- cypherpunks-legacy - lists.cpunks.org

Re: russia_1.html
by Peter Trei 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

> From: Jonathan Wienke <JonWienk(a)ix.netcom.com> > At 09:37 AM 10/6/97 -0700, Bill Frantz wrote: > >At 3:01 AM -0700 10/6/97, Peter Trei wrote: > >>The plutonium cores of thermonuclear devices have a limited shelf > >>life - he claimed 6 years, which jibes with what I've heard from > >>other open sources. Fission products build up in the cores which > >>can poison a chain reaction. Thus all Pu based devices need to have > >>the cores periodically removed and replaced with new ones, while the > >>old ones have to go through a non-trivial reprocessing stage to > >>remove the fission products. > > > >I think this comment is in error. Plutonium has a half life on the order > >of 250,000 years, so very little decay products would build up in 6 years. > >The tritium used in thermonuclear weapons has a much shorter half life, and > >would need to be replaced about that often. > > One of the decay products of tritium (half-life: 12.5 years) is Helium-3, > which aggressively absorbs neutrons and poisons the fission reaction of the > plutonium. If one has access to more tritium, which is commercially > available for about US $50,000 per gram, the existing tritium can be > purified and combined with the new tritium to bring the bomb back to full > power. If someone has the resources to obtain the bomb in the first place, > refreshing the tritium probably wouldn't be a major problem. > > > Jonathan Wienke I conceed that it may not be the Pu decay products that cause the limited shelf life of thermonuclear weapons; I suspect that it may be components of the 'pit', which produces the initial burst of neutrons to kick of the reaction (the pit is effectively a small fission bomb). This 'pit' may contain tritium (pit design is a very well guarded secret, and I've seen very little about it in the open literature). > If someone has the resources to obtain the bomb in the first place, > refreshing the tritium probably wouldn't be a major problem. I disagree. A terrorist could obtain a bomb by being given it, stealing it, or buying it as a turnkey system. However, I suspect that anyone with the facilities to recondition one of these weapons could also build one from scratch. I don't know if it's comforting or worrying knowing that these devices degrade - any in the hands of terrorists have a limited time that they are a threat, but that fact may pressure a terrorist to 'use it or lose it'. Peter Trei

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privacy rights: giving away the store
by Attila T. Hun 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- do you believe this? so what happened to our privacy? the man screams about privacy and encryption one minute, then: > What if I told you there's one easy thing you can do to make > your 1998 Internet experiences simpler and safer? Get a > digital ID. Jesse Berst, ZDNet AnchorDesk, full story at http://www.zdnet.com/anchordesk/story/story_1324.html really? > Also called digital certificates, digital IDs (DIDs) are > like electronic passports -- universal ID cards that prove > your identity to anyone who needs to know. You get a DID > from an independent certificate authority such as VeriSign, > which performs a background check first. just what I wanted, a fucking background check. nice schill, Jesse. OK, I'll call my broker and buy Verisign stock. they're going to be worth bocu bucks taking over the fascists' National ID project. > ...Most Web servers have it already. Most email programs > will have it by the end of the year. And both major > browsers... gee, that's clever. but The NYTimes, The Times [London], the Telegraph, and so on, already log me in immediately with a cookie I authorized. why do I need certified identity? even Wired mag knows me as Attila T. Hun. interNIC knows me as Attila T. Hun, I even get mail to my drop box as Attila T. Hun.... My check writer can even print checks as Attila T. Hun (the bank does not care what the name on the check is --just the MICR numbers). > ...Your bank knows for sure that it's really you... sure, after I enter my password... so what's the big deal? that's all I do now. automated, too. > Simpler Surfing. Sick of separate names and passwords > for each site? A single DID will authenticate you for > any site that supports the technology -- about 20,000 at > last count, including Netscape Netcenter, Internet > Shopping Network, K-Mart, Cellular One and many others. OK, but I still must ID my system with my National-ID card available from the cookie wash. I dont see any place to turn it off! bastards! --they've implanted it under my skin. why? so big government or big business can really catalogue my political views by the stories I read? maybe it's my anti-authoritarian, psychotic behaviour and rants against fascist oligarchies, or, maybe because I post to Cypherpunks? > ...you'll help the Internet make an important transition > --from a fun place to surf to a safe place to do business. aah haa! I knew there was a reason for all this hoopla! What's good for Bill Gate$ is good for the country. ...uuh, sorry Mr. AL (GM) $loan; I meant to quote you correctly: "What's good for General Motors is good for the country." > A safer Internet is at hand. All you have to do is seize it. no, jesse, you got that one wrong --the coy fascist dog F[reeh,uck] just seized you --and the rest of the suckers that fall for Verisign's National-ID. attila still going out... -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: 2.6.3i Charset: latin1 Comment: No safety this side of the grave. Never was; never will be iQCVAwUBNDuu5704kQrCC2kFAQFXxgQAo/THjROjaWOCEdsFD0K9Yy1SXu6G2I3Z W7GDfTEv4bwalBUSwzHQJjPNcfrYnRoNpxkWm+kHiqolvoJP2XKtk89tnTumwyvK EfBLPbxRz0lfsXmxy5iNJXWEyJ1Tb3mYbu5CQuAhkWpFhP4xVaRsVSDzCzkmtnBs 7YRH8+KSwoI= =piYW -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----

