- cypherpunks-legacy - lists.cpunks.org

Re: Members of Parliament Problem
by paul＠fatmans.demon.co.uk 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

> I don't quite follow how this would work. If Trent issues a blind > signature, then that means (doesn't it?) that he doesn't see what he > is signing. So how can he confirm that the message is actually from > a member of the group when he doesn't see it? I should have elaborated a little on this. My idea was that trent should be able to decrypt the message and verify it was meaninful (at least probably so) by some form of frequency analysis, as he would be a computer program this would not be a significant time loss in a system with few users (such as parliament as suggested with the initial problem) if the resulting message didn`t have approximate frequency distributions of letters you would expect in natural langauge or source code or whatever the message would not be published as it is probably an invalid key being used thus decrypting to garbage. A better way to do all this would probably just be to have Bob sign the message then Trent strip the signature before signing it himself but I just dashed this off as a quick response without really thinking it through. A nicer protocol would be one where the key distribution is easier initially (isn`t this always the case ;-)) or even a protocol which isn`t arbitrated, like your reply said Chaum mentions protocols for this. Datacomms Technologies web authoring and data security Paul Bradley, Paul(a)fatmans.demon.co.uk Paul(a)crypto.uk.eu.org, Paul(a)cryptography.uk.eu.org Http://www.cryptography.home.ml.org/ Email for PGP public key, ID: 5BBFAEB1 "Don`t forget to mount a scratch monkey"

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Re: TIS + HP
by Alan Olsen 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

At 11:18 AM 11/18/96 -0500, John Young wrote: >A blurb in the Wash Post today says that the HP roll-out >this morning will include TIS's "trusted third party" product. >"One essential ingredient in the equation: technology >developed by TIS. TIS is so far the only company that has >received permission to export encryption technology >overseas that exceeds the government's existing >threshold." > >Guess we'll know shortly who else in the System is to be >Trusted with Information -- other than Thirds, Fourths and >other Dots and Steves. With TIS bending over for the big GAK Monster in so many ways, it brings up a question... (A probibly off-topic one...) Does anyone know of intentional GAK-like holes put in their Firewall Toolkit? They distribute it for free and distribute source, but with their record i have little trust in the matter... (Better yet, does anyone have suggestions for Firewall code that will run under Linux or FreeBSD?) --- | "Remember: You can't have BSDM without BSD." - alan(a)ctrl-alt-del.com | |"The moral PGP Diffie taught Zimmermann unites all| Disclaimer: | | mankind free in one-key-steganography-privacy!" | Ignore the man | |`finger -l alano(a)teleport.com` for PGP 2.6.2 key | behind the keyboard.| | http://www.teleport.com/~alano/ | alano(a)teleport.com |

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Re: [REBUTTAL] Censorship on cypherpunks?, from The Netly N
by paul＠fatmans.demon.co.uk 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

> If you do not send it to me by e-mail, I will never see it. > Why are you so paranoid that someone is reading your e-mail? > I never do anything criminal, so I could give a shit less if > everybody reads all of my fucking mail. I was trying hard not to get into this thread as it is basically just one long flamewar that is getting out of control but I have to comment here: There need be no reason for paranoia. I don`t call it paranoia, I call it constant vigilance, to demonize it is a statist position and tries to ostricise those who protect their privacy. Whether you do anything criminal or not is not the point. Indeed I would say that 90-95% of encryption usage is for perfectly legal purposes, and only about 0.1% of encrypted material is concerned with unethical acts rather than illegal acts. The point is you should retain the right to protect your privacy. Sure, it`s not illegal to put forward anarchist arguments in mail today, but do you really want your company boss knowing about it? I personally don`t work - I`m a student so it doesn`t matter to me, but whether it is right that your employement and political views should affect each other they do, so you should be able to protect yourself with technology... Datacomms Technologies web authoring and data security Paul Bradley, Paul(a)fatmans.demon.co.uk Paul(a)crypto.uk.eu.org, Paul(a)cryptography.uk.eu.org Http://www.cryptography.home.ml.org/ Email for PGP public key, ID: 5BBFAEB1 "Don`t forget to mount a scratch monkey"

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Playing card cryptosystems
by paul＠fatmans.demon.co.uk 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

