July 2018 - cypherpunks-legacy

Re: Sampled Traffic Analysis by Internet-Exchange-Level Adversaries
by coderman 06 Jul '18

06 Jul '18

On 5/28/07, Steven Murdoch <tortalk+Steven.Murdoch(a)cl.cam.ac.uk> wrote: >... an experiment to establish how diverse the topology of the Tor network >is -- an important component of how secure it is against traffic >analysis. ... > >I've now finished the draft version of the resulting paper... > > http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/~sjm217/papers/pet07ixanalysis.pdf hi Steven; an enjoyable read. thank you! i am curious about a few aspects. you state "an assumption that the global passive adversary is unrealistic". is this really true in anonymity research circles? it seems the evidence to the contrary is well supported. i do prefer the "those who are the target of such adversaries have larger problems than anonymous Internet access" statement instead. :) i am also curious if you had considered lower layer propinquity of physical paths. critical infrastructure research has shown how even seemingly disparate and redundant paths are often inhabiting common right of way and facilities. is the assumption that inspection at OC/WDM layers is too cumbersome/expensive for all but the previously mentioned TLA/$gov adversaries? given the surprises looking at network topology from an IX rather than AS level, i'd expect a similar revelation when viewing from an optical carrier vantage point. sadly, the information useful for such study has become a subject of heated and irrational censorship post 9/11. i'll stop this tangent early before i delve into a heated rant about critical infrastructure and terrorism madness... *g* best regards, ----- End forwarded message ----- -- Eugen* Leitl <a href="http://leitl.org">leitl</a> http://leitl.org ______________________________________________________________ ICBM: 48.07100, 11.36820 http://www.ativel.com http://postbiota.org 8B29F6BE: 099D 78BA 2FD3 B014 B08A 7779 75B0 2443 8B29 F6BE

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[EPIC_IDOF] National Security Letters
by Bruce Schneier 06 Jul '18