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Jackbooted Posturing in Panama
by Eric Cordian 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Five years after the US military murdered thousands of Panamanian civilians, and bulldozed their bodies into mass graves prior to the arrival of the press, the US is again demonstrating its unmitigated arrogance on the world scene by staging a show trial of a Panamanian citizen accused of killing a US soldier. Jury selection began Tuesday in the trial of Pedro Miguel Gonzalez, the son of a prominent Panamanian politician. Gonzalez, who was at a demonstration protesting Bush's impending visit, denies any connection to the incident in which a US vehicle was sprayed with gunfire. He has been in hiding since the 1992 incident, fearing he could not get a fair trial from the US-installed Panamanian government. At the time, the US government promptly termed the killing of the US soldier a "terrorist act", and offered a $100,000 reward for the identity of the perpetrators. The pretense for the US invasion, and subsequent massacre, as announced on television by President Bush, was that Panamanian soldiers had kicked a US soldier who had run a roadblock. The hidden agenda was retaining US control over the Panama canal after it appeared relations between the US and Panama might turn sour. In addition to killing thousands of civilians, the US also kidnapped Panama's President, Manual Noreiga, and convicted him in the United States of various vague drug-related charges, after installing a regieme sympathetic to the United States. Gonzalez faces 20 years in prison if convicted. -- Eric Michael Cordian 0+ O:.T:.O:. Mathematical Munitions Division "Do What Thou Wilt Shall Be The Whole Of The Law"

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Question
by Robert Hettinga 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

--- begin forwarded text Date: Wed, 8 Oct 1997 11:24:51 -0400 From: alain(a)research.bell-labs.com (Alain Mayer) To: rah(a)shipwright.com Subject: Question Hi Bob, stypid question: how to I post a message to the Cypherpunks. I have an announcement on a new method to fight junk e-mail, which has been integrated in LPWA (nee Janus). See below Best, -- Alain Hi, we are Bell Labs researchers announcing a method to help you combat junk e-mail (spam) via a new kind of e-mail address, termed a target-revokable e-mail address. Every time you give out your e-mail address, e.g., when you register at a Web-site or post to a Usenet newsgroup, there is a risk that your address will end up in the hands of an e-mail a marketeer or spammer. Until now, you had no way to undo giving out your e-mail address. Target-revokable e-mail addresses effectively let you do that. Currently, most e-mail users typically have a very small number of e-mail addresses. For example, one at the office and one for private use with an ISP at home. In contrast, the principle behind target-revokable e-mail addresses is that each user has many e-mail addresses. In fact, users can have a different e-mail address for each group or entity with whom they interact. Furthermore, target revokable e-mail addresses are defined such that a recipient of such an address cannot guess other target-revokable addresses belonging to the same sender and destined for different groups. Target-revokable e-mail addresses have been integrated with LPWA for easy use with Web sites and Usenet newsgroups (more application to follow at a later date). The Lucent Personalized Web Assistant (LPWA, formerly known as Janus) is a new tool that provides you with privacy, convenience and security when browsing the Web. LPWA is having a highly successful test run, having won PC Magazine "Developer's site of the Week Award". For more info and instructions on how to use target-revokable e-mail: http://lpwa.com:8000 ==================== --- end forwarded text ----------------- Robert Hettinga (rah(a)shipwright.com) Philodox e$, 44 Farquhar Street, Boston, MA 02131 USA "... however it may deserve respect for its usefulness and antiquity, [predicting the end of the world] has not been found agreeable to experience." -- Edward Gibbon, 'Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire' The e$ Home Page: http://www.shipwright.com/ Ask me about FC98 in Anguilla!: <http://www.fc98.ai/>