> Also I did hear tell that Bruce Schneier was working on a crypto > algorithm which was designed to work with playing cards, for a book > which Neal Stephenson is writing. Presumably painful to use, but > maybe good plausible deniability, all that you need is a pack of > cards. Not even that in fact, there are methods, and I can confirm they work because I can do it myself, that allow one to memorize the order of a pack of playing cards, some people can even do it with up to 8 packs, although this requires a more complicated method. So while encryption requires one to have the cards ready (about 8 good riffle shuffles will restore a high degree of randomness to a deck) you can keep the pad for short messages in your head. But one can do the same with one time pads that use other plaintexts as the pad. Datacomms Technologies web authoring and data security Paul Bradley, Paul(a)fatmans.demon.co.uk Paul(a)crypto.uk.eu.org, Paul(a)cryptography.uk.eu.org Http://www.cryptography.home.ml.org/ Email for PGP public key, ID: 5BBFAEB1 "Don`t forget to mount a scratch monkey"

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[QUADRUPLE]-- Rewards for errors in _Digital Cash_
by pcw＠access.digex.net 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

I just saw the movie "Ransom" where Mel Gibson gets to be cool by doubling the reward for the capture of his son's kidnappers. In that spirit, I'm doubling my reward again. What was once a reward of $10 for information about a technical error in the book is now a reward of $40. Also, I've opened an account with Mark Twain bank so I can pay the rewards in Digicash. Or, if you prefer First Virtual, I can handle that as well. Or, if you're old fashioned and want my signature, you get the proverbial check in the mail. The details are simple. The first person to report a technical error in the book gets $40. You're also welcome to make suggestions for ways to improve the book. I may pay a reward for these, but I can't make a blanket promise. I'm reaching my deadline so this offer will only be good until the end of November, 1996. So far no one has reported any technical errors. A few have made suggestions that I've taken. I hope more will continue to offer suggestions for improving the book because they're a great help and I will reward them. Here is the ``fine print'': 1) My decisions on what constitutes an error are final. I could declare something a ``feature'', not an error. Or I could lump many errors together and label it ``one''. So if I left out a page, this could be one error, not 200+ errors in the page number on all subsequent pages. But I hope to use this power benevolently. 2) Technical errors are eligible. Errors in spelling and grammar aren't. It's just too hard to come up with a logical definition of correct grammar. Technical errors also involve some amount of judgement, but I think they are tighter. 3) My decision on who is the ``first'' person to discover an error is final. I may choose to reward two people who obviously work independently. I just want to defend against people saying, "Okay, let's mail him this simulatenously." 4) This offer may be withdrawn at any time. Check my webpage for details. 5) Copies of the book may be obtained by purchasing them from 1-800-3131277 or from your local bookstore. Peter Wayner pcw(a)access.digex.net http://www.access.digex.net/~pcw/pcwpage.html 410-433-8275

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HP announcement
by Greg Broiles 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

HP has info on its new crypto stuff on the web now: <http://www.hp.com/go/security> and <http://www.hp.com/go/icf>. It's apparently a crypto coprocessor embedded in a board or chip which looks for a "policy token" (which is software/data, delivered via network or smartcard) which is doled out by local "policy servers", "developed and managed in conformance with national policy". Sounds to me like they want to be able to turn off strong crypto the way they can turn off high-detail GPS during politically/militarily sensitive events. As the press release notes, "ICF is designed to run any current or future cryptographic algorithms. Algorithms for key recovery also can be used. "Keys" are strings of computer code that lock and unlock data. Key recovery is a method that allows users to unscramble encrypted data if they lose their keys. Users can decide whether to use key recovery, based on personal needs or domestic -- or foreign -- government regulations. ICF cryptographic units, which can support keys of any length, are exportable because they are disabled until a Policy Activation Token activates them again. Policy Activation Tokens can be either a downloadable software module or a smart card. Policy Activation Tokens trigger particular algorithms for specific applications, based on needs. Additionally, ICF adapts easily to current government encryption policies, new encryption algorithms and changing key-recovery schemes. Customers who use ICF-based products are offered long-term investment protection, with rapid flexibility to meet changing needs." ICF is "International Cryptography Framework". The press release includes quotes from US and French government officials indicating that the new system will meet their needs. -- Greg Broiles | US crypto export control policy in a nutshell: gbroiles(a)netbox.com | http://www.io.com/~gbroiles | Export jobs, not crypto. |

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U.S. CIA employee caught spying
by Tim Scanlon 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

This is on the local DC news; Harold Nicholson age 46, a CIA employee was arrested for spying today at Dulles airport. He allegedly has been working for the Russians for the past 2 years. He was caught after he failed a series of polys, and bank account irregularities had been noticed, as well as suspcious travel. They got him on hidden video apperently photocopying documents that he intended to pass along. Tim

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Cpunks Frog Forwards discontinuation
by Damaged Justice 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

