- cypherpunks-legacy - lists.cpunks.org

Magic passwodr in BIOS?
by Kamil Golombek 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Hi, yesterday I've read about so called "magic password" in AWARD BIOS. It was a surprise for me and I wasn't very happy that the way how to bypass this is so easy. But nevermind, I heve two questions about it. First, is there any way how to disabled "magic password" 589589 in AWARD BIOS? Second, does anobody know another "magic passwords" to various BIOSes? Thanks for your answers! ZERO

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CAVE Table
by John Young 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

For clarity we've replaced the CAVE Table image in TR45.3 with HTML and ASCII versions. The tables are also at: http://jya.com/cavetable.htm

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Mass-market crypto phones
by Clay Olbon II 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

A while back, Eric Blossom posted a URL for a mass-market, phone encyrption device (http://www.comsec.com/) The point of this post is to posit a scenario based on the implications of this product. This is speculation based on where I think such products should be heading. I think we need to keep a couple of goals in mind. The first, is to get encrypting phones (or phone add-ons) into Wal-mart, K-mart, etc (where probably most Americans now buy their phones). The prices need to be low enough that people will want to buy them (<$100?). Is this technically feasible? The comsec device from the above URL already demonstrates the needed capability. Is the cost target possible? My guess is soon, given the lowering costs and increasing capabilities of current processors. The second goal needs to be to push a similar product for cell-phones. I think this will be perhaps an easier sell, given the higher initial cost for these phones, and their reduced security. Perhaps a home device could be sold with the cell-phone as a package deal, so that communications with the "home base" (i.e your office, home, etc) would be secure. With the rapid growth in cell-phone sales, selling a package such as this might ensure a larger user-base of home devices. Given that these goals are met, I think widespread use of crypto over phone lines would become almost inevitable. However, the fun part would be the introduction of such products. The FUD coming from police, the government, etc. would be amazing to behold. Clay ******************************************************* Clay Olbon olbon(a)ix.netcom.com engineer, programmer, statistitian, etc. **********************************************tanstaafl

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Re: Why I Don't Read SF Much Anymore (fwd)
by gimonca＠skypoint.com 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Forwarded message: > Date: Thu, 21 Nov 1996 00:14:49 -0800 > From: "Timothy C. May" <tcmay(a)got.net> > Subject: Re: Why I Don't Read SF Much Anymore > [among other things] > > - Vernor Vinge, "True Names," obviously, "The Peace War," "Marooned in Real > Time," "A Fire Upon the Deep," and his collections of short stories (incl. > "The Ungoverned"). > > (Caveat: I've been invited to do a chapter for Vinge's forthcoming "True > Names" book, containing essays about computers and society, and, of course, > his novella of the same name. So I may be biased.) > Is this the St. Martin's Press "True Names" edition that was listed in amazon.com? At one time, it was going to be released August or Sept. of this year. I have to mention that the owner of Dreamhaven Books here in Minneapolis complained to me last year that he has a "truckload" of remaindered copies of "Peace War". They still have a bunch--every time I've been in there, there's a hardbound "Peace War" on display with a price tag of $1.00. Buying a copy of "True Names" right now is about as easy as buying an original Dead Sea Scroll--but if anybody wants a cheap copy of "Peace War", look up Dreamhaven in Minneapolis. --C.G.

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Re: Magic passwodr in BIOS?
by Eric Wilson 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

At 12:39 PM 11/21/96 +0100, you wrote: >Hi, > yesterday I've read about so called "magic password" in AWARD BIOS. It >was a surprise for me and I wasn't very happy that the way how to bypass >this is so easy. But nevermind, I heve two questions about it. First, >is there any way how to disabled "magic password" 589589 in AWARD BIOS? > Second, does anobody know another "magic passwords" to various BIOSes? > > Thanks for your answers! > ZERO > > I wouldn't be too disappointed with a hole in BIOS password security. Most of them can be easily defeated by a jumper switch, or shorting a pin on the system board.