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Re: What's really in PGP 5.5?
by Bruce Schneier 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Jon Calis wrote: >Also, we have three encryption products: PGP freeware, PGP for Personal >Privacy, and PGP for Business Security. Corporate Message Recovery is >included *only* in PGP for Business Security. It is not, and never will >be, in either the freeware or the Personal Privacy product. If this is true (and I have no reason to believe it isn't), then why is the key escrow code written (although not turned on) in the source code for 5.0 that was posted internationally from PGP? Makes no sense. Bruce >http://simson.vineyard.net/clips/96.SJMN.PGPBusinessEdition.html .... > PRETTY LOOSE PRIVACY >[...] > Published: April 2, 1996 > BY SIMSON L. GARFINKEL .... > That has not stopped Zimmermann from complaining loudly about the PGP > name being used in a product that allows someone other than the author > or the intended recipient access to information. Viacrypt owns the > licensing rights to sell the commercial versions of PGP. > > ''PGP does not stand for back doors,'' said Zimmermann. ''I don't mind > if they sell a program that has a back door in it, but they shouldn't > call it PGP.'' >[...] > ''If your employer can read your mail anytime he wants, without your > permission, that goes against the spirit of the PGP trademark,'' said > Zimmermann. ********************************************************************** Bruce Schneier, President, Counterpane Systems Phone: 612-823-1098 101 E Minnehaha Parkway, Minneapolis,MN 55419 Fax: 612-823-1590 http://www.counterpane.com

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Re: your mail
by Anonymous 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

>>> >>>Here is a cool test!! Just write everything down and find out >>everything you >>>need to know about yourself. My answers were GREAT (and some true) >see >>how >>>yours turn out! :-) Don't strain yourlsef thinking though! >>> >>> >>>Chapter I >>> >>>Arrange the following 5 animals according to your preference: >>> >>>Cow >>> >>>Tiger >>> >>>Sheep >>> >>>Horse >>> >>>Monkey >>> >>> >>>Chapter II >>> >>>Describe the following : >>> >>>Dog >>> >>>Cat >>> >>>Rat >>> >>>Coffee >>> >>>Ocean >>> >>> >>>Chapter III >>> >>>Think of somebody (who also knows you) that you can relate to the >>following >>>colors : >>>( Pls. don't repeat your answer twice only one person for each color) >>> >>>Yellow >>> >>>Orange >>> >>>Red >>> >>>White >>> >>>Green >>> >>>And finally indicate your favorite number and favorite day >>> >>> >>>-----------------------------------------------------(See >>interpretations >>>below) : >>> >>>But before going on, just make one wish.......=) >>> >>> >>> >>>Chapter I >>> >>>(This will define your priorities in life) >>> >>>Cow means career >>> >>>Tiger means pride >>> >>>Sheep means love >>> >>>Horse means family >>> >>>Monkey means money >>> >>> >>>Chapter II >>> >>>Your description of Dog implies your own personality >>> >>>Your description of Cat implies your partner's personality >>> >>>Your description of Rat implies your enemy's personality >>> >>>Your description of Coffee is how you interpret sex >>> >>>Your description of Ocean implies your own life >>> >>> >>>Chapter III >>> >>>Yellow - somebody who will never forget you >>> >>>Orange - someone whom you can consider as your real friend >>> >>>Red - someone you really love >>> >>>White - your soulmate >>> >>>Green - a person who will you always remember for the rest of your >>life >>> >>>Your favorite number will be the number of persons you will be sending >>this >>>test to and the favorite day will be the day that your dream will >come >>true! >>> >>>Hope you had fun! > > > >______________________________________________________ >Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com > > <---- End Forwarded Message ---->

