December 2003 - cypherpunks-legacy

Re: Larry Gilbert, AOLers, and the Hyper-real flamer
by AIMSX＠aol.com 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Obviously you have a very high opinion of yourself and a low opinion of people who use AOL. Contrary to popular belief, there are a few intelligent people on AOL, but it looks as if you are too egotistical to realize that. Have you ever thought to look at your own mistakes before you publicize everyone else's to the world? Are you just suffering from some sort of dillusion of grandeur - thinking you are better than everyone else. Things like this are what many wars were started over, I am so happy the internet (hopefully) won't start a war in the real world.

2 1

Harald Fragner
by sixdegrees 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Just a quick update from sixdegrees(tm). Unfortunately Harald Fragner (harald(a)fragner.net) asked not to be listed as your contact with sixdegrees. We also wanted to make sure you were aware that you currently have no other confirmed contacts, so it will be hard for you to have a productive sixdegrees experience. As you probably know, without any confirmed contacts, you won't get any results from our networking searches. So, we just wanted to recommend that you head over to http://www.sixdegrees.com , log-in, and go to MY CONTACTS to list additional relationships. ==================================================================== PLEASE NOTE: All replies to this address are processed by a computer. If you have any problems, questions or requests send an e-mail to issues(a)sixdegrees.com and someone will get back to you as soon as possible. ==================================================================== E.DB.BRESP.3

2 1

IP: VP GORE'S CHINA SCANDAL
by Robert Hettinga 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