06 Jul '18

An Enemy of The State By DOUG THOMPSON Nov 7, 2005, 08:14 http://www.capitolhillblue.com/artman/publish/article_7624.shtml According to a printout from a computer controlled by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Department of Justice, I am an enemy of the state. The printout, shown to me recently by a friend who works for Justice, identifies me by a long, multi-digit number, lists my date of birth, place of birth, social security number and contains more than 100 pages documenting what the Bureau and the Bush Administration consider to be my threats to the security of the United States of America. It lists where I sent to school, the name and address of the first wife that I had been told was dead but who is alive and well and living in Montana, background information on my current wife and details on my service to my country that I haven?t even revealed to my wife or my family. Although the file finds no criminal activity by me or members of my immediate family, it remains open because I am a ?person of interest? who has ?written and promoted opinions that are contrary to the government of the United States of America.? And it will remain active because the government of the United States, under the far-reaching provisions of the USA Patriot Act, can compile and retain such information on any American citizen. That act gives the FBI the authority to collect intimate details about anyone, even those not suspected of any wrongdoing. My file begins on September 11, 2001, the day of the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington. A Marine guard standing post at the Navy Yard in Washington jotted down the license number of my Jeep Wrangler after I was spotted taking pictures of armed guards at the locked-down military facility. That night, I found a card stuffed under my door from Agent John Ryan of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service. I chuckled at the time because the lead character in Tom Clancy?s novels is named John P. Ryan. I called Agent Ryan the next day. He wanted to know what the hell I was doing taking photos of a military facility. I explained that I was a journalist and taking pictures was what I did for a living. I directed him to a web site where he could find some of the photos I shot of the Navy Yard?s side gate on that day. He asked for additional information, including date of birth and social security number, which I provided, and then hung up. I thought the matter was dead until a few weeks ago when an old friend from Washington called, said he was in the area, and suggested lunch. At lunch, he showed me the 100-plus pages of the file on me that grew out of that first encounter with Agent Ryan of NCIS. ?Much of this information was gathered through what we call Rnational security letters,?? he said. ?It allows us to gather information from a variety of sources.? A ?national security letter? it turns out, can be issued by any FBI supervisor, without court order or judicial review, to compel libraries, banks, employers and other sources to turn over any and all information they have on American citizens. The FBI issues more than 30,000 national security letters a year. When one is delivered to a bank, library, employer or other entity, the same federal law that authorizes such letters also prohibits your bank, employer or anyone else from telling you that they received such a letter and were forced to turn over all information on you. According to my file, the banks where I have both business and checking accounts have been forced to turn over all records of my transactions, as have every company where I have a charge account or credit card. They?ve perused my book borrowing habits from libraries in Arlington and Floyd Counties as well as studied what television shows I watch on the Tivos in my house. They know I belong to the National Rifle Association, the National Press Photographers Association and other professional groups. They know I attend meetings of Alcoholic Anonymous on a regular basis and the file notes that my ?pattern of spending? shows no purchase of ?alcohol-related products? since the file was opened in 2001. In the past, when information collected on an American citizen failed to turn up any criminal activity, FBI policy called for such information to be destroyed. But President George W. Bush in 2003 reversed that long-standing policy and ordered the bureau and other federal agencies to not only keep that information but place it in government databases that can be accessed by local, state and federal law enforcement agencies. In October, Bush also signed Executive Order 13388 which expands access to those databases to ?appropriate private sector entities? although the order does not explain what those entities might be. In addition, the Bush Administration has successfully blocked legislation and legal actions that have tried to stop the expansion of spying and gathering of information on Americans. FBI spokesmen defend the national security letters as a ?necessary tool? on the so-called ?war on terror.? "Congress has given us this tool to obtain basic telephone data, basic banking data, basic credit reports," Valarie E. Caproni, the FBI general counsel, told The Washington Post. "The fact that a national security letter is a routine tool used, that doesn't bother me." Obviously it doesn?t. Carponi signed at least one of the letters used to gather information for my file. When I asked to keep the copy of the file, my friend said ?no.? I promised to keep it and the source confidential. ?You can?t,? he said. ?You can?t keep anything hidden. Your life is an open book with us and it will be to the day you die.? After we left lunch and went our separate ways, I wondered how, if my life was under such scrutiny from Uncle Sam, he could meet me for lunch in a public restaurant and not be discovered? So the next day I went to a public phone in an out-of-the-way location and dialed his direct number. It was disconnected. So I called the central number and asked to speak to him. The woman who answered the phone wanted my name and phone number so he could return the call. I hung up. Then I drove home with one eye glued to the rearview mirror. Didn?t see anything suspicious but if I turn up missing one day, just forward my mail to General Delivery, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. ? Copyright 2005 by Capitol Hill Blue _______________________________________________ EPIC_IDOF mailing list EPIC_IDOF(a)mailman.epic.org https://mailman.epic.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/epic_idof ------------------------------------- You are subscribed as eugen(a)leitl.org To manage your subscription, go to http://v2.listbox.com/member/?listname=ip Archives at: http://www.interesting-people.org/archives/interesting-people/ ----- End forwarded message ----- -- Eugen* Leitl <a href="http://leitl.org">leitl</a> ______________________________________________________________ ICBM: 48.07100, 11.36820 http://www.leitl.org 8B29F6BE: 099D 78BA 2FD3 B014 B08A 7779 75B0 2443 8B29 F6BE [demime 1.01d removed an attachment of type application/pgp-signature which had a name of signature.asc]

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[IP] National Security Letters
by David Farber 06 Jul '18

06 Jul '18

Begin forwarded message:

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[Politech] Internet fuels rise in number of jailed journalists: 1 in 3 are Web-based [fs]
by Declan McCullagh 06 Jul '18

