December 2003 - cypherpunks-legacy

y2k+oil refineries
by Vladimir Z. Nuri 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

a disturbing post on the idea that maybe embedded systems in refineries are so "embedded" they can't even be reached/ isolated. also hugely ubiquitous.... ------- Forwarded Message > > Gary North's Y2K Links and Forums > > 1998-11-30 13:28:22 > Subject: > Fuel Production Plants > Comment: > Let's hope this informant is wrong. If you have counter-evidence, contact me > at P. O. Box 8000, Tyler, TX 75711. > > * * * * * * * * > > I have one very, very reliable source within that industry who tells me that > the oil refining industry can't cope with the task. I am told that the problem > of embedded systems can NOT be fixed EVER, no matter how much time were > allowed. WHY? Because the refineries themselves would have to be dismantled to > uncover these embedded systems. Essentially, the refineries would have to be > destroyed and rebuilt!!! These embedded systems are buried within enclosed > systems. Identifying, testing and replacing these systems is too impractical. > It is financially unsound to do so. The better option is to build new ones. > There is no time to do this with less than 400 days left and the time to build > a new refinery is 3 to 5 years. > > So, what does this mean? My sources, especially the most reliable source tell > me that it means that on January 1, 2000... the oil and gas refineries will > cease operations. These facilities also have converted their inventory > management control systems to small inventory levels so that inventory levels > are running about 1 to 2 days capacity. A few years ago, the industry averaged > a 1 to 6 month supply in storage tanks. Not so today. > > The results: By 1/5/2000 there will be no gasoline, no diesel fuel, no natural > gas, no heating oil, no fuel oil products at all. This means trains will have > no fuel. Trucks will have no fuel. Cars will have no fuel. Electric Power > Plants will have no oil for fuel, nor coal... because there will be no fuel to > power the vehicles to get it to them. So, there will be no electricity. And > you know the remaining domino schematic from that point.

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I Got Mine
by Blanc 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

I received my visit from the friendly IRS guys tonight, asking about CJ/Toto. It seems that they had a copy of two emails (which they took from his confiscated computer) with my name on them - one of them the one in which I chastized him for sending a threatening letter to Billg. According to the headers in the message which they showed to me, Toto forwarded my reply through remailer(a)replay.com, Anon-To: billg. They wanted to know about my associations with Toto (I still think of him by that name), of course, of which I had none except through email. In our conversation, I discovered things that I didn't know about Toto's situation: that he had sent threatening letters to the Mounties, and that he had threated to kill the judge trying Jim's case. This is why he will be held and tried in the local jail - because the potential victims (besides the Mounties) are in this area. (sigh) I'm afraid CJ really went over the edge here and backed himself up in a corner. I should have chastized him more severely and counseled him against rash acts of unkindness (not that I hold myself responsible for what he did, but he did pay attention to me). Kind of amusingly, one of them asked if CJ had ever asked me to join the Circle of Eunuchs! heh. I explained that it was Toto's Art imitating Life, creating stories about a revolutionary group based on the list discussions, and that I suspected he called it the Circle of Eunuchs because of the accusations ( by *some people* )that cpunks are ineffectual. We had a bit of discussion on a number of things, including the subject of free speech and how close one can get to it before being subject to arrest. I asked them what that crucial point was when this would happen, since there is no crime until action is actually taken. They said this would be when a direct threat is made and a specific name is mentioned. I referenced as an example the web site which some group put up containing a list of the names of abortion-performing doctors, mentioned in the press as a 'hit list'. They said that a web site with a list of names is not a problem. It is when statements are made about killing the individuals on the list that a person would have "crossed the line". One of the investigators also brought up the issue of the conflict between free speech vs life & liberty, of when one infringes on the other (as in threatening to take away someone's life). I remarked that one must always be prepared for the unexpected, and they made some points about taking threats seriously and the necessity of government agents looking out for their personal safety. I asked if cypherpunks would actually be subpoenaed to appear at CJ's trial. They said it depends on CJ: if he accepts a deal, he would likely get a reduced sentence, but if he takes them to trial then there could be quite a number of Cpunks called forth. I suggested if that happens we could all go out to dinner : ) and they thought this would be quite interesting. One of the investigators expressed a great interest in the cpunk dicussions and concepts; I described something of what the list is about and the flow of subscribers through it, and referred him to the archives, saying '94-'95 were some good years. I'm sure given a little time and several dinners we could convert him to the Dark Side. <g> .. Blanc

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Fwd: FC: Gun groups take aim at new FBI database
by Declan McCullagh 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