--- begin forwarded text Delivered-To: ignition-point(a)majordomo.pobox.com Date: Tue, 15 Sep 1998 05:33:46 -0400 (EDT) To: ignition-point(a)majordomo.pobox.com From: softwar(a)us.net (CharlesSmith) Subject: IP: VP GORE'S CHINA SCANDAL Sender: owner-ignition-point(a)majordomo.pobox.com Precedence: list Reply-To: softwar(a)us.net (CharlesSmith) http://www.worldnetdaily.com According to Chinese General Sun Tzu "All war is based on deception." Tzu wrote those words over 2,000 years ago and his first rule of war still applies today. For example, a hidden November 1994 letter written by DNC donor Sanford Robertson to President Clinton that clearly details the sale of Commerce trade trips for campaign donations. Robertson was so bold as to include a telling "P.S." where he notes for Clinton that "Bob Rubin" turned out the "Silicon Valley" at a Robertson sponsored fundraiser that took in "$100,000" for California Senator Feinstein. Of course, neither Robertson nor current Treasury Secretary Rubin expected that letter to be revealed. In November 1995, Vice President Gore called Sanford Robertson from the White House and asked for a $100,000 donation. In January 1996 Robertson obliged and kicked in $80,000 soft and $20,000 in so-called "hard" donations to the Clinton/Gore campaign. The fact that Gore made the call from inside the White House is the least of his legal problems. In 1993 Clinton named Gore to head U.S. export policy for encryption technology in a TOP SECRET order written by National Security advisor Anthony Lake. A 1996 secret memo on a secret meeting of DCIA Deutch, FBI Director Freeh and Attorney General Janet Reno states "The Vice President chairs the senior group that set the Administration's encryption policy; since Februarcy 1994 it has been supported by a working group co-chaired by NSC, and OMB, composed of NSA, CIA, FBI, State, Commerce (BXA, NIST), and Justice." In 1995 Sanford Robertson also had a big financial interest in the U.S. computer security industry. Robertson's investment firm had hundreds of millions of dollars tied up in a Massachusetts based computer company named Security Dynamics Inc. (SDI). Thus, in 1995 Gore had direct control of policy that also affected Robertson financially. Security Dynamics was able to import computer security hardware manufactured in China. SDI secured Hong Kong electronics maker RJP Industries to produce electronic computer security cards for sale in America. The Chinese manufactured cards are sold to major defense contractors, medical institutions and the U.S. government. Hong Kong millionaire Raymond Hung also owns RJP. Hung manufactured the security cards in two factories leased directly from the China National Electronics Import/Export Company (CNEIEC), a business owned by the People's Liberation Army. Thus, the computer security cards imported and sold here in the U.S. were built on a Chinese Army assembly line. Hung also owned a U.S. based company called Quorum International that went bankrupt in 1996. The company left millions in bad debt in Arizona and California. Yet, Hung was able to donate over a million dollars to the Special Olympics, donate a temple to communist China, and have his photo taken with Arnold Schwarzenegger all only days before declaring bankruptcy. Hung is also reported to have set up dozens of shell "front companies" offshore. These companies allegedly sell cheap Chinese products imported by Hung who declares bankruptcy, citing Chinese taxes on the imports. Hung, of course, splits the "taxes" with the Chinese government, and returns to America to purchase hard assets such as real estate. Despite all this Hung remains un-investigated by the Clinton administration. Hung's close working relationship with China and the Clinton administration raises another question... Could there be a "secret" back door embedded in imported hardware or software, waiting like a TROJAN HORSE, brought safely inside the secure walls by a paying customer? Could a hidden SNIFFER be hunting down passwords, code keys and sensitive data? "Absolutely," stated Info-warfare expert Winn Schwartau. "I call it 'pro-active' defense - you'll find it referenced in my original book (Information Warfare)." "Chips are made of silicon," explained Schwartau. "If you buy hardware the only way to tell exactly how it works is with a destructive test. You tear the chip apart, layer by layer. This is not only difficult but expensive. Can it happen? Just look at the multitude of hardware and software products maintained outside of the United States. How many of them are 'proprietary' designs that have never been viewed inside the U.S.?" "It is possible," agreed Forrest Mimms, a leader in the U.S. electronics engineering and well-known author. Mimms is best known to electronics hobbyists worldwide for his series of books that populate Radio Shack. "I would not be surprised to find a back door put in by the Chinese government," stated Mimms. "Go to Wal-Mart and you'll find hundreds of commercial electronics products made by Chinese government factories. In fact, I would not be surprised to find a back door put in by an independent [rouge or criminal] operation." "Yes. It is always possible to slip a Trojan horse into cryptography products, both hardware and software," stated Bruce Schneier, President of Counterpane Systems and author of the best selling book on computer security APPLIED CRYPTOGRAPHY. "Unless the user takes the time to reverse-engineer the product - - much easier to do in software than in hardware - - he is essentially trusting that the manufacturer is behaving honestly," stated Schneier. "The NSA has been rumored to have convinced several cryptography hardware companies world-wide to install Trojan horses that effectively 'leak' secrets as the hardware is used." The Chinese Army, Sanford Robertson, Al Gore and Ron Brown shared an interest in computer security technology. California based RSA Inc. is the only U.S. company that has ever been able to secure any export deal on encryption with China. Documentation held by the Commerce Department and taken by former DNC fundraiser Ira Sockowitz shows that RSA was able to obtain a trade deal with the Chinese government through a Commerce sponsored trade conference to Beijing in October 1995. In fact, both the Chairman of RSA, Jim Bidzos, and Ron Brown met in October of 1995 with Madam Wu Yi, head of China's MOFTEC (Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation). Al Gore also had previous legal contact with RSA Inc. in 1994. According RSA CEO James Bidzos, in March 1994 Gore sent government lawyers to RSA in a failed effort to purchase patents on encryption technology held by his company. Curiously, the envoy Gore selected to send was John Huang's boss, Commerce Counsel Ginger Lew. Even more curious is the fact that Lew claimed to know nothing about encryption in her deposition for Judicial Watch. Her lack of computer security knowledge is puzzling because Lew also possessed a 1994 document detailing penetrations of U.S. government computers using "back-door" and "SNIFFER" programs installed by unknown hackers. The document was returned in response to a