06 Jul '18

-------- Original Message -------- Subject: CPJ: Internet fuels rise in number of jailed journalists Date: Thu, 7 Dec 2006 10:26:34 -0500 From: CPJ_Asia <CPJ_Asia(a)cpj.org> NEWS Committee to Protect Journalists 330 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10001 USA Phone: (212) 465b1004 Fax: (212) 465b9568 Web: www.cpj.org E-Mail: media(a)cpj.org Contact: Abi Wright Telephone: (212) 465-1004 ext. 105 http://www.cpj.org <http://www.cpj.org/> e-mail: info(a)cpj.org <mailto:info@cpj.org> Internet fuels rise in number of jailed journalists More held without charge or due process, CPJ census also finds New York, December 7, 2006bThe number of journalists jailed worldwide for their work increased for the second consecutive year, and one in three is now an Internet blogger, online editor, or Web-based reporter, according to a new analysis by the Committee to Protect Journalists. CPJ's annual worldwide census found 134 journalists imprisoned on December 1, an increase of nine from the 2005 tally. China, Cuba, Eritrea, and Ethiopia are the top four jailers among the 24 nations who imprison journalists. Detailed accounts of each imprisoned journalist <http://www.cpj.org/attacks06/pages06/imprison_06.html> are posted on CPJbs Web site. Print reporters, editors, and photographers continue to make up the largest professional category, with 67 cases in 2006, but Internet journalists are a growing segment of the census and now constitute the second largest category, with 49 cases. The number of imprisoned journalists whose work appeared primarily on the Web, via e-mail, or in another electronic form has increased each year since CPJ recorded the first jailed Internet writer in its 1997 census. The 2006 figure is the highest number of Internet journalists CPJ has ever tallied in its annual survey. The roster of jailed Internet journalists includes Chinabs b citizenb reporters, the independent Cuban writers who file reports for overseas Web sites, <http://www.cpj.org/Briefings/2006/DA_fall_06/prisoner/watson.html> and the U.S. video blogger Joshua Wolf who refused to hand over footage to a grand jury. b Webre at a crucial juncture in the fight for press freedom because authoritarian states have made the Internet a major front in their effort to control information,b CPJ Executive Director Joel Simon said. b China is challenging the notion that the Internet is impossible to control or censor, and if it succeeds there will be far-ranging implications, not only for the medium but for press freedom all over the world.b Over all, b antistateb allegations such as subversion, divulging state secrets, and acting against the interests of the state are the most common charges used to imprison journalists worldwide. Eighty-four journalists are jailed under these charges, many by the Chinese, Cuban, and Ethiopian governments. But CPJ also found an increasing number of journalists held without any charge or trial at all. Twenty imprisoned journalists, or 15 percent, have been denied even the most basic elements of due process, CPJ found. Eritrea, which accounts for more than half of these cases, keeps journalists in secret locations and withholds basic information about their well-being. The United States has imprisoned two journalists without charge or trial: Associated Press photographer Bilal Hussein, <http://www.cpj.org/protests/06ltrs/americas/usa07nov06pl.html> now held for eight months in Iraq without due process; and Al-Jazeera cameraman Sami al-Haj, <http://www.cpj.org/Briefings/2006/DA_fall_06/prisoner/prisoner.html> jailed five years and now held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. b In Cuba and in China, journalists are often jailed after summary trials and held in miserable conditions far from their families. But the cruelty and injustice of imprisonment is compounded where there is zero due process and journalists slip into oblivion. In Eritrea, the worst abuser in this regard, there is no check on authority and it is unclear whether some jailed journalists are even alive,b Simon added. For the eighth consecutive year, China is the world's leading jailer of journalists, with 31 imprisoned. About three-quarters of the cases in China were brought under vague b antistateb laws; 19 cases involve Internet journalists. Chinabs list includes Shi Tao, an internationally recognized journalist <http://www.cpj.org/awards05/shi_tao.html> serving a 10-year sentence for posting notes online detailing propaganda department instructions on how to cover the anniversary of the Tiananmen Square crackdown. The government declared the instructions a b state secret.b Cuba ranked second, with 24 reporters, writers, and editors behind bars, most of them jailed in the country's massive March 2003 crackdown on dissidents and the independent press. Nearly all of those on Cubabs list had filed news and commentary to overseas Web sites. These journalists used phone lines and faxes, not computers, to transmit their reports; once posted, their articles were seen across the world but almost never in Cuba, where the government heavily restricts Internet access. Eritrea is the leader among African countries, with 23 journalists in prison. These prisoners are being held incommunicado, and their well-being is a growing source of concern. A non-bylined report, circulated on several Web sites in August and deemed by CPJ sources to be generally credible, claimed that three of the journalists may have died. CPJ and other international organizations have urgently sought information from Asmara, <http://www.cpj.org/news/2006/africa/eritrea15sept06na.html> but the government has refused to provide basic facts about the journalistsb whereabouts, their health, or whether they are still alive. Neighboring Ethiopia has imprisoned 18 journalists, most of whom are being tried for treason after being swept up by authorities in a November 2005 crackdown on dissent. A CPJ investigation in April <http://www.cpj.org/Briefings/2006/DA_spring_06/ethiopia/ethiopia_DA_spring_0 6.html> found no basis for the governmentbs treason charges. Burma, which is holding seven journalists, is fifth among nations, followed by Uzbekistan, which is holding five journalists. The United States, Azerbaijan, and Burundi are seventh on the list of nations, each having jailed three journalists. Here are other trends and details that emerged in CPJ's analysis: * In about 10 percent of cases, governments used a variety of charges unrelated to journalism to retaliate against critical writers, editors, and photojournalists. Such charges ranged from property damage and regulatory violations to drug possession and association with extremists. In the cases included in this census, CPJ has determined that the charges were most likely lodged in reprisal for the journalistbs work. * Spreading ethnic or religious b hatredb was the next most common charge used to imprison journalists worldwide. Such charges were lodged in about four percent of cases. * Criminal defamation charges were filed in about three percent of cases, a slight decline from the rate recorded in recent years. A growing number of nations, particularly in Western Europe, have moved to decriminalize defamation and insult. * Violations of censorship rules account for another three percent of cases. Burma, for example, jailed two journalists in March for violating prohibitions on photographing or filming the countrybs new capital, Pyinmana. * The longest-serving journalists in CPJ's census were Chen Renjie and Lin Youping, who were jailed in China in July 1983 for publishing a pamphlet titled Ziyou Bao (Freedom Report). Codefendant Chen Biling was later executed. CPJ believes that journalists should not be imprisoned for doing their jobs. The organization has sent letters expressing its serious concerns to each country that has imprisoned a journalist. In addition, CPJ sent requests during the year to Eritrean and U.S. officials seeking details in the cases in which journalists were held without publicly disclosed charges. CPJ's list is a snapshot of those incarcerated at midnight on December 1, 2006. It does not include the many journalists imprisoned and released throughout the year; accounts of those cases can be found at www.cpj.org <http://www.cpj.org/> . Journalists remain on CPJbs list until the organization determines with reasonable certainty that they have been released or have died in custody. Journalists who either disappear or are abducted by nonstate entities, including criminal gangs, rebels, or militant groups, are not included on the imprisoned list. Their cases are classified as "missing" or "abducted." Details of these cases are also available on CPJ's Web site. <http://www.cpj.org/Briefings/missing_list.html> CPJ is a New Yorkbbased, independent, nonprofit organization that works to safeguard press freedom worldwide. For more information, visit www.cpj.org <http://www.cpj.org/> . _______________________________________________ Politech mailing list Archived at http://www.politechbot.com/ Moderated by Declan McCullagh (http://www.mccullagh.org/) ----- End forwarded message ----- -- Eugen* Leitl <a href="http://leitl.org">leitl</a> http://leitl.org ______________________________________________________________ ICBM: 48.07100, 11.36820 http://www.ativel.com 8B29F6BE: 099D 78BA 2FD3 B014 B08A 7779 75B0 2443 8B29 F6BE [demime 1.01d removed an attachment of type application/pgp-signature which had a name of signature.asc]