>Date: Tue, 01 Dec 1998 21:50:05 -0500 >To: politech(a)vorlon.mit.edu >From: Declan McCullagh <declan(a)well.com> >Subject: FC: Gun groups take aim at new FBI database >Sender: owner-politech(a)vorlon.mit.edu >X-URL: Politech is at http://www.well.com/~declan/politech/ > > > >http://www.wired.com/news/news/politics/story/16561.html > > Gun Groups Take Aim at Database > by Declan McCullagh (declan(a)wired.com) > > 4:45 p.m. 1.Dec.98.PST > WASHINGTON -- A controversial FBI > database that records gun buyers' > names, addresses, and Social Security > numbers is "a national surveillance > system" that violates the law. > > So says the National Rifle Association in a > motion for a preliminary injunction filed > Monday in US District Court. > > [...] > > > >-------------------------------------------------------------------------- >POLITECH -- the moderated mailing list of politics and technology >To subscribe: send a message to majordomo(a)vorlon.mit.edu with this text: >subscribe politech >More information is at http://www.well.com/~declan/politech/ >-------------------------------------------------------------------------- >

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Re: NZ or LA in Y2K
by Anonymous 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

At 10:51 AM 12/1/98 -0600, Igor Chudov @ home wrote: >I am now considering another possibility: what happens if the power DOES >NOT go out? What would the gunnuts do? Um, start shooting the insulators and pole-transformers? :-P Or, if the power does go out but >looting does not start, would the gunnuts shoot some blacks that they >mistake for "looters" but who are just walking down the streets? Now you're confusing arms fanciers and survivalists with violent racists. Get a grip.

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No Subject
by Anonymous 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

I know this is a little off topic, but has anyone verified the integrity of a web site called "Spy & CounterSpy" located at http://www.spycounterspy.com/? The site is basically a citizens' guide to counterintelligence, and covers topics ranging from anonymous email and encryption to evading FBI surveillance. The author, Lee Adams, claims to have years of experience in these areas but I'm wondering if this site isn't quite what it appears to be -- a site put up by some freedom-loving guy who wants to help everyone enjoy their privacy.

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Matt Blaze arrested???
by jim finder 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

I heard a shocking thing on the radio a few minutes ago. I'm <*really*> sorry I didn't hear the whole report but I'm hoping someone here can shed some light, According to the report a Bell Labs mathematician named Blaze was arrested at the O'Hare airport today, in some kind of FBI sting operation. I didn't hear the whole segment, but it sounded like it had something to do with passing classified (crypto?) information to a foreign government. The part of the report that I heard didn't say what kind of info or what he was charged with, but I got the impression that it was either some kind of ITAR thing or maybe espionage. They did say it was part of a long term sting operation and mentioned something (that I didn't hear clearly) about "other arrests" that either already happened or were likely to happen soon. Was this Matt Blaze? It sure sounds like it must be. Is there a crackdown going on? Has anyone else been busted? Does anyone have more complete information about this? Jim ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com