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Down-Under Bounce Attack halted
by David Lesher / hated by RBOC's in 5 states 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

The postmaster of that AU site running the bounce attack assures me he has been able to vanquish the daemon running the box in question; despite the fact he did not even know it was there ;-} [Don't ask..] -- A host is a host from coast to coast.................wb8foz(a)nrk.com & no one will talk to a host that's close........[v].(301) 56-LINUX Unless the host (that isn't close).........................pob 1433 is busy, hung or dead....................................20915-1433

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RE: Taxation Thought Experiment
by Blanc Weber 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

From: azur(a)netcom.com I've posed similar questions to friends and aquaintences. The working-class stiffs (who can't easily hide from the IRS) feel taxes are an unwelcome but necessary burden in order to provide the blanket of government protection they feel exists. They resent and oppose widespread tax fraud. Self-employed tend to be more open to 'alternative' income structuring. ..................................................... Just before the elections I heard on NPR and read in an article in a local newspaper, some people's stories of how they converted from Democrat to Republican. Most of them said that athough they were originally idealistic about all the good things which government can do, when they started their own businesses they were suddenly confronted with all the excruciating regulation and rigmarole which any business must deal with on a daily basis while just trying to get some work accomplished. Very quickly they realized the consequences of a lot of the government proposals which they had heretofore supported. So I realized that experience is not only the best teacher, but it is also the best argument against bad cases of faith in government-run economies. Sometimes a person can't understand what the problem is unless they've "been there", and once a person becomes self-employed, starts a business, or becomes an investor in an enterprise, the light dawns and they Understand. I'm happy when I read that more and more of those people who are "down-sized" or layed off are turning to self-employment and starting their own companies, because this means that more people will acquire through direct experience (that is, confrontation with govmt agencies) the details of real-life economics which were left out of high school & college. And this means more economics&tax-savvy voters in existence for govmt candidates to face in the elections. .. Blanc

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December Cypherpunks Meeting at PGP Inc.
by Dave Del Torto 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Cypherpunks December Meeting Notice (1 of 3) I'm pleased to announce that PGP Inc will be hosting December's Cypherpunks physical meeting at our offices in Redwood Shores (mid-peninsula). We really hope to see you here physically, both to present existing/new topics and projects and also to briefly check out what we're doing. If you want to mark your calendars in advance (there'll be two more reminders), here's the basic info: HOST: Pretty Good Privacy, Inc. (Dave Del Torto) TIME: 14 December 96 (Saturday) 12 Noon - 6 PM LOCATION: Pretty Good Privacy, Inc. 555 Twin Dolphin Drive Suite 570 Redwood Shores CA 94065 USA (directions will follow in the next reminder) Please email me your presentation ideas as soon as possible so I can draw up the agenda for everyone (including some idea of how much time you think you'll need). We'll provide a fast TCP/IP hookup, a workstation (Win95/Mac/UNIX) as needed, an RGB projection device, an overhead projector for transparencies/etc, and any other reasonable equipment you might need (assuming you warn us at least a week in advance). Bagels/Chips will be provided by us, but bring your own beverages. We will pause for a "keysigning moment" near the end of the meeting. If anyone has any early questions, please contact me via email, telephone or even PGPfone (by appointment). My key is available via the URL in the header above. dave ________________________________________________________________________ Dave Del Torto +1.415.65432.31 tel Manager, Strategic Technical Evangelism +1.415.631.0599 fax Pretty Good Privacy, Inc. http://www.pgp.com web