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Re: Sampled Traffic Analysis by Internet-Exchange-Level Adversaries
by coderman 06 Jul '18

06 Jul '18

On 5/28/07, Steven Murdoch <tortalk+Steven.Murdoch(a)cl.cam.ac.uk> wrote: >... an experiment to establish how diverse the topology of the Tor network >is -- an important component of how secure it is against traffic >analysis. ... > >I've now finished the draft version of the resulting paper... > > http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/~sjm217/papers/pet07ixanalysis.pdf hi Steven; an enjoyable read. thank you! i am curious about a few aspects. you state "an assumption that the global passive adversary is unrealistic". is this really true in anonymity research circles? it seems the evidence to the contrary is well supported. i do prefer the "those who are the target of such adversaries have larger problems than anonymous Internet access" statement instead. :) i am also curious if you had considered lower layer propinquity of physical paths. critical infrastructure research has shown how even seemingly disparate and redundant paths are often inhabiting common right of way and facilities. is the assumption that inspection at OC/WDM layers is too cumbersome/expensive for all but the previously mentioned TLA/$gov adversaries? given the surprises looking at network topology from an IX rather than AS level, i'd expect a similar revelation when viewing from an optical carrier vantage point. sadly, the information useful for such study has become a subject of heated and irrational censorship post 9/11. i'll stop this tangent early before i delve into a heated rant about critical infrastructure and terrorism madness... *g* best regards, ----- End forwarded message ----- -- Eugen* Leitl <a href="http://leitl.org">leitl</a> http://leitl.org ______________________________________________________________ ICBM: 48.07100, 11.36820 http://www.ativel.com http://postbiota.org 8B29F6BE: 099D 78BA 2FD3 B014 B08A 7779 75B0 2443 8B29 F6BE

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New attack-vector via covert and side channel
by kazaam 06 Jul '18