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SASMF, Part 2
by Anonymous 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Space Aliens Stole My Freedom, Part 2 Know Your Spineless SheepleNeighbor(TM) If the banks can be required to Know Their Customers, maybe you can be required to Know Your Neighbor. This is already an established system in Cuba, so importing it should be cheap, fast and easy. ----- "Know Your Neighbor" Requirements AGENCY: Federal Bureau of Investigation ACTION: Notice of proposed rulemaking. SUMMARY: The FBI is proposing to issue regulations requiring FBI-supervised citizen-residents to develop and maintain "Know Your Neighbor" programs. As proposed, the regulations would require each citizen-resident to develop a program designed to determine the identity of its neighbors; determine its neighbors' sources of gossip and political views; determine the normal and expected comings and goings of its neighbors; monitor household activity for things that are inconsistent with those normal and expected activities; and report any activities of its customers that are determined to be suspicious, in accordance with the FBI's existing suspicious activity reporting regulations. By requiring citizen- residents to determine the identity of their neighbors, as well as to obtain knowledge regarding the legitimate activities of their neighbors, the proposed regulations will reduce the likelihood that citizen- residents will become unwitting participants in illicit activities conducted or attempted by their neighbors. It also will level the playing field between citizen-residents that already have adopted formal Know Your Neighbor programs and those that have not. --- Minimum steps to take to comply with the Know Your Customer rule. Identify the neighbor. Paragraph (d)(2)(i) requires that the Know Your Neighbor program provide a system for determining the true identity of prospective neighbors. If a citizen-resident has reasonable cause to believe that it lacks sufficient information to know the identity of an existing neighbor, paragraph (d)(4)(ii)(A) also requires that the program provide a system for determining the identity of that neighbor. --- Determine the source of people and property. Paragraph (d)(2)(ii) requires that the Know Your Neighbor program provide a system for determining the source of a neighbor's possessions and household members. The amount of information needed to do this can depend on the type of neighbor in question. Determine normal and expected comings and goings. Paragraph (d)(2)(iii) requires that the Know Your Neighbor program provide a system for determining a neighbor's normal and expected comings and goings involving the citizen-resident. A citizen-resident's understanding of a neighbor's normal and expected comings and goings should be based on information obtained both when a neighbor relationship is established and during a reasonable period of time thereafter. It also should be based on normal comings and goings for similarly situated neighbors. Without this information, a citizen- resident is unable to identify suspicious comings and goings. Determine if activity should be reported. Once an activity is identified as inconsistent with normal and expected behavior, paragraph (d)(2)(v) requires that a citizen-resident determine if the activity warrants the filing of a Suspicious Activity Report. This is consistent with a citizen-resident's existing obligations under 12 CFR 353.3(a). --- A. Reasons for and objectives of the proposed rule. The proposed Know Your Neighbor rule is designed to deter and detect neighborhood crimes, such as plots to establish "Constitutional government," gathering of information about alleged "crimes" committed by government agents, and meeting to discuss subversive literature such as the Constitution. B. Requirements of the proposed rule. The proposed rule would require citizen-residents to identify their neighbors, determine their neighbors' normal and expected activities, determine their neighbors' sources of possessions and household members, monitor neighbors' activities to find those that are not normal and expected, and, for activities that are not normal and expected, identify which are suspicious. Know Your Neighbor monitoring would be similar to monitoring that citizen-residents already do. For example, citizen-residents monitor neighbor activities to ensure that comings and goings exceeding 100 per month are reported under the Neighborhood Secrecy Act, to ensure that neighbors do not overuse their driveways and sidewalks, and to ensure that required comings and goings accurate and timely. ----- Editor's Note: The worst part of this parody is that it's true. Cuba, like most communist dictatorships, has a highly developed system of block watchers. They are responsible for all of the foregoing, making their reports to the secret police. The U.S. government is instituting a system of "bank account watchers," toadies in the supine, excruciatingly closely regulated banking industry, who will have to "know you," get to know your normal and expected bank account activity, and watch your bank account activity to detect and report "Suspicious Transactions." Welkomm to Orwell's 1984. Welkomm to Nazi Amerika. Hold your arm out straight... there... this will just sting a bit... Does anyone not get it yet? There is _nothing_ in the Constitution that gives the federal government any power to subject the American people to financial surveillance, to restrict or require reporting of cash transactions in any quantities, to restrict or encumber firearms ownership to anyone not actually serving time in a prison, or to do _any_ of the onerous abominations being thrust upon us in new and terrible forms almost daily. Does anyone not get it yet? The federal government is forfeiting, just as fast as its android minions can think up new ways to do it, its last shreds of any claim to legitimacy. They may as well fly the skull and crossbones over government buildings. Their occupation army of marauding thugs is _here_, bringing to ghastly life the very words of the bill of particulars laid against King George III of England by the Founders of this now-decayed, now-corrupt, hollow Republic, in the Declaration of Independence. Do they _never_ learn? (Obviously not) Will we _have_ to go through it all again? (Obviously yes) Has the line been crossed? (Obviously yes) Has force been initiated? (Obviously yes) Has the federal government placed itself outside the law? (Obviously yes) So be it. Cry "Havoc!" and let loose the dogs of war. The Revolution is upon us. We have nothing to lose but our imminent slavery. Sam Adams has a piece of advice: Keep your own counsel. Translation: Do your own thing and don't look to prop up your courage with the flawed courage and lack of trustworthiness of others. Don't be a groupie -- be a commando. Required re-reading: http://www.dhc.net/~toarms/henry.htm FuckingFedUpMonger