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Re: Child Protective Services and Political Views
by Dale Thorn 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Duncan Frissell wrote: > At 11:26 AM 11/12/96 -0800, Timothy C. May wrote: > >Who knows, it may even be a > >technical crime ("contributing to the delinquency of a minor"?) to even > >discuss basic libertarian ideas with a minor. And as I said, Child > >Protective Services could quite possibly seize a child whose parents were > >sufficiently vocal about their beliefs.) > One shouldn't be vocal to public employees in any case. Avoid them. If > you are going to be vocal use a non government forum. Separate your > personal life from your political life. It's not too hard to break most of > the pointers between your physical presence and your ideological presence. > Even though an investigator could find where I sleep at night, they would > have to actually expend the resources. My neighbors and the local cops are > unlikely to make the connection because they and I move in very different > circles and I minimize my database presence. [snip] Those people who live a very simple life [no TV, or at least no Cable TV, sleep on the floor with a small, thin mattress, use very little power outside of what's necessary for the laptop AC adapters, drive the smallest cheapest car available, wear old clothing, wear a beard to cut down on shaving, eat mostly veggie and mostly fresh, avoid doctors and drugstore products, stay away from large-corporation jobs, move frequently, rent but never buy, .... (you get the picture)] will get by just fine, and will have the flexibility to make large-scale adjustments rather easily. People who consider the opposite of some of the things mentioned above as very important to them will have to deal with the bad news.

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Secrecy: My life as a nym
by azur＠netcom.com 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

>At 10:14 PM 11/11/96 -0600, Igor Chudov wrote: > >>This is an interesting topic. I apologize if my questions are too trivial, >>but here they are: >> >> 1) Can a person without an SSN have a credit record? Some >> may say that a credit record is a bad thing to have, >> but I am still interested in a possibility. >> 2) Will private lenders (such as credit card issuers or >> mortgage companies) agree to extend credit to a person >> without an SSN or to someone who refuses to give out his SSN? >> 3) Will the state issue a driver's license to someone who does not >> have/does not wish to give out their SSN? >> 4) Will states' police (where applicable) approve purchases of >> firearms if purchasers do not state their ssn (misstating it >> may be a crime) on an application? >> 5) Employers are required to pay certain taxes and therefore >> they, in my understanding, need to know their employees SSNs. >> How can people get around that (unless they do not need to work)? >> 6) Can someone without an SSN obtain various kinds of insurance? >> Some recent congressional actions or court rulings regarding the mandidate for SSN (Source: National Organization for Non-Enumeration (NONE), http://ime.net/none) * Public Law 104-193 President Clinton Signs Welfare Bill. The bill includes a number of sections attempting to expand the use of the Social Security number and creates new state and federal databases for personal information. * H.R. 3598 Prohibits certain misuses of the Social Security number. Prohibits any person from utilizing any person's Social Security number for purposes of identification of such person without the written consent of such person. * H.R. 3110 Disclosure of Social Security number. Provides for disclosure by the Social Security Administration of Social Security numbers and other records to judgments, or orders issued by courts of competent jurisdiction. * H.R. 4209 Requires applicants registering to vote to provide Social Security number. Amends the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 to require each individual registering to vote in elections for Federal office to provide the individual's Social Security number. * S. 580 Illegal Immigration Control and Enforcement Act of 1995. Provides for a reduction of acceptable employment-verification documents. * S. 999 Illegal Immigration Control Act of 1995. Provides for the issuance of enhanced social security cards for citizens and mandates employer verification of the number. * Olympia, Washington. Court rules no "right to labor" without social security number. * Bar None New Hampshire attorney, was suspended from the Maine Bar because he refused to disclose his Social Security number. Reinstated after agreeing to Consent Decree. * Texas Tech Texan was terminated from his employment for failing to provide a social security number. Filed a religious discrimination claim with EEOC. Rehired under provisions of Consent Decree. * Stop The Press Washington state youth was fired from his newpaper route for not having a Social Security number. Rehired after proving federal law does not require enumeration as a condition of employment. * Vote! Vote! Virginia's law requiring all citizens to provide their Social Security number in order to become registered to vote imposes "an intolerable burden" on their right to vote. * Taco's Are His Life Ohio teenager fired by Taco Bell for refusing to provide a Social Security number. Rehired after proving there is no requirement to provide number to employer. * Social Security Number Not Needed For Licenses Virginians can choose not to have their SSN appear on their driver's license. * Driver License District of Columbia law requiring applicants for driver's license to provide their Social Security number held invalid. -- Steve

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