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Re: encryption program
by Liz Taylor 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Ed Falk wrote: > > I ran a quick Kappa test on it. There was a nice fat spike at key > length 25, as somebody else suggested, but an almost perfect > correlation at 100. The message is almost certainly a simple > polyalphabetic cipher with keylength 100. I don't want to discourage anybody from trying their cryptanalytic skills against this, but this particular cryptogram has already been decrypted and the plain text posted to sci.crypt a few days back by Jim Gillogly. The message ID is <32D445A4.3DF(a)mentat.com> The snake oil vendor then came out with another cryptogram using the same algorithm. It is titled `decryption' and the plain text starts with "There are plenty of programs you could buy such as". Mr. Gillogly broke that too. See news:<32DA7FE4.1F41(a)mentat.com> -- Diamonds are a girl's best friend.

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Re: Newt's phone calls
by Clay Olbon II 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

At 02:48 PM 1/14/97 -0800, you wrote: >It is also possible that somewhere in the chain of information between >mom&pop, the media, and us, the distinction between "cordless phone" >and cellular phone. I gather it was a conference call that was >intercepted. All it takes is one participant using a cordless phone in >range of one scanner, and the whole conversation is compromised. The congressman (Boehner? from Ohio) whose cellphone was "eavesdropped" stated today that he was parked in the lot of a Waffle House in Lake City FL. The couple said that they just happened to be driving by when they overheard and began taping the conversation. I have a problem with making it illegal to listen to parts of the electromagnetic spectrum. Seems sort of unnatural. Maybe they will decide that people who can see the color green will go to jail next ;-) Technological solutions are much more elegant. Of course, they are not nearly as sexy as legal remedies (I can't wait to see if the congressman who gave it to the Times is indicted!) Clay ******************************************************* Clay Olbon olbon(a)ix.netcom.com sys-admin, engineer, programmer, statistitian, etc. **********************************************tanstaafl

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RE: encryption program
by ed.falk＠Eng.Sun.COM 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

> What is a Kappa test? Kappa test is described in Kahn's "Codebreakers". Basicly, you take two streams of random text and line them up one over the other. Look for letter matches between top and bottom. The percentage of matches is called Kappa. If the text is truly random, you should see matches 1/26 of the time. However, if the text is english, you should see matches about 6.6% of the time instead. Likewise, if the text is encrypted with a monoalphabetic cipher, you should *also* see matches 6.6% of the time. Likewise, if the text comes from two different messages encrypted with the same polyalphabetic cipher (and they're lined up properly) you again see Kappa = 6.6%. Finally, if the key repeats, and you've guessed the length of the repitition correctly, and you line up the ciphertext with itself accordingly, Kappa will again be 6.6%. > Is there software I can run to perform such a test? I've been writing my own as I go along; it's more educational to do it that way. As been mentioned earlier in this list, there's an archive of crypto software at ftp://ftp.ox.ac.uk/pub/crypto/cryptanalysis I've been getting ideas from there, but it's more fun to write your own.

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Welcome to hip-announce
by Majordomo＠asterix.xs4all.nl 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

-- Welcome to the hip-announce mailing list! If you ever want to remove yourself from this mailing list, you can send mail to "Majordomo(a)asterix.xs4all.nl" with the following command in the body of your email message: unsubscribe hip-announce cypherpunks(a)toad.com Here's the general information for the list you've subscribed to, in case you don't already have it: [Last updated on: Fri Dec 13 20:30:42 1996] Welcome to HIP announce! This mailinglist will only be used for regular announcements about major developments in the preparation for Hacking In Progress 1997. Only the list-owner will post to this list and it will be guaranteed low-volume. Up-to-date information about the HIP can be found at our website http://www.hip97.nl Please report any problems to info(a)hip97.nl See you at the HIP! Maurice Wessling

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Re: Newt's phone calls
by Declan McCullagh 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