Freedom of Information Request. Ms. Lew currently works at the Small Business Administration and has refused my request for an interview. In February 1996, only days after Robertson had kicked in his $100,000 to the Clinton/Gore campaign, RSA announced the China encryption export deal. In April 1996, Robertson's Security Dynamics Inc. bought RSA for $296 million above the stock value. Robertson's investment firm was paid $2 million just to write the merger document. Thus, Robertson financially benefited from the same company that Gore had previously engaged in secret government negotiations. Robertson gained $2 million for a $100,000 investment in less than 90 days. How deeply involved was Robertson with party officials? Perhaps, the real question is which party? Democrat or Communist? In an April 1994 letter Robertson reminded Brown of scheduled money-raising events for the DNC and of his efforts for DNC candidates. "P.S." Robertson wrote to Brown. "It has been fund raising season out here for the Senate and we've had events at our home for Feinstein, Lieberman, and Cooper. I wish you were still head of the DNC for the December elections, but you are obviously doing a great job at Commerce." In the same letter Robertson also noted his influence in the Chinese communist party. In April 1994 Robertson informed Brown of his successful effort to hire the son of a major Chinese Communist leader. "We have recently hired Bo Feng the son of Feng Zhijun the vice chairman of the China Democratic League and a member of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress." On August 18, 1998 this author filed suit in Federal Court against the Clinton administration for illegally withholding documents. The documents in question were discovered at the Commerce Department in response to a Freedom of Information Request on Loral CEO Bernard Schwartz and DNC donor Sanford Robertson. At first, the Commerce Department refused to release the "22" documents because they were being withheld by unspecified "other agencies" for "consultation". On May 18, 1998 the Commerce Department released one of the 22 documents. The single document returned was the bio of W. Bowman Cutter, Deputy Assistant to the President for Economic Policy, written by the White House. "Bo" Cutter, "Bob" Rubin, Al Gore and Ron Brown were all tasked to encryption export policy in the 1993 Top Secret order from Bill Clinton written by Tony Lake. Bo, Bob, Al and Ron were part of the encryption task force detailed in the 1996 CIA/FBI/DOJ meeting. "Bo" Cutter's boss, now Treasury Secretary "Bob" Rubin, raised the 1994 $100,000 from Sanford Robertson while working inside the White House - just like Al Gore in 1995. All of these fine gentlemen were also making secret export policy... including Sanford Robertson. In addition, according to the Commerce Department FOIA officer, the remaining 21 documents were being withheld by the White House. However, the White House is NOT an agency. My source on this legal "Catch-22" is the White House legal counsel for Vice President Al Gore. In response to a 1997 FOIA request Vice President Gore's Deputy Counsel Elizabeth Brown wrote "Please be advised that FOIA applies to only records maintained by 'agencies' with in the Executive Branch. The Office of the President and the Vice President ... are not 'agencies' for the purposes of this law. Therefore, your request must be denied." The Clinton administration caved instead of facing embarrassment in court. The remaining documents withheld by the White House have been released. Both Bernard Schwartz and Sanford Robertson were given the detailed dossiers of the Chinese leadership from President Jiang Zemin, and MOFTEC's Madam Wu Yi - down to the local communist mayor of Shanghi. The new documents include information on such communist officials as Hu Qili - Minister of Electronics Industry - a former radical Red Guard member of the Chinese Youth movement. According to the hidden documents, Qili argues "that military electronics are a key technology necessary for winning modern warfare." According to Sun Tzu, all war is based on deception. War, according to Von Clausewitz, is also merely an extension of politics. The war of Clinton deception continues to this day. The administration and its agencies are continuing to withhold documents from this author, the House National Security Committee, and the House Government Oversight Committee. The White House is engaged in a cover-up of illegal activities. Evidence hidden in a deliberate and planned scheme to conceal crimes by officials currently in power. ============================================================== source documents * = new - Robertson letters to Brown & Clinton http://www.softwar.net/rscot.html <--- text version http://www.softwar.net/rsco.html <--- jpeg version - SECRET 1993 order on encryption by Anthony Lake http://www.softwar.net/not4u2c.html - Secret 1996 DCIA Deutch/FBI Freeh /AG Reno meeting http://www.softwar.net/docciat.html <--- text version http://www.softwar.net/doccia.html <--- jpeg version - * Snips from the SEC - official RSA/SDI merger document RJP, China, MFN treaty & $2,000,000 payment to Robertson & Stephens for writing merger document. http://www.softwar.net/sdi.html - * Raymond Hung with Arnie, wife with $1,000,000 check, wife with Shriver, temple donated to PRC and article ref. http://www.softwar.net/quorum.html - Interview of RSA CEO James Bidzos http://www.softwar.net/bidzos.html - * Documents held by Ginger Lew on back-doors and sniffers http://www.softwar.net/lew.html - * Documents on encryption written by Al Gore & 1997 FOIA rejection by Gore's legal counsel http://www.softwar.net/al2000.html http://www.softwar.net/gore.html http://www.softwar.net/vp.html - * Ron at CHINA WORLD - Oct. 1995 JCCT meeting with Wu Yi http://www.softwar.net/ron.html - * White House Bio of "Bo" Cutter http://www.softwar.net/boknows.html - * snips from White House documents & SOFTWAR action, bios of Jiang Zemin, Wu Yi, Hu Qili, and Huang Ju (mayor of Shanghi) http://www.softwar.net/white.html ================================================================ 1 if by land, 2 if by sea. Paul Revere - encryption 1775 Charles R. Smith SOFTWAR http://www.softwar.net softwar(a)softwar.net Pcyphered SIGNATURE: 5A7061066259AAE7F805238B655FF97BB1EAE42FB1C6F167AFD9964D21E2BD4A BABA05AC8A30EFA7B576D199F6F01DEA3460074026CD09F27A36919487341214 57401400416BC39E ================================================================ SOFTWAR EMAIL NEWSLETTER 09/15/1998 *** to unsubscribe reply with "unsubscribe" as subject *** ================================================================ ********************************************** To subscribe or unsubscribe, email: majordomo(a)majordomo.pobox.com with the message: (un)subscribe ignition-point email@address ********************************************** www.telepath.com/believer ********************************************** --- end forwarded text ----------------- Robert A. Hettinga <mailto: rah(a)philodox.com> Philodox Financial Technology Evangelism <http://www.philodox.com/> 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'