06 Jul '18

I dunno how public it is but I found today this dissertation by Steven Murdoch about attacking the tor-network via covert- and sidechannels: http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/techreports/UCAM-CL-TR-706.pdf greets -- kazaam <kazaam(a)oleco.net> ----- End forwarded message ----- -- Eugen* Leitl <a href="http://leitl.org">leitl</a> http://leitl.org ______________________________________________________________ ICBM: 48.07100, 11.36820 http://www.ativel.com http://postbiota.org 8B29F6BE: 099D 78BA 2FD3 B014 B08A 7779 75B0 2443 8B29 F6BE

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Lucrative update
by Patrick 06 Jul '18

06 Jul '18

Lucrative release 4 is out. I know many people are used to seeing releases numbered like "0.000001", "0.000002", "2.0.3.0.14.657" etc. but release numbering systems are essentially arbitrary in nature so don't get excited as Lucrative goes toward version 50+. This release is a fairly minor one, but included some changes such as the client name that I wanted to get out as soon as possible. There is also a new development weblog at http://lucrative.thirdhost.com/weblog/. I went through an install with someone over IRC last night and made a blog entry summarizing the install notes. I recommend reading the notes before attempting an install. I am glad to help with an install, drop me a note at patrick(a)lfcgate.com if you have trouble. Some documentation on the various entities in the Lucrative system is now available on the website, http://lucrative.thirdhost.com/documentation.php but more is needed and coming. If Lucrative is interesting to you, please consider helping in any way you can: Feedback Installation reports Suggestions Comments Criticism Feature requests Source code patches Donations Are all very much welcomed. And criticism is more useful to me than praise. My sincere thanks to everyone who has participated so far by installing, testing, providing feedback, spreading the word, and donating. And finally I just received word from SourceForge that the project registration for Lucrative has been approved. Regards, Patrick -----BEGIN PGP PUBLIC KEY BLOCK----- Version: PGPfreeware 6.5.3 for non-commercial use <http://www.pgp.com> mQGiBD5ECKcRBADUvjXHwLtxIyS4AyjBs/dFtN6rdeP18Fhzh1hD5fJwkFevqY9Z I1ASROTh6eXYF7pU5sEvbcPshHyTB41ZtTqZvQvpwWN0fUzOuutuI0mtC5UPp9Rz j47SdWLdEXNHjwnHDCYSyqtqZu8GujGRQybR0eP3NIh/NwbSDUKdgz7IjwCg//Jo UtjP3zUFobm/0UYA+CJ5krED/091x9Js0gwNwvjbzM8DqO+r8qNz0kXI13FkrPRk QNd37lxt6m2m8HZD1WYM2wKwtMzHSwJcWzaDZ/tNc+ppYjzpw0EQCh9FqjGs8Vau guF6PA1M8lJTCcLKaL4e7ynic+PAw5Xa/tdOYgFCG+eLMU5RLvzRCYoOLIjgMJLJ yG98BACAMlDmFVYgC/UKvzZmHfZ5CtCKd8sPfCXrYLu5NeFRE0LR6D6zjzmhi1xX okfreR5o3T/y78VBM98js+m2/+7Z0AElqydeW/RnV1zqwDGjDr9z2MgARf3yLAbs n3BU8Fz61RwvHy6cRkT+2dR2f69QQUSpkupvLwZIGX/iwm4uKLQdUGF0cmljayA8 cGF0cmlja0BsZmNnYXRlLmNvbT6JAE4EEBECAA4FAj5ECKcECwMCAQIZAQAKCRBb mvb9yuOVfaA2AKDAu5tDj9F2KI8cJMrKKkQRAcUyxACg6/bei7lUJH+E5igJqGRx SjKrRA65BA0EPkQIpxAQAPkYoH5aBmF6Q5CV3AVsh4bsYezNRR8O2OCjecbJ3HoL rOQ/40aUtjBKU9d8AhZIgLUV5SmZqZ8HdNP/46HFliBOmGW42A3uEF2rthccUdhQ yiJXQym+lehWKzh4XAvb+ExN1eOqRsz7zhfoKp0UYeOEqU/Rg4Soebbvj6dDRgjG zB13VyQ4SuLE8OiOE2eXTpITYfbb6yUOF/32mPfIfHmwch04dfv2wXPEgxEmK0Ng w+Po1gr9oSgmC66prrNlD6IAUwGgfNaroxIe+g8qzh90hE/K8xfzpEDp19J3tkIt AjbBJstoXp18mAkKjX4t7eRdefXUkk+bGI78KqdLfDL2Qle3CH8IF3KiutapQvMF 6PlTETlPtvFuuUs4INoBp1ajFOmPQFXz0AfGy0OplK33TGSGSfgMg71l6RfUodNQ +PVZX9x2Uk89PY3bzpnhV5JZzf24rnRPxfx2vIPFRzBhznzJZv8V+bv9kV7HAarT W56NoKVyOtQa8L9GAFgr5fSI/VhOSdvNILSd5JEHNmszbDgNRR0PfIizHHxbLY72 88kjwEPwpVsYjY67VYy4XTjTNP18F1dDox0YbN4zISy1Kv884bEpQBgRjXyEpwpy 1obEAxnIByl6ypUM2Zafq9AKUJsCRtMIPWakXUGfnHy9iUsiGSa6q6Jew1XrPdYX AAICD/wKwtF7Y4NKBe8PQ6jDbjWziiTv9Ac/EnRTJDQEoqgLa2LyE+6Ahw/VPGvp mfxkD2MKxC9E7kYVmasn6sHnSpvAv3e7O1Bqbo/qLzzCcJQ5VCurZ+elRM1GZ4Oc fM19FPKutb0/JFEv0nrqS4BGkF7WFBbu5dKYl/GIO7Co1mAerFIb719dOwMPVEIz OT08u8uB9jyR8gEElf+CVuNfOUkrUGg4HS4SbmTTrCSz3/8n5PkquSuAyjCB/dwM ZsZwA0/TTR8sDYlmlf9xPj5PGpGnV9OUwfig6eE0eWtRFeasmz0uiX+yp45ABtNh 6EXP/PFaBgXi9omXXjeeFYfpDvmfA6izvTIQfXTV6V9ZWrBfXarM+GQ+6guXWVbd 9fXvmCr982LkzuKQrK1OpRXBMUapXL+tOy/LYzz91InqKKhgPNGa12fvotZ4LzlM iqoM+Hpz5L9B5We1Ph0lD6RBVXDCqd+P8extnY/7AaDy7tC0UghaAaUuEZXJQPIc oQ3QGbpjM0nGe/VZN5EZhljau0NNENFaU56cOpvOhcO04gLGNNc2NS+rIpTMsaHh o1CG90c5zZZJuUbyx0mIHriNQXDgEwunSZPQorKK9KSppyyjeuOyi5F/mBBPXeyT weLhLqLvAr9se/+Z3aQvMADJi8zUZtGggLTw+N9R5XSwtSh2R4kARgQYEQIABgUC PkQIpwAKCRBbmvb9yuOVfWayAKC+mBhHdn1XZ5uH0RocAyJ32hx2kgCePyhB+IqM TjWLDLarQxcPYhbkFi4= =nx1M -----END PGP PUBLIC KEY BLOCK----- --- end forwarded text -- ----------------- R. A. Hettinga <mailto: rah(a)ibuc.com> The Internet Bearer Underwriting Corporation <http://www.ibuc.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' --------------------------------------------------------------------- The Cryptography Mailing List Unsubscribe by sending "unsubscribe cryptography" to majordomo(a)wasabisystems.com

