- cypherpunks-legacy - lists.cpunks.org

Swiss Consortium Chooses RPK Fast Public Key Cryptosystem for Next Generation Wireless Electronic Transactions
by Jack Oswald 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Also see recent press coverage in Infoworld: RPK announces deal for fast crypto with Swiss consortium http://www.infoworld.com/cgi-bin/displayStory.pl?97059.wrpk.htm SET 2.0 on the way http://www.infoworld.com/cgi-bin/displayArchive.pl?/97/16/t04-16.1.htm PRESS RELEASE For Release May 19, 1997 RPK, Inc.: Jack Oswald, +1 408.479.7874, joswald(a)rpkusa.com, http://www.rpk.co.nz ADESA, Inc.: Maurice Jaccard,+41 22.910.29.14, maujacca(a)iprolink.ch Swiss Consortium Chooses RPK Fast Public Key Cryptosystem for Next Generation Wireless Electronic Transactions Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL) and ADESA, Inc. introduce HAWK VLSI cryptography-enhanced processor San Francisco, CA - RPK, Inc. announced today that a consortium of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL) and ADESA, Inc., a Swiss application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) design firm have chosen the RPK Fast Public Key Cryptosystem to provide strong cryptographic security in a next generation wireless electronic transactions application. At the same time, EPFL and ADESA unveiled HAWK a new generation cryptography-enhanced microprocessor specifically designed for use in high speed/low power embedded applications. "The RPK encryption technology won the design review after an extensive evaluation of all existing cryptosystems based on well known and understood cryptographic techniques," said Maurice Jaccard, Managing Director of ADESA, Inc. "With RPK there are no compromises. We get uncompromised security, high speed and low cost of implementation." "RPK is a strong encryption technology based on well know and trusted cryptographic techniques," said Jack Oswald, President and CEO of RPK Inc. "Having RPK chosen by the Swiss for this breakthrough electronic-commerce application is the strongest endorsement we could possibly achieve for the RPK technology." Wireless Electronic Transactions Application The collaboration of RPK, EPFL and ADESA has resulted in a prototype application that promises to become the "wallet of the future". This new wireless electronic transaction application may take the form of a credit card, a watch or a key chain and will sport features analogous to the leather wallets used today by billions of people worldwide. Early designs of the system allow the user to withdraw and hold cash in multiple currencies, as well as, purchase and hold vouchers for hotels, planes and car rentals all through the use of wireless communications technology. Officials in charge of the project envision that such devices could also become a personal key chain for gaining access to motor vehicles, offices and dwellings, in addition to traditional credit card uses. ADESA concluded that performance of the RPK implementation in the prototype far exceeded existing smart card implementations based on the RSA and other algorithms. The RPK technology performs the necessary encryption functions in less than 10 milliseconds using an 823-bit key compared to the best performing RSA-based equivalents that require greater than 100 milliseconds to perform the same type of function using a much weaker 512-bit key. The application is not limited to 823-bit keys. The design of the system, based on the new HAWK processor is flexible and can accommodate and process various sized keys, smaller or larger than 823 bits based on downloadable parameters. ADESA officials explained that the simplicity of the RPK algorithm makes it much simpler to implement than the popular RSA approach. It was RPK's simplicity, offering a much faster and cheaper solution while providing even higher security, that drove the choice over RSA for this application. About the RPK Fast Public Key Cryptosystem RPK is a relatively new public key cryptosystem that is based on mathematics widely used in cryptography today. It was designed to be immediately commercially viable without the years of study that a new area of mathematics normally requires, such as the Elliptic Curve Cryptosystem (ECC). The source of the security for RPK is the same as that of Diffie-Hellman key exchange, a widely used and well studied cryptographic technique. RPK offers real advantages for high speed networking, SmartCard, wireless communication applications as well as high volume software processes such as credit card transactions. RPK has at its core an invention called a Mixture Generator. In the preferred implementation, three fairly long linear feedback shift registers are used. This state machine has two modes of operation. One that uses the shift registers for exponentiation and the other as a generator of a random stream of bits used in a combining phase for the actual encryption. Effectively, RPK allows for the amortization of two "costly" exponentiations over the entire length of a message because the core engine is used to initially establish a secure state of the machine and then switches modes to perform very high speed encryption. This has been referred to as a paradigm shift where the operation of encryption does not require the costly calculations that an RSA or even an ECC implementation would require for each block of data that is about the size of the key. This mechanism can also be implemented in silicon quite efficiently such that at high strength it is much cheaper to produce than alternative technologies. Finally, it is also possible to create a Mixture Generator that is made up of Elliptic Curve groups which would provide a similarly speedy and efficient initialization mode that could still produce high speed encryption as noted above. About the HAWK VLSI Crypto Processor The HAWK VLSI cryptography-enhanced processor is the result of more than three years of research and development conducted at the EPFL in Lausanne, Switzerland in the area of high speed compression and encryption. The HAWK processor will benefit most cryptography implementations but is particularly well suited for use with RPK. "The HAWK processor is the most innovative approach that we have seen yet for implementing cryptographic processes in silicon," said Bill Raike, Chief Technology Officer for RPK Inc. and inventor of the RPK fast public key cryptosystem. "HAWK breaks the barrier for high speed, low cost, low power and high strength encryption for embedded systems." Background RPK, Inc. is a supplier of next generation fast public key encryption technology. RPK was invented and originally patented in New Zealand. The company is therefore unaffected by restrictive U.S. export rules. RPK has been successfully exported to virtually all countries of the world at high strength. The company's headquarters are based in San Francisco, California, USA, with an offshore research and development center located outside of Auckland, New Zealand. http://www.rpk.co.nz ADESA, Inc. is a leading ASIC design firm based in Geneva, Switzerland with expertise in embedded and cryptographic applications. EPFL is a leading teaching and research technical institute in Lausanne, Switzerland. The school is known for its work in advanced processor design. ***

