected to Microsoft's requirement that computer manufacturers who want to license the Windows 95 operating system also license its internet browser, known as Internet Explorer. Most personal computer makers install Windows 95 at the factory. Klein said, "These are two different products." He said they should be sold as two separate products, but he adamantly said the government was not taking sides in the war for browser market share between Microsoft and Netscape, whose browser is known as Navigator, or any other company. "Each of Microsoft's products should compete on its own merits," Klein said. Copyright 1997 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. _________________________________________________________________ Infoseek search ____________________ ____ ____ _________________________________________________________________ rule Watch these shows on CNN for more sci-tech stories: CNN Computer Connection | Future Watch | Science & Technology Week rule Message Boards Sound off on our message boards You said it... [INLINE] IBM Reinventing Education rule To the top © 1997 Cable News Network, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Terms under which this service is provided to you.

1 0

Re: Save Water... ask me how!
by nobody＠REPLAY.COM 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

martian(a)rt66.com wrote: > Ask me how to save water. > http://www.rt66.com/martian Did anyone else go there? What a smell, eh? Whoooeee. I bet that guy saves a *lot* of water. Human-Gus Peter

1 0

SMTP Encryption Extension
by mskala＠langara.csc.UVic.CA 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Lots of people want to encrypt network traffic in large quantities to deter wiretapping, raise awareness, and so on. The usual approach seems to be to encrypt at a very low level, on individual network links. Unfortunately, those plans aren't moving very fast, partly because they require the involvement of people in positions of power at both ends of any given link. If I'm the sysadmin of a major ISP, I've got more important things to worry about than trying to coordinate with my counterpart at the other end of a high-speed link that is ALREADY WORKING FINE, and trying to change the protocol. Well, what are we really concerned about? Not Web traffic - although your web surfing history is private information, the data itself is by nature public and encrypting it is kinda pointless. The same kind of argument applies to news. What we're really concerned about w.r.t. wiretapping is electronic mail. So why not extend SMTP to do strong encryption? When your SMTP mailer connects to another mailer with the encryption extension, they exchange public keys, use those to exchange a session key, and encrypt their traffic. When your smart mailer connects to a stupid mailer, they just speak normal SMTP. This is a win even without any special key management: even if I can't verify that the identity of the remote SMTP server is correct, I'm still protected from passive attacks if I know that only the remote server (whoever that is) can read the traffic. If we're concerned about government surveillance of the populace, passive wiretaps are by far the most significant threat. This has the advantage that it only requires support from the admins of the computers that send and receive email; your ISP doesn't have to cooperate. Also, it doesn't require cooperation between the two ends of a connection: I can put the crypto extension onto my system without worrying about whether any other specific person will cooperate. Finally, it's got good subversive potential; the benefits of having the extension increase exponentially as more people have it. Just imagine if we could get a major Linux distribution to install it by default. Wham! All of a sudden, whenever any two boxes running that distribution connect to each other, they automatically do it securely. The ideal way to implement this would be as a patch to sendmail, but for short term "proof of concept", I'm building a Perl program that will listen on port 25, accept SMTP connections, and pass the data through to a copy of sendmail running on some other port. It also has a client side which gets installed as a "mailer" under sendmail, replacing sendmail's built-in IPC mailer. When two copies of sendmail so equipped connect to each other, they automatically encrypt. I've already got code for a program I call "blackpony", that implements the basic protocol using RSA and Blowfish (extensible to others). It also supports ROTn, in order to provide a cryptosystem people can do in their heads while manually testing the program. I haven't finished testing the integration between it and sendmail, and I'd like to document the protocol more thoroughly, but it does work, and it transparently interoperates with ordinary sendmail. I expect to have it in a form I'll be willing to show people, within the week. If anyone would like a copy or has any comments or suggestions, please let me know. Perl5 is required, as is the Cryptix security library available at http://www.systemics.com/software/. At present the Linux /dev/urandom device (or something like it) is required, but I intend to make that optional eventually. Deploy and enjoy...

1 0

Cato Institute briefing paper on domain names
by Declan McCullagh 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

*************** http://www.cato.org/pubs/briefs/bp-033.html INTERNET DOMAIN NAMES Privatization, Competition, and Freedom of Expression by Milton L. Mueller Milton L. Mueller, an associate professor at the Syracuse University School of Information Studies, is the author of many scholarly works on telecommunications policy. Executive Summary There is growing confusion over the administration of Internet top-level domain names (TLDs), the system of suffixes, such as .com, .org, and .edu, that determines a person's e-mail or Web site address on the Internet. We need to define rules and procedures that will permit and encourage competition among administrators of TLDs in response to market demand. Freedom of expression should be a primary concern. Proposals for compulsory national TLDs should be rejected. National TLDs would undermine the international character of the Internet and encourage national governments to enact myriad petty regulations and restrictions on free speech. Domain names should not be equated with trademarks or brand names. We should reject attempts to forge inappropriate links between domain name registration and trademark protection. The U.S. government should encourage the development of property rights and competition by moving the administration of Internet domain names into the private sector. ### ------------------------- Declan McCullagh Time Inc. The Netly News Network Washington Correspondent http://netlynews.com/

1 0