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Re: Norman Borlaug, 1914-2009
by Robert X. Cringely 06 Jul '18

06 Jul '18

I didn't know Norman Borlaug. I do know Tom Brokaw, who is a fine person, a hard worker, and quite without the ego that afflicts many in his profession. If you think Tom Brokaw represents a "moral sewer" then I think you are a very poor judge of character. Either that or you simply like to insult people you don't know. Bob Cringely At 9:26 AM -0400 9/13/09, R.A. Hettinga wrote: > A moral giant died yesterday, the greatest humanitarian of the 20th > century. > > A man who directly saved more people (245 million) from starvation <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norman_Borlaug > > than Lenin and Stalin & Co. (61,911,000), Hitler (20,946,000), Mao > & Co. (77,277,000), and Pol Pot (2,035,000) killed altogether <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democide > >. > > If I were to guess, I'd figure there are at least a billion people > standing on the planet right now who would not be alive if this man > had not lived. > > Borlaug delivered not mere bags of surplus gruel shipped by guilty > consciences in the "developed" world. Or, much worse, precious food > stolen from the mouths of other starving people in communist > countries and used as some kind of demented political weapon. Food > left to rot on the docks for the rats to eat. > > Borlaug delivered *better* food, developed for local conditions, > *grown* locally, and *sold* locally by farmers in a free market -- a > condition which Borlaug personally demanded for the use of his > hybrid seeds. > > > Because of Norman Borlaug there is no famine in all the places > haunted by starvation when I was a child: Mexico, India, East Asia, > Africa, even China. The only places where people face wholesale > starvation now are places where democidal politicians deliberately > *cause* famine: North Korea, Burma, Congo, Zimbabwe, Haiti, Cuba and > the Sudan. And the only people who face starvation in the future > will be those subject to democidal thugs and fools. > > A moral monument of a man. A inspiration to free human beings > everywhere. A man who now belongs to history. > > > Cheers, > RAH > Who, quite by accident, saw Borlaug get yet another honorary degree > at a nephew's graduation a while back -- along with Tom Brokaw, who > actually did the commencement address. Talk about going from a moral > sewer to a towering skyscraper in the space of a single dais... > > > -------- > > <http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090913/ap_on_re_us/us_obit_borlaug/ > print> > > Nobel Prize winner Norman Borlaug dies at 95 > > By MATT CURRY and BETSY BLANEY, Associated Press Writers > September 13, 2009 > > DALLAS - Agricultural scientist Norman Borlaug, the father of the > "green revolution" who won the Nobel Peace Prize for his role in > combating world hunger and saving hundreds of millions of lives, > died Saturday in Texas, a Texas A&M University spokeswoman said. He > was 95. > > Borlaug died just before 11 p.m. Saturday at his home in Dallas from > complications of cancer, said school spokeswoman Kathleen Phillips. > Phillips said Borlaug's granddaughter told her about his death. > Borlaug was a distinguished professor at the university in College > Station. > > The Nobel committee honored Borlaug in 1970 for his contributions to > high-yield crop varieties and bringing other agricultural > innovations to the developing world. Many experts credit the green > revolution with averting global famine during the second half of the > 20th century and saving perhaps 1 billion lives. > > Thanks to the green revolution, world food production more than > doubled between 1960 and 1990. In Pakistan and India, two of the > nations that benefited most from the new crop varieties, grain > yields more than quadrupled over the period. > > "We would like his life to be a model for making a difference in the > lives of others and to bring about efforts to end human misery for > all mankind," his children said in a statement. "One of his favorite > quotes was, 'Reach for the stars. Although you will never touch > them, if you reach hard enough, you will find that you get a little > 'star dust' on you in the process.'" > > Equal parts scientist and humanitarian, the Iowa-born Borlaug > realized improved crop varieties were just part of the answer, and > pressed governments for farmer-friendly economic policies and > improved infrastructure to make markets accessible. A 2006 book > about Borlaug is titled "The Man Who Fed the World." > > "He has probably done more and is known by fewer people than anybody > that has done that much," said Dr. Ed Runge, retired head of Texas > A&M University's Department of Soil and Crop Sciences and a close > friend who persuaded Borlaug teach at the school. "He made the world > a better place - a much better place. He had people helping him, but > he was the driving force." > > Borlaug began the work that led to his Nobel in Mexico at the end of > World War II. There he used innovative breeding techniques to > produce disease-resistant varieties of