1 0

RE: Predictions: Crime and Criminal Justice in the 21st Century
by Brown, R Ken 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

> nnburk[SMTP:nnburk@cobain.HDC.NET] posted 10 predictions about life in the USA for the next 10 or 15 years. They are, of course, nothing but descriptions of what's been going on for the last 30-40 years. This isn't prediction, it's extrapolation! As so often the people will always win when playing "cheat the prophet". Whatever really happens next year the chances are it won't be exactly the same as what happened last year. Ken

1 0

Request to DoD for InfoSec
by John Young 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

To: kbacon(a)pagate.pa.osd.mil From: jya(a)pipeline.com Date: Tues 15 September 1998, 09:51 AM Subject: Interview Request Kenneth H. Bacon Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs OASD (PA) 1400 Defense Pentagon Washington D.C. 20301-1400 Dear Mr. Bacon, Three points of Secretary Cohen's informative talk[*] at the Council on Foreign Relations last evening would benefit by amplification, and I ask your assistance in arranging an interview with the Secretary to focus on the Department's policy on information security technology. 1. The first concerns his view on the interdependency of military and economic affairs for assurance of national security. 1.1 What does he see as the prospect for further declassification of restricted defense technology for use by industry for protection of information against economic espionage, as exemplified in the declassification of the Skipjack encryption algorithm. 1.2 And what other services and/or technology the defense supply and intelligence agencies may provide non-governmental customers in competition with other nations where closer cooperation between such agencies and industry is more common. 2. The second concerns the need for international cooperation for US defense policy and how that is impacted by publicity and criticism of the Echelon electronic intercept program and other national technical means not customarily discussed in public by the Department. 2.1 What are Secretary Cohen's views of programs such as Echelon political and international trust issues and what he is his view of European calls for investigation of Echelon. 2.2 What are Secretary Cohen's views as a constructive response to charges that Echelon and other national technical means are offensive military and economic espionage against those from whom the US desires defense cooperation. 3. In the Q&A on the topic of terrorism and encryption, Secretary Cohen remarked that the American people will have to decide how much privacy they are willing to give up in order to be protected from terrorist threats. 3.1 What are the Secretary's views on how disputes on encryption policy could be resolved in light of his calls for closer connection between military and economic interests and for international cooperation for defense policy. Your office has always been exemplary in responding to requests for information. Thank you very much. Sincerely, John Young JYA/Urban Deadline 251 West 89th Street, Suite 6E New York, NY 10024 E-mail: jya(a)pipeline.com Tel: 212-873-8700 Fax: 212-799-4003 * See: http://jya.com/dod091498.htm

