- cypherpunks-legacy - lists.cpunks.org

Re: Kahn's "The CodeBreakers"
by tcmay＠got.net 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

At 10:40 AM 6/10/96, Brad Shantz wrote: >For those wondering what the significance of Port Townsend is...well, >there is none. It is, however, the location of Fort Worden which is >where "An Officer and a Gentleman" was filmed. (Major piece of >military history, isn't it?) > Ah, but it does have some significance. "Liberty" is published out of Port Townsend. (More precisely, it was the last time I looked.) And it's near Hump Tulips, Sequim, and Chimicum (sp?). Ma and Pa Kettle country. --Tim May Boycott "Big Brother Inside" software! We got computers, we're tapping phone lines, we know that that ain't allowed. ---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---------:---- Timothy C. May | Crypto Anarchy: encryption, digital money, tcmay(a)got.net 408-728-0152 | anonymous networks, digital pseudonyms, zero W.A.S.T.E.: Corralitos, CA | knowledge, reputations, information markets, Licensed Ontologist | black markets, collapse of governments. "National borders aren't even speed bumps on the information superhighway."

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MacPGP Control (Front end for Macs)
by stevenw＠best.com 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

I saw this on the Web. I've never used it. -------------------------------------8>----------------------------- MacPGP Control (or MPGPC for short) is an AppleScript application that offers an easy-to-use, more Macintosh friendly user interface to MacPGP. MacPGP Control relies on your AppleScript-aware version of MacPGP to perform encryption and decryption. For information on how to obtain MacPGP in the USA or Canada, first refer to that site using your FTP client (Anarchie, Fetch, etc...) or a World Wide Web browser (Netscape, MacWeb, etc...). For non-USA citizens, information on how to obtain MacPGP is available at Ståle Schumacher's International PGP Home Page. The main features of MPGPC are grouped into three categories: MacPGP related features Eudora and Claris Em@iler related features Macintosh related features The current version of MacPGP Control is 1.0 fc 1. You need, among other things, the Scriptable Finder to run MPGPC. If you don't have it or cannot obtain a legal copy, I cannot help you and you will be wasting your time and money downloading this software. All other components are available. MacPGP Control is US$15 shareware. -------------------------------------8>----------------------------- For details see: http://www.deepeddy.com/pgp/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Steven Weller | Technology (n): | | A substitute for adulthood. stevenw(a)best.com | Popular with middle-aged men.

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Re: Terrorism Hysteria on the Net
by Dale Drew 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

At 07:21 PM 6/10/96 -0500, snow wrote: >On Wed, 5 Jun 1996, John Young wrote: >> "You bring me a select group of hackers and within 90 days I'll bring this >> country to its knees, " says Jim Settle, retired director of the FBI's >> computer crime squad. > > Give me 15 well trained soldiers(near special forces level) and I >can do it in less than 60 days. Without touching a computer. > To understand where "They" think they are coming from, you have to compare Apples-to-Apples. The concern is the medium of choice; the Internet and it's high availability of anonymity, coupled with its access to large amounts of computer systems available via one virtual channel. A well orchestrated and well researched attack by the right folk, as the thought process goes, could in-fact, potentially affect large amounts of critical computer systems within a short period of time. And while the government has inroads available to identify potential physical terrorists threats, they do not feel as prepared for the virtual ones. =============================================================== Dale Drew MCI Telecommunications Manager internetMCI Security Engineering Voice: 703/715-7058 Internet: ddrew(a)mci.net Fax: 703/715-7066 MCIMAIL: Dale_Drew/644-3335

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Re: Anonymous return addresses
by Hal 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