1 0

Re: Spam Prevention System?
by lucifer＠dhp.com 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

I was wondering if perhaps a way to minimize the hassle with sitting on one's thumb while waiting for unwanted email to download could be eased by an email program which retreived only headers, allowed you to delete the unwanted ones, and then retrieve the wanted ones, deleting the rest. Is this feasible?

3 3

Re: Plea from a parent who wants to keep their kid free of SSNs
by Syniker＠aol.com 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

yes dec -- but is Jane using PGP??? Larry.

1 0

Jim Bell 2
by John Young 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

The Oregonian, May 20, 1997, Metro Section P-1: IRS says suspect discussed sabotage An affidavit says a Vancouver man arrested Friday talked of sabotaging Portland's 9-1-1 computer and Bull Run water By John Painter, Jr., of the Oregonian staff Vancouver, Wash. -- A Vancouver man arrested Friday by Internal Revenue agents discussed sabotaging the computers in Portland's 9-1-1 center and talked about using a botulism toxin to contaminate the Bull Run water supply, a federal agent said Monday. James Dalton Bell, 38, appeared Monday afternoon in U.S. District Court in Tacoma and was accused in an 18-page affidavit of scheming to overthrow the U.S. government. U.S. Magistrate J. Kelly Arnold set Friday for a detention and preliminary hearing. The government has asked that Bell be held without bail because he is a danger to the community. Bell, who describes himself as a libertarian, has a history of tax disputes with the IRS, which says Bell "has a large, outstanding unpaid balance." Bell is the author of "Assassination Politics," a 10-part essay about a risk-free way of rewarding assassins who successfully kill designated public officials. The essay has circulated on the Internet. The strategy, which Bell says he wrote and posted for discussion, involves uses of encryption to predict and confirm assassinations and electronic digital cash to pay for the killings. Federal agents raided Bell's Vancouver home April 1. He is accused of obstructing government officers and employees and using false Social Security numbers. But government agents think he is far more dangerous than the charges suggest, the affidavit filed by IRS Inspector Phillip G. Scott said. Scott's affidavit said Bell, who has a chemistry degree from the Massaschusetts Institute of Technology, had discussions about using carbon fiber particles to attack computer systems with Greg Daly, a friend who is an electronics specialist overseeing Portland's 9-1-1 communications center. "Daly stated that he and Bell had 'laughed' about attacking the 9-1-1 center with fiber," the affidavit said. Daly also told IRS agents that he had hypothetical discussions with Bell about contaminating water supplies and about making botulism toxin from green beans, the affidavit said. In the April 17 and 18 interviews with IRS agents, Daly said that as part of his job, he "has keys and direct access to the Portland Bull Run water treatment facility." Daly said Monday that the conversations that he and Bell had were merely "intellectual fun-and-games discussions" between old friends who enjoy technical things. "There's a difference between reasonable freedom of speech and unreasonable probability of attack," Daly said. "Standing around and flapping our lips about how it would be funny is way different from even contemplating actual attack." Daly described his friend of 15 years as a "bit of an odd unit" but never dangerous and never serious about attacking the 9-1-1 systems or the Bull Run watershed. "I'd rat him out in a heartbeat for that," Daly said. Thursday, IRS agents searched the home of Robert East, a merchant radioman and a friend of Bell's. Among items seized was 3-foot length of carbon fiber. The affidavit said East told agents that he and Bell had discussed "the possibility of putting the fibers down the air vents of a federal building" to kill its computers and about using the fiber against the IRS. However, Bell has described himself as a "man of ideas, not action," and East said Bell was a "talker, not a doer." [End] Thanks to John Painter.