I will be discontinuing my "Cpunks Frog Forwards" filtering service within one week of the announcement of Perry Metzger's new crypto list, and possibly sooner if my patience runs out, because 1) I have too many other things to take care of in my life, 2) there really isn't as great a need for it anymore due to the number and variety of other filtering services, and 3) my sanity is being stretched to its limits having to wade through the mountains of bullshit that now infest my inbox, even with procmail's kindly assistance. Perry was right: Cypherpunks has become a sewer. As Robert Anton Wilson said, "Only a sewer accepts everything." Here is a list of the other filtering services I am currently aware of: o Alan Clegg runs an UNMODERATED cypherpunks digest, which only reduces the the volume of separate messages. Subscribe by mailing to majordomo(a)gateway.com (Standard majordomo list -- send "help" in the body for information.) o Eric Blossom runs a commercial "Cypherpunks Lite" for a modest fee, approximately 20.00US/year. Mail eb(a)comsec.com for more info. For a sample, read the archive at ftp://ftp.crl.com/users/co/comsec/cp-lite o Ray Arachelian runs a free filtering service, sticking mostly to news and technical stuff with a few other tidbits thrown in. Mail sunder(a)dorsai.dorsai.org for more info, or to be added. See you all on the other side. "Cypherpunks write code." -- I let go of the law, and people become honest / I let go of economics, and people become prosperous / I let go of religion, and people become serene / I let go of all desire for the common good, and the good becomes common as grass. .oOo. [Tao Te Ching, Chapter 57, Stephen Mitchell translation]

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REQUESTING INFORMATION :-)
by George A. Stathis 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

f'knights, [hee hee] (as in c'punks)!!! ROTFL After the amusing invasion of Sandy-the-cowboy in his attempt to smash open the already open doors of a virtual (i.e. non-existent) salloon... (in the Freedom-Knights list) (which is a waste of time anyway to watch his show anyway)... :-) I REQUEST INFORMATION on those people who compile "Unemployability Lists" in the USA, as well as ANY other information on this issue. Senator McCarthy managed to terrorize the entire U.S.A. some decades ago with such lists (on real paper rather than on computer files). The "Return to NeoMcCarthyanism" would make an _excellent_ story for the Greek Newspaper "Eleftherotypia", and some bright young Greek journalist could seize the opportunity perhaps even for a Headline Story. Therefore, I include in the recipient list the Greek Newspaper's Internet Supplement address, and... rub my hands, waiting for your replies, folks. :-) We Greeks would like ALL the names of the people who act as "Informers" of companies denouncing those unfortunate Americans who are doomed to unemployment. We plan to give these names to all our friends, so as to warn them WHO to avoid during our summer holidays in Greek Islands. Thank you George A. Stathis (former columnist in "PC Master" magazine, Athens Greece -1990). P.S. I wrote each month's MAIN article at the time, and also the monthly "A.I." program. I am not active in journalism at the moment, which is why someone else is welcome to use the ensuing information. P.S. TRUST GREEKS. We hold a World Copyright on Freedom of Thought for 2.500 years or more, and we even donated it to the Public Domain! :-)

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Re: Fuck You Dumb Cunt
by George A. Stathis 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

At 07:11 ìì 18/11/1996 -0500, Stephen Boursy wrote: >Dave Hayes wrote: >> >> Brian Davis writes: >> >>> I'm especially sorry that some of you don't believe in property >>> rights. >> >> I believe in them, alright. It's just that they seem to be at odds >> with freedom of speech. >> >> They are at odds with a lot of other things as well, but that's >> a different fla...er...discussion. > > > I believe the posession of property is a priv. to be taken >away if abused. There is no such thing as a 'right' to >property--in fact the very notion seems absurd. > > Steve Philosophically, a lot of people would agree with you Steve, and this would probably place them in dozens of "killfiles", "lists of unemployable persons", plug-pullable minorities of "kooks" and so on, inside the American Section of the Internet. No wonder (after malicious slander I have seen directed against you), that so few people come out with such views. However... Reality has many facets, and property can mean many things. "Abusing property" is also punishable already by some (very capitalistic) laws. I know I deserve everything I own, but do the chicken know it? The chicken who hide behind roles like Gilmore's for instance. Surely the ONLY things we most CERTAINLY own, are our bodies and our speech and other facets of our existence. If people were offered large sums of money to cut off one... hand, they'd probably refuse! :-) Goddess Venus knows why if a lot of people when offered similar similar sums of money to chop off their speech, they obey. I am very troubled at recent events and spend my time wasting yours. But wait till you see what I figured out... :-) (with the Greek paper). George

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