From: "Robert A. Rosenberg" <hal9001(a)panix.com> > If the message is split into more than one part (to meet the message size > requirement) there is some potential leakage to each server of what message > is being requested. If User a requested 3 messages, then they MAY be > requesting all three parts of a 3 part message (or 2+1). If a record is > kept of the number of requests over time, then there can be some regression > checking based on the ID (ie: If the number of new messages for ANx in the > DB matches the number that User Y requests in the current session). I may > be in error with this thought but it looks like a possible problem. Yes, this is a good point. It might be addressed by having the later parts of a multi part message not be identified with the anon ID of the receiver, but rather with a random message label which is revealed to the receiver in the first part of the message (encrypted, of course). Then the database owner could not tell which message parts went together just by looking at the messages. Arrival times might give this away, though, if all parts of a multi-part message were sent at about the same time. > >Messages would have a finite lifetime and would expire and be removed > >from the database after a while. The authors propose breaking the > >database up into batches with a fixed number of messages, but I don't > >fully follow the reasoning behind this. I guess it reduces the load on > >the server when it does its XOR's. > > This can also affect the "attack" I speculated on above since it can "leak" > more info. Multi-part messages (or multiple messages to the same recipient) > which are retrieved in one session can be correlated between the groups > (ie: User Y asked for 5 messages [Selected from Groups 1&5] and ANx is the > one AN? that has the requested number of messages in each of the Groups > [ie: 3 from G1 and 2 from G5]). Yes, there is a tradeoff with the batch size between efficiency and privacy. The multi-part message issue does seem to make the problem potentially worse. Maybe it would be necessary for anonymous receivers to mostly receive small messages, and/or make the message granularity relatively large. Some of these kinds of volume- or correlation-based traffic analysis techniques can be countered by requesting dummy messages, ones which the receiver won't be able to read. If he asks for five messages every day from that day's batch then it doesn't leak any information about which ones are for him. Asking for a random number averaging five may work even better, if occasionally he really needs to read six. Hal

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Re: Terrorism Hysteria on the Net
by vin＠shore.net 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Ex-Special-Agent Settle deserves all the derision he has gotten (probably not in the right places) for his LSD-in-the-water-supply threat: >> >> "You bring me a select group of hackers and within 90 days I'll bring >> >> this country to its knees, " says Jim Settle, retired director of the >> >> FeeBee's computer crime squad. snow's jibe about doing the same with a handful of spooky special forces guys (less than 15, if he used snipers) was appropriate. I think, however, Dale Drew went too far when he denied that the demension of the Net added nothing new to the range of social or economic threat. Don't we, as a technical culture, have to acknowledge the burgening nihilism that is exemplified in both the subculture of virus (and other randomly distructive pieces of attack code,) and the larger culture that so often lauds their "creativity" and "ingenuity." Not even lumpen-Libertarianism allows the author of such pain and distruction to escape moral responsibility -- yet the popular tech culture (and the pop culture) does just that! The culture can deal with purposeful terrorism, even purposeful Net terrorism, but a whole subculture of sociopaths who -- like arsonists on a binge, or (to exaggerate slightly) the nerve gas cult in Japan -- toss out distructive code bombs to see who or what gets blown away, is indeed something new. How many wild viruses are now loose? What new corners of the networked infrastructure will be the next forum for these arsonists? Java applets? NT? The nodes of the Net itself? Is this too to be left to police suppression? Are Net Cops inevitable? Are there other forces that could be brought to bear? (Forces that could perhaps be influenced by the tone or substance of comments that originate here or in similar forums?) And isn't this threat unique to a culture which has become so dependant on the structured flow of information products and tools? The sky isn't falling; there are no bodies in the street -- so we have time... but the sense of threat could become so serious that the public would seek shelter, solice, stability. The spooks' wet-dream, the wiretapped Garrison Nation (two-way TV always on; no one allowed to whisper away from a microphone) is one answer. Of a sort. Suerte, _Vin Vin McLellan +The Privacy Guild+ <vin(a)shore.net> 53 Nichols St., Chelsea, Ma. 02150 USA Tel: (617) 884-5548 <*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*>

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Re: A guide to self control (Was funny underwear)
by attila 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

** Reply to note from nobody(a)REPLAY.COM 06/11/96 09:58am +0200 = To: Cypherpunks(a)toad.com = From: nobody(a)REPLAY.COM (Anonymous) = = A Guide to Self-Control = = Subject: Steps in Overcoming Masterbation = = Excerpt from a Mormon missionary guide, circa 1970: Steps in = Overcoming Masterbation, Mark E. Petersen = = 1. Never touch the intimate parts of your body except during normal = toilet processes. = you forgot to add the dictum on how long you are allowed to wash it in the shower... -- "Privacy Through Cryptography." "Communicate Globally, Censor Locally." I think an old Doonesbury cartoon that had Duke (representing the NRA) testifying before a Senate subcommittee summed it up quite nicely..... Senator: "And we and the American people have had enough of you and your fanatic organization!" Duke: "I see Senator, shall I put you down for a million postcards?" Senator: "Don't you threaten me mister!" Politicians only understand one thing.