4 4

Disneyfication, Privatization of the Public Domain... Turn the Planet into a Strip-Mall and Theme Park.....
by mf＠mediafilter.org 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Disneyfication, Privatization of the Public Domain... Turn the Planet into a Strip-Mall and Theme Park..... Hear the realaudio netcast of Infinity Factory Hosted by Richard Metzger of Disinfo.com talking with Paul Garrin about name.space and the future of the net. originally netcast live on May 11, 1997. (this is a realaudio link, so be prepared...) http://www.pseudo.com/archives/infinityMay11_1997_0848pm.ram name.space: http://name.space.xs2.net DisInfo: http://www.disinfo.com

1 0

PGP version 5 source code?
by lucifer＠dhp.com 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Will PGP Inc make the source code for the new version of pgp available?

1 0

Australian net legislator proves Clueless newbie
by Charles 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

>From a poster in aus.censorship reports: "I heard Senator Alston on ABC Radio National tonight (23 July). He made a comment that the "Internet has been going for 3 or 4 years". Its extraordinary that with limited knowledge such as this he is forging forward with regulatory changes which will dramatically change the face of the 'Net in Australia and completely ignore the the existing cultural milieu that has been created over many years (a lot more than "3 or 4" Alston might be surprised to know)..." Senator Alston, self appointed net expert has no email address, as is common for the vast majority of Australian politicians who in general understand little more than the net present value of their unfunded superannuation payouts. Any Aussies want to have their say (uncensored) on the web export your dollars out of this backwater and buy some space on extra-territorial web server. -- .////. .// Charles Senescall apache(a)quux.apana.org.au o:::::::::/// apache(a)bear.apana.org.au apache(a)gargoyle.apana.org.au >::::::::::\\\ Finger me for PGP PUBKEY Brisbane AUSTRALIA '\\\\\' \\ Apache

1 0

Addresses
by admin＠tcg.sask.com 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Hi, I came across your post in a MLM newsgroup and thought you may be interested in an email address list. It worked great for me. http://www.unibase.com/~visions/email/ Robert L. James