wheat that produced much more > grain than traditional strains. > > He and others later took those varieties and similarly improved > strains of rice and corn to Asia, the Middle East, South America and > Africa. > > "More than any other single person of his age, he has helped to > provide bread for a hungry world," Nobel Peace Prize committee > chairman Aase Lionaes said in presenting the award to Borlaug. "We > have made this choice in the hope that providing bread will also > give the world peace." > > During the 1950s and 1960s, public health improvements fueled a > population boom in underdeveloped nations, leading to concerns that > agricultural systems could not keep up with growing food demand. > Borlaug's work often is credited with expanding agriculture at just > the moment such an increase in production was most needed. > > "We got this thing going quite rapidly," Borlaug told The Associated > Press in a 2000 interview. "It came as a surprise that something > from a Third World country like Mexico could have such an impact." > > His successes in the 1960s came just as books like "The Population > Bomb" were warning readers that mass starvation was inevitable. > > "Three or four decades ago, when we were trying to move technology > into India, Pakistan and China, they said nothing could be done to > save these people, that the population had to die off," he said in > 2004. > > Borlaug often said wheat was only a vehicle for his real interest, > which was to improve people's lives. > > "We must recognize the fact that adequate food is only the first > requisite for life," he said in his Nobel acceptance speech. "For a > decent and humane life we must also provide an opportunity for good > education, remunerative employment, comfortable housing, good > clothing and effective and compassionate medical care." > > In Mexico, Borlaug was known both for his skill in breeding plants > and for his eagerness to labor in the fields himself, rather than to > let assistants do all the hard work. > > He remained active well into his 90s, campaigning for the use of > biotechnology to fight hunger and working on a project to fight > poverty and starvation in Africa by teaching new drought-resistant > farming methods. > > "We still have a large number of miserable, hungry people and this > contributes to world instability," Borlaug said in May 2006 at an > Asian Development Bank forum in the Philippines. "Human misery is > explosive, and you better not forget that." > > Norman Ernest Borlaug was born March 25, 1914, on a farm near > Cresco, Iowa, and educated through the eighth grade in a one-room > schoolhouse. > "I was born out of the soil of Howard County," he said. "It was that > black soil of the Great Depression that led me to a career in > agriculture." > > He left home during the Great Depression to study forestry at the > University of Minnesota. While there he earned himself a place in > the university's wrestling hall of fame and met his future wife, > whom he married in 1937. Margaret Borlaug died in 2007 at the age of > 95. > > After a brief stint with the U.S. Forest Service, Norman Borlaug > returned to the University of Minnesota for a doctoral degree in > plant pathology. He then worked as a microbiologist for DuPont, but > soon left for a job with the Rockefeller Foundation. Between 1944 > and 1960, Borlaug dedicated himself to increasing Mexico's wheat > production. > > In 1963, Borlaug was named head of the newly formed International > Maize and Wheat Improvement Center, where he trained thousands of > young scientists. > Borlaug retired as head of the center in 1979 and turned to > university teaching, first at Cornell University and then at Texas > A&M, which presented him with an honorary doctorate in December 2007. > > "You really felt really very privileged to be with him, and it > wasn't that he was so overpowering, but he was always on, > intellectually always engaged," said Dr. Ed Price, director of A&M's > Norman Borlaug Institute for International Agriculture. "He was > always onto the issues and wanting to engage and wanting your > opinions and thoughts." > > In 1986, Borlaug established the Des Moines, Iowa-based World Food > Prize, a $250,000 award given each year to a person whose work > improves the world's food supply. He also helped found and served as > president of the Sasakawa Africa Foundation, an organization funded > by Japanese billionaire Ryoichi Sasakawa to introduce the green > revolution to sub-Saharan Africa. > > In July 2007, Borlaug received the Congressional Gold Medal, the > highest civilian honor given by Congress. > > He is survived by daughter Jeanie Borlaug Laube and her husband Rex; > son William Gibson Borlaug and his wife Barbie; five grandchildren > and six great-grandchildren. > > They asked that in lieu of flowers, donations be sent to the Borlaug > International Scholars Fund. It helps students from developing > countries pursue graduate studies or short-term experiential > learning activities at Texas A&M or other land grant universities in > the U.S. > > Plans for a memorial service to be held at Texas A&M were pending.