1 0

Re: The DES Analytic Crack Project
by Anonymous 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Eric Michael Cordian, emc(a)wire.insync.net, writes: > The concerns are generally that > we will experience an unexpected "combinatoric explosion" in the > higher round problems Unexpected by you, perhaps, but expected by everyone else. The complexity of the expressions should increase exponentially with the number of rounds. Extrapolating from two and four round results to eight and sixteen is the wrong model. (You can artificially suppress this by introducing new variables for each round, but that doesn't change the underlying complexity of the problem.) Can't you come up with a back-of-the-envelope estimate for the number of terms in your sixteen round expression? Even without fully optimized S-box expressions this information would be useful. If it is greater than the number of atoms on Earth then it would be a strong hint that this approach won't work. If you really want to attract money you need some kind of numbers to show that the approach has a prayer of working. Show the size of the problem you will get, estimate how much improvement you'll get with your improved S-box representations, compare it with the problems tackled by available combinatorial algorithms. You should be able to do this with a few hours of work, at least to show that the basic concept is sound (or unsound).

2 1

Re: Zipped Starr Report
by Terry Leininger 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

>You are all writing about Clinton and Monica et al. Dunno what this does here >but anyway, let me add to the noise: >Is it possible to download the Starr report somewhere, zipped and prepared for >offline reading? Try http://www.angelfire.com/wa/starreport/home.html Couldn't help it...

3 2

IP: INS Offers Biometric System for Frequent Flyers
by Robert Hettinga 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