1 0

OKC Bomber, or Cowardly Lion? / Re: IRS sending warning notes, violating ECPA?
by nobody＠REPLAY.COM 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Kent Crispin wrote: > > Anon pissed out: > > > I am just as certain that Tim has made a conscious decision as to > > >what level of risk he is willing to take to speak his mind and perhaps > > >make a difference in the events of his time, without merely being > > >egoistical, stupid, and suicidal. > As anon clearly points out, Tim toes the line with his speech, > carefully avoiding saying anything that escapes constitutional > protection. ... > Yes, Tim talks a brave talk. But... But...? ...he doesn't cut his dick off with an axe, to show how brave he is? ...he doesn't phone up the DEA and tell them, "I'm shooting heroin, but please don't raid my house?" ...he doesn't take out an ad in the New York Times to announce that he will be nuking D.C. at 4 p.m. on Friday? I once built a bar in Austin, Texas, named "Crazy Bob's Saloon." I put a diving board on top of the 1 1/2 story building and put an old bathtub on the sidewalk below, which I filled with water. All week long we advertised that at noon, on Grand Opening Day, Crazy Bob was going to jump off the diving board, and into the bathtub full of water. During our Grand Opening, 12 noon rolled around and Crazy Bob walked outside, with everyone following him. Crazy Bob looked up at the diving board, then looked down at the bathtub full of water. He looked back up at the diving board, once again, and back down at the bathtub full of water. Then he turned to the crowd, and said, "Folks, they call me _Crazy_ Bob, not _Stupid_ Bob!" Then we all went back inside and partied down. At the end of the night, when everybody had gone home, Crazy Bob and I took a bottle of whiskey up to the rooftop, had some drinks and discussed the fact that, as a man of honour, he was obligated to make the dive, despite the fact that the "sheeple" were more than satisfied by having an entertaining story to go home and tell their friends. Did he make the dive? It's nobody's business but his own. I was there, and at the right time, in the right place, with the right amount of liquor in me and a full moon egging me on, I just might tell you. But, regardless, it would still really be nobody's business except for Crazy Bob's. Perhaps Tim May is the _real_ OKC bomber, or perhaps he is the cowardly lion. (cringing when "Toto" barks :>) Whether Tim "walks his talk" or not is not my business, nor is it Kent's, or anyone else's business. One's public words may reflect their personal anthem, their own flag/values/beliefs, or their words may be merely the braying of mules. What matters is the value, or lack thereof, that we may personally glean from those words, to our own edification or detriment. However, the "rack" is not a "bicycle built for two." When we are put on the rack, to test the strength of our beliefs, then the pain, the certainty or doubt, the salvation or degredation, are all our own. I enjoy the outrageously strong opinions which do battle on the CypherPunks list, and I even have a mail folder titled, "CyberPissing," in which I save the posts which contain classic cheap-shots. I respect those who stand up for what they believe in and are not hesitant about attacking the faults they find in the logic or beliefs of others on the list. I consider it a "public service" when others take a shot that points out my errors/hypocrisy/stupidity, etc. It gives me the opportunity to say, "They are right. I should adjust my belief/attitude.", or say, "They are right, but so the fuck what? It is my personal predeliction to be an asshole about this, and it suits me just fine." It is my personal view, however, that the line between difference of outlook/opinion and spurious, personal slander is crossed when one stoops to denigrate the character of another list member by accusing them of what might be "conscious evils" such as comfortable cowardice, willful hypocrisy, or determined stupidity. Perhaps I will break down on the "rack" and deny all of my strongly held beliefs, but please don't accuse me of being a boastful coward who only holds to my beliefs when it is "safe" to do so. I may hold views which fail to remain consistent when measured against standards that reflect the knowledge and experience of others, but please don't accuse me of willfully attempting to espouse my views only to my benefit and at the expense of others. Sometimes I'm a fucking idiot and probably ought to be taken out and shot, but I strive to come by my stupidity "honestly," and not to use stupidity as an "excuse" to do evil. Tim May is a grouchy old CypherPunk with an itchy trigger finger and Kent Crispin has suffered the misfortune of having the the government secretly implant silicon chips in his brain that flash random images of current and past senators, congressmen and presidents repeating, "I am not a crook...I am not a crook..." I am certain that each of them is equally certain of their beliefs, and the decision as to which of them would make the world a better place by using the Dr. Kevorkian Gift Certificate I sent them for Christmas lies in the hands of the individuals who support or oppose their stance on various issues. My personal opinon is that we should "Kill them both, and let TruthMonger sort them out." Of course, I may be biased in this regard. After all, I am... TruthMonger

2 1

HIR_hear Crypto Hearing Transcript
by John Young 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Thanks to Declan we've digitized the declassified 64-page transcript of the House International Relations Committee closed hearing on the SAFE bill, dated July 21, 1997, at which FBI's Freeh, NSA's Crowell and BXA's Reinsch made statements on crypto policy, described the administration's dreams for worldwide GAK and noddled about how to shame unpatriotic industries -- Microsoft is cited as a prime disobedient, while Netscape, Reinsch smarms, has joined up. This is Rep. Gilman's committee, and the discussion aptly outlines the grounds for his "first amendment" to SAFE recently posted here. Our Web site is kaput this morning so for now we can only offer the 99K file by e-mail, HTML formatted. If you want a copy send us e-mail with the subject: HIR_hear We'll include a parallel 18 July letter to Members of Congress on the same topic from AG Reno and seven top federal law enforcers, also provided by Well-connected Declan. If your mail can't handle a 99K file, someday, maybe this weekend, the two docs will be on our site at, respectively: http://jya.com/hir-hear.htm http://jya.com/crypto-law8.htm Coda: Gilman represents, if you didn't know, my rathole of the U.S. financial market. The transcript shows that he loved the G-men, wink-winked at them throughout the hearing, eyeing the propects for helpful legislation. Reinsch brags that BXA and the banks are preparing an onslaught on the undisciplined world market, working with world leaders, as ever, caching real-time gold for select wise marketers, bribing with gov-biz deals across the political spectrum. Sez all the industry holdouts on GAK will come around when they see the Big Corps caving. Reinsch asserted that Microsoft is power behind Goodlatte's bill. Goodlatte didn't deny, just said MS is one of a horde. Hmm.

1 0