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[Body Hacking] Makeup to Fool Face Recognition Software
by I)ruid 06 Jul '18

06 Jul '18

"An NYU student has been reverse-engineering facial recognition algorithms to devise makeup patterns to confuse face recognition software." http://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2010/04/makeup_to_fool.html Note, there are *two* links in Schneier's blog post, however the words linked are adjacent so you might have otherwise not noticed (: -- I)ruid, C2ISSP druid(a)caughq.org http://druid.caughq.org ----- End forwarded message ----- -- Eugen* Leitl <a href="http://leitl.org">leitl</a> http://leitl.org ______________________________________________________________ ICBM: 48.07100, 11.36820 http://www.ativel.com http://postbiota.org 8B29F6BE: 099D 78BA 2FD3 B014 B08A 7779 75B0 2443 8B29 F6BE

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New attack-vector via covert and side channel
by kazaam 06 Jul '18

06 Jul '18

I dunno how public it is but I found today this dissertation by Steven Murdoch about attacking the tor-network via covert- and sidechannels: http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/techreports/UCAM-CL-TR-706.pdf greets -- kazaam <kazaam(a)oleco.net> ----- End forwarded message ----- -- Eugen* Leitl <a href="http://leitl.org">leitl</a> http://leitl.org ______________________________________________________________ ICBM: 48.07100, 11.36820 http://www.ativel.com http://postbiota.org 8B29F6BE: 099D 78BA 2FD3 B014 B08A 7779 75B0 2443 8B29 F6BE

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