It's a gradual change, certainly. The Washinton Post hasn't mentied crypto in their exhaustive covering of the subject. But I maintain it's not that far beneath the radar. Watch the Lehrer Newhour (or whatever the hell it's called now) tonight, for instance. -Declan On Tue, 14 Jan 1997, Sean Roach wrote: > At 08:37 PM 1/13/97 -0500, Declan McCullagh wrote: > >Don't be too sure that crypto is that far beneath the radar. I spent > >Thursday through Saturday at an annual privacy conference for activists > >from around the country, and they understood the principles. Their > >voicemails were filling up with calls from reporters last Friday about the > >Gingrich incident, and I know they were talking crypto. > ... > Believe me, at least around here it is. > I am a college student studying computer science, and 80% of the people that > I talk to on a regular basis not only know how to play around with windows, > (and Netscape), but also at least a modicum of simple fixes to simple > problems, (such as unformatting a DOS disk). This is what I consider to be > bottom level for that 80%, however, very few of them know even as much about > cryptography as I do. And I barely know how to use PGP. > I have had Computer Science professors express ignorance as to what PGP is, > much less all of these others that I have learned about by hanging around here. > A few people know what crypto is, but most don't. > >

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Re: Newt's phone calls
by John Young 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Omnipoint has a full-page ad in the New York Times today which capitalizes on Newt's lack of privacy and claims that its spread spectrum phone would have protected him with with encryption and digital technology superior to cellular: http://www.omnipoint.com Nokia, for one, touts its use of the CAVE encryption in its latest unit, although its not clear which version. The CAVE algorithm and implementation is now at: http://www.replay.com/mirror/cave/ News may be forthcoming about CAVE -- which, to remind, is an acronym for Caller Authentication and Voice Encryption. It has apparently gone through several versions -- whether getting progressively stronger or weaker is a question soon to be answered authentically?

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Social Security/CommerceNet/PitneyBowes try digital signature W-2's
by John Gilmore 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Date: Tue, 14 Jan 97 10:06:55 EST From: John.T.Sabo(a)ssa.gov Message-Id: <9700148532.AA853265294(a)ccsmtpgw2.ssa.gov> To: members(a)lists.Commerce.Net Subject: Test Opportuity for CommerceNet Member Small Companies +----------------------------------------------------------------------+ This message was addressed to: members(a)lists.commerce.net +----------------------------------------------------------------------+ To CommerceNet Members Who Are Small Employers: CommerceNet member companies who are small employers (approximately 30 employees) are invited to participate this month with the Social Security Administration and PitneyBowes, Inc. in an important proof-of-concept project in which the Social Security Administration will accept digitally-signed W-2 and W-3 data via the Internet, with PitneyBowes issuing test software and public key certificates to participating employers. (I mentioned this test at the December CommerceNet Members' meeting.) Participation will require completion of a field test agreement with SSA, submission of a request for certification by PitneyBowes, and installation of software on a Windows PC which will enable the generation of a signature key pair as well as software which will generate, sign and transmit the wage data to Social Security. The software also produces W-2 paper forms for distribution to employees. If a company already uses a software product to create W-2's, the output file can be used for this test. (Please note that the test is not designed to evaluate all aspects of public key cryptography - for example, no certification practice statement has been developed.) If you are interested in participating in this important public/private sector test of digital signature wage reporting, please contact me as soon as possible and I'll arrange for Mr. Chuck Liptz, SSA's Project Manager, to contact you immediately to provide additional details. (Chuck can also be reached directly at (410) 965-7057 or <chuck.liptz(a)ssa.gov>. John Sabo Social Security Administration (410) 965-1550 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- James M. Galvin galvin(a)commerce.net CommerceNet +1 410.203.2707 3209-A Corporate Court FAX +1 410.203.2709 Ellicott City, MD 21042 http://www.commerce.net/ http://www.eff.org/blueribbon http://www.eff.org/goldkey

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Newt's phone calls
by Clay Olbon II 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

I just caught the news reports of Newt Gingrich's cell phone calls being taped by "a little old retired couple" with a scanner. These were then given to a congressman, who gave them to a newspaper. The take on this that we won't hear is: "This is outrageous! Why don't cell-phones offer encryption to ensure our privacy?" Unfortunately, I think crypto is still so far beneath the public consciousness that the obvious solution to these sorts of problems is ignored in favor of the "there oughta be a law" non-solution. (Of course, in this case there is a law!) What I really hope this incident spawns is a market ... Clay ******************************************************* Clay Olbon olbon(a)ix.netcom.com sys-admin, engineer, programmer, statistitian, etc. **********************************************tanstaafl

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Quality Low Cost International Telcom
by international＠telcom.com 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

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Some Spare Cash Perhaps !!
by leeasher＠gil.com.au 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

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