--- begin forwarded text Delivered-To: ignition-point(a)majordomo.pobox.com X-Sender: believer(a)telepath.com Date: Tue, 15 Sep 1998 09:18:32 -0500 To: believer(a)telepath.com From: believer(a)telepath.com Subject: IP: INS Offers Biometric System for Frequent Flyers Mime-Version: 1.0 Sender: owner-ignition-point(a)majordomo.pobox.com Precedence: list Reply-To: believer(a)telepath.com Source: Wired http://www.wired.com/news/news/technology/story/15014.html US Takes Immigration in Hand by Theta Pavis 4:00am15.Sep.98.PDT It's been 44 years since Ellis Island closed shop, but immigration can still be a long, tiresome process. In an effort to speed the process for international travelers, the US Immigration and Naturalization Service is offering a biometric system for willing frequent flyers. So far, 71,000 people in six airports have signed up for the system, called INSPASS. It employs a biometric kiosk to scan and match the geometric dimensions of travelers' hands, verify their identities, and perform standard background checks. The INS plans to expand the program to four additional airports by the end of the year. "It creates a fast lane for people," said James Wayman, head of the federally funded National Biometric Test Center at San Jose State University. The kiosks were integrated by EDS, which has had a US$300 million contract with the INS for automation support and software development since 1994. This summer, the INS awarded a new, five-year information-technology contract worth $750 million to EDS and four other companies. Ann Cohen, an EDS vice president in the government services group, said the fact that so many people have signed up for the INSPASS system shows that biometrics are becoming more popular and could be commonplace in the future. "Were getting over that 'Big Brother' hurdle," Cohen said. As e-commerce develops and terrorism grows, biometrics increasingly are the "only sure way to get security." US and Canadian citizens flying overseas on business at least three times a year are eligible for the free INSPASS program. People from Bermuda and 26 other countries that have visa-waiver agreements with the United States are also eligible. The INSPASS kiosks, which look like ATM machines, were recently installed at the Los Angeles International Airport, where more than 1,000 people have enrolled in the program. Rico Cabrera, a spokesman with the INS Los Angeles regional office, said travelers like the fact that INSPASS can check their identity in 16 to 60 seconds, a process that can take up to three hours at some airports. The largest group of INSPASS users at LAX are US citizens, followed by Australians and New Zealanders. After filling out a one-page form and passing a background check, travelers can be issued a Port Pass card with their picture and a 12-number ID on it. A traveler inserts the card in the kiosk, which reads the ID number and links to a centralized database run by US Customs. A geometric hand template is called up from the database and transferred to the kiosk. After a green light flashes, the right hand is placed on a reflective surface -- the ID-3D Handkey, made by Recognition Systems. The HandKey uses a video camera to take a geometric image of the traveler's hand and fingers, and the data is converted using compression algorithms. If it matches the template of the hand stored in the database, the traveler is in. INSPASS kiosks are also in use at airports in Newark, Miami, Kennedy (New York), Pearson (Toronto), and Vancouver, British Columbia. The INS eventually plans to install them at most busy international airports around the country, including Washington, San Francisco, Seattle, and Honolulu. The department has geared the program toward business travelers, diplomats, airline personnel, and other "low-risk" visitors. Some argue that the INS hasn't done enough to market the program. Jeffrey Betts, WorldWide Solution Manager for IBM -- which has developed FastGate, a kiosk similar to INSPASS -- said people aren't enrolling fast enough in the INS system. International arrivals at airports across the globe are growing every year by 7 to 10 percent, Betts said, but border control resources are flat or declining. In 1996, some 65,000 people were enrolled in the INSPASS program, but the program has added just 6,000 new users since then. IBM, which has been running a small pilot program of FastGate in Bermuda for the past year, is building a system where people can swipe a credit card through a kiosk at the airport and connect with a database where the biometrics are stored. "Governments will have to find ways to do more with less or force travelers to queue like cattle," Betts said. While the government plans on marketing INSPASS more aggressively in the future, Schmidt said, INS is counting on word of mouth to get new people enrolled. "We don't really have the budget for a huge marketing campaign," she said. ----------------------- NOTE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, this material is distributed without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this information for non-profit research and educational purposes only. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml ----------------------- ********************************************** To subscribe or unsubscribe, email: majordomo(a)majordomo.pobox.com with the message: (un)subscribe ignition-point email@address ********************************************** www.telepath.com/believer ********************************************** --- end forwarded text ----------------- Robert A. Hettinga <mailto: rah(a)philodox.com> Philodox Financial Technology Evangelism <http://www.philodox.com/> 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'

1 0

CTIA Daily News from WOW-COM - September 15, 1998
by CTIA Daily News 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

========================================== Welcome to today's edition of the CTIA Daily News from WOW-COM. Please click on the icon / attachment for the most important news in wireless communications today. The Newest Most Comprehensive Tradeshow of Wireless Computing and Communications is Only a Month Away. Register TODAY! http://www.wirelessit.com/register.htm Team WOW-COM wowcom(a)ctia.org ===========================================

1 0

No Subject
by Anonymous 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Hi, There seems to be a problem posting anonymous messages to cypherpunks(a)ssz.com. I have posted several messages over the past week and *none* of them have showed up. I am posting this as a test message. I am sending it to the following addresses: cypherpunks(a)toad.com cypherpunks(a)ssz.com cypherpunks(a)algebra.com cypherpunks(a)cyberpass.net I will add the server name to the subject line for each post to test which messages are being delivered and which are not. I AM TOTOCUS!!

1 0