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Check out the New ZDNet and ZDTV Forums!
by ZDNet Announce 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Dear Forum Member: If you are reading this message, you are a participant in the ZDNet or ZDTV message boards (a.k.a. ZDNet Forums or Community). I would like to take this opportunity to tell you about some changes that will affect you on December 8. We are moving from our current forum software, called Podium, to version 1.0 of new forum software created by Deja News. On Dec. 8, when you follow a link or bookmark to one of our forums, you will be directed to the new software automatically. You don't have to download or install anything -- our forums remain entirely Web-based -- but the apearance and functions of the forums will be different. All your messages posted in Podium are being brought over, so your conversations won't miss a beat. We have been testing the Deja News software in three of our current forums for several months, and we have also created a test forum so you can try out the software and give us your feedback. We know that any change is disruptive; you will have to re-learn some forum functions and get used to a new interface. We apologize in advance for the hassle. We felt the switch to the Deja News software was the only way to improve the performance and reliability of the forums, plus the new software has a better search engine and great possibilities for integrating Usenet newsgroups into our offerings. If you have not yet had a chance to try out the new software, you can do so at any one or all of the forums listed below: Test Forum http://chkpt.zdnet.com/chkpt/zdn11202/f5.dejanews.com/frames/test.html Help Channel General Discussion http://chkpt.zdnet.com/chkpt/zdn11202/f5.dejanews.com/frames/generaldiscuss… Microsoft Office http://chkpt.zdnet.com/chkpt/zdn11202/f5.dejanews.com/frames/msoffice.html Gadget Gab http://chkpt.zdnet.com/chkpt/zdn11202/f5.dejanews.com/frames/gadget.html Please give us your feedback about the new software in the Test Forum. We are using your comments to make the software work better, so we appreciate as much of participation as possible. In addition to the new software, we will be merging several forums. Over the months, ZDNet and ZDTV have created a number of overlapping message boards, and some forums have lost their appeal to users. As part of the switch to Deja News, we'll be integrating forums on similar topics. As a result, expect most forums to be busier after Dec. 8. Thank you for your time and effort. We are looking forward to seeing you in the new forums, and we are glad to have you as a part of the ZDNet Community. We will send you just a few more e-mails like this one to keep you up-to-date on the switch, but we promise not to continue spamming you after the transition is complete. Regards, Wendy Frankwich ZDNet and ZDTV Community http://chkpt.zdnet.com/chkpt/zdn11202/www.zdnet.com http://chkpt.zdnet.com/chkpt/zdn11202/www.zdtv.com _______________________________________________________________________ To be removed from this list, simply reply to this message with "unsubscribe" as your subject.

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Re: "Export" controls
by Anonymous 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

>Can you give me an example of a commercial vendor who has suffered >because someone bought a "dangerous" product ( Windows, for example ) at >retail and carried it out of the country in a suitcase? My guess would I cannot give such example because hard crypto products are not available to the general public. I am unaware that microshit OS has hard crypto built-in. The only hard crypto package I have ever seen for sale at mail-order (and thus not anonymous) is NAI's PGP (and I have never seen any hard crypto available in a store for cash - but that can only mean that there is no perceived demand). However, any hard crypto that would work on system level and encrypt all communications is not available for purchase (it is available for free, though, in the form of IPSec package with 128-bit block ciphers for *BSD operating systems.) There is a number of VPN companies that offer crypto boxes, but AFAIK they either do not mention crypto scheme they use or they say DES. There is only one VPN company that advertises 128-bit crypto in it's product. >> [ For example, try to buy one of IBM crypto-cards - give them a call >> and ask what does it take to purchase one with hard crypto on it >> >Save me the phone call and describe your experience. BTW - IBM derives a You'll miss all the fun. After talking to 5-6 departments one concludes that no one knows anything about 4758, but they are all nice and helpful, and forward your call to each other. 4758 does not exist for casual callers. My guess is that if you have been dealing with IBM for some time you may be able to get it. To recap, there are no hard crypto drop-in hardware products available to general public in the USA today. >just write a damn book, source, VHDL etc. You can even export that. My The question is how to make money by selling hard crypto in the US. NAI seems to be the only company that can get away with so-called "publishing exception" in the commercial world. Their joining the key recovery alliance is probably unrelated :-) >Disk encryptor - SCSI/EIDE, a bump in the wire between the motherboard >and the disk drive. With its own smartcard/keypad interface, keys are >never seen by OS. It doesn't solve the security problem while the system There are many neat ideas. But no hardware.

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L5 algorithm patent, and free eval version
by Anonymous 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

On Mon, 5 Oct 1998, Joey Roa wrote: > My name is Joey Roa and I am Professional Services Team Leader of JAWS > Technologies Inc. I have recently become aware of your list. A colleague > ... > The L5 algorithm is not yet published as we are waiting assurances from out > patent attorneys that we have some protection for marketing purposes. Hello Joey et all, Now that L5 has been patented, will you and your colleagues at Jaws Technology make the L5 algorithm details available to the professional cryptography community for independant verification. Could you also provide the Canadian and/or US patent numbers? (Announcement of L5 patent: <http://www.newswire.ca/releases/October1998/27/c6731.html>) To cypherpunks readers, the free "shareware" version is available from: <http://www.jawstech.com/products/jawsl5/download-free-trial/L5_ShareWare_Se…> I think the coderpunks readers might enjoy playing with this program. It has proven entertaining so far for me.

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