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Re: [NOISE] I swear I am not making this up. (rec.music.white-po
by Peter Trei 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Received: from toad.com [140.174.2.1] by alcor.process.com with SMTP-OpenVMS via TCP/IP; Fri, 7 Jun 1996 23:37 -0400 Received: (from majordom@localhost) by toad.com (8.7.5/8.7.3) id SAA15816 for cypherpunks-outgoing; Fri, 7 Jun 1996 18:38:51 -0700 (PDT) Received: from infinity.c2.org (infinity.c2.org [140.174.185.11]) by toad.com (8.7.5/8.7.3) with ESMTP id SAA15811 for <cypherpunks(a)toad.com>; Fri, 7 Jun 1996 18:38:44 -0700 (PDT) Received: (from ghio@localhost) by infinity.c2.org (8.7.4/8.6.9) id SAA18545; Fri, 7 Jun 1996 18:30:38 -0700 (PDT) Community ConneXion: Privacy & Community: <URL:http://www.c2.net> Date: Fri, 7 Jun 1996 18:30:38 -0700 (PDT) Message-Id: <199606080130.SAA18545(a)infinity.c2.org> X-Plug: Community ConneXion offers privacy on the internet. http://www.c2.org/ From: ezundel(a)alpha.c2.org (E. Zundel Repost) >From: bb748(a)FreeNet.Carleton.CA (Milton Kleim) >Newsgroups: news.groups,alt.skinheads,alt.politics.nationalism.white, > alt.politics.white-power >Subject: Statement Regarding rec.music.white-power >Now that the results for our newsgroup proposal have been issued, we wish >to make a statement concerning our objectives. > >Three objectives were sought in the rec.music.white-power project: > [...] > >#3: Create a newsgroup for discussion and promotion of Aryan music. [...] You mean those wonderful ragas and songs from the Vedas, don't you? I ust *love* sitar music. Check out The Aryan Pages at http://www.cs.man.ac.uk/~pateld/aryan_dir/aryan.html Peter Trei

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Re: Anonymous remailers mentioned in CDA decision
by jya＠pipeline.com 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

The right to anonymity on the Net got a big boost during the Q&A at the ACLU press conference here in NYC on the CDA win -- with a recitation of its distinguished history in assuring freedom of speech and political activity. As did the corollary right to strong encryption to assure protection from intruders of gov-biz-jealous-lovers of all stripes. The CDA decision is a wondrous read for its coverage of so many topics discussed here; each judge's opinion is separately admirable. And, based, on the remarks of panelists at the conference, it will surely advance privacy protection measures and support loosening of crypto controls. But still subject to the unpredictable Supremes, a Solomon cautioned, if DoJ elects to appeal.

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Re: Britain to control crypto - official (fwd from Usenet)
by John Pettitt 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

At 04:07 PM 6/11/96 -0400, David Lesher wrote: >The British government quietly announced yesterday that it will >legislate to restrict crypto. The details are in the attached >Reuters and PA newswires. So I didn't see any move top 'restrict crypto' in the two wire stories. It looked like the return of clipper with escrow agents other than government which seems *almost* reasonable when I note that they are not mandating any of this stuff. Still given the close relationship between Cheltenham and Ft Mead one is left wondering what the real story is ... John Pettitt, jpp(a)software.net EVP, CyberSource Corporation, 415 473 3065 PGP Key available at: http://www-swiss.ai.mit.edu/htbin/pks-extract-key.pl?op=get&search=0xB7AA37…

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HotWired article on NEW bill to let FCC set net-stds, repeal CDA
by Declan B. McCullagh 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

I spoke with Rep. Lofgren for a while today while I was writing this piece. I believe she's genuinely well-intentioned, but doesn't understand the issues. Visit HotWired's web site for the full report. -Declan --- http://www.hotwired.com/netizen/96/24/index2a.html The Hydra HotWired Special Report by Brock N. Meeks and Declan McCullagh Washington, DC, 11 June A bill that would attempt to "fix" the potential harm of the Communications Decency Act was dropped into the legislative boneyard late yesterday by freshman Representative Zoe Lofgren (D-California). The bill, dubbed the "Internet Freedom and Child Protection Act," provides neither. [...] Then there are her loopy additions. All Internet service providers, under government mandate, will become vendors of "blocking software" such as SurfWatch or Cyber Patrol. Lofgren's bill says that all new ISP customers must be provided, either free or at a fee, "screening software that is designed to permit the customer to limit access to material that is unsuitable for children." Of course, nowhere does she define what "unsuitable" means. However, such vagueness didn't stop Lofgren from proposing that the Federal Communications Commission move into the business of setting commercial software standards. Under this bill, the FCC is required to "prescribe minimum technical standards for screening software." [...] How does the FCC feel about a new proposed role as "software commissioner?" Frankly, they'd rather not be involved, according to Mark Corbitt, technology policy advisor to Chairman Reed Hundt.

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