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Secret Information
by Newfile＠man.net 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

To be removed from future mailings, please e-mail us at: alphadat(a)gosnet.com with REMOVE typed in the subject header. *><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><*><* Secret Information Hello Do you like secret information? If you do, then look at this ** http://www.infoacess.com/users/alphadata ** You will find valuable information regarding your legal right to brand new credit. Think about it...would you like to have brand new credit? Visit our website and find out how you can! Our program is fast, effective, easy and it's also a very well kept secret. Thank You

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[news] Azalea releases encryption software
by Vipul Ved Prakash 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

*** Azalea releases encryption software Azalea Software has just released three new encryption and security products: DESTools v1.5, BlowfishTools v1.5 and SHATools v1.0. All three packages are SDK's (software developers kits) targeting Windows developers who need to add encryption and security features to the applications they write. DESTools and BlowfishTools provide encryption and decryption based on the DES (Data Encryption Standard) and Blowfish algorithms respectively. DES provides 56-bit keys and is used extensively in banking and finance. (PR Newswire) For the full text story, http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=5315843-c31 -- Powell lingered. "How's Earth?" It was a conventional enough question and Muller gave the conventional answer, "Still spinning." -- "Reason", Asimov. ================================================================== Vipul Ved Prakash | - Electronic Security & Crypto vipul(a)best.com | - Web Objects 91 11 2233328 | - PERL Development 198 Madhuban IP Extension | - Linux & Open Systems Delhi, INDIA 110 092 | - Networked Virtual Spaces

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US Terrorist Targets
by John Young 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

US State Department today published the latest list of terrorist organizations (and multiple aliases) which are now targets of sanctions: http://jya.com/dos100897.txt And related foreign assets control announcement: http://jya.com/fac100897.txt ---------- List summary: Abu Nidal Organization Abu Sayyaf Group Armed Islamic Group Aum Shinrikyo Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine-Hawatmeh Faction Euzkadi Ta Askatasuna Gama'a al-Islamiyya HAMAS Harakat ul-Ansar Hizballah Japanese Red Army al-Jihad Kach Kahane Chai Khmer Rouge Kurdistan Workers' Party Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam Manuel Rodriguez Patriotic Front Dissidents Mujahedin-e Khalq Organization National Liberation Army Palestine Islamic Jihad-Shaqaqi Faction Palestine Liberation Front--Abu Abbas Faction Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine--General Command Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia Revolutionary Organization 17 November Revolutionary People's Liberation Party/Front Revolutionary People's Struggle Shining Path Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Movement

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Re: access to storage keys, NOT comms keys!
by Anonymous 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Here is what leading cryptographers say about email key recovery, from http://www.crypto.com/key_study/report.shtml. This includes respected figures like Bruce Schneier, Matt Blaze, Ron Rivest, Ross Anderson, Whit Diffie, and more. 2.1 Communication Traffic vs. Stored Data While key ``recoverability'' is a potentially important added-value feature in certain stored data systems, in other applications of cryptography there is little or no user demand for this feature. In particular, there is hardly ever a reason for an encryption user to want to recover the key used to protect a communication session such as a telephone call, FAX transmission, or Internet link. If such a key is lost, corrupted, or otherwise becomes unavailable, the problem can be detected immediately and a new key negotiated. There is also no reason to trust another party with such a key. Key recoverability, to the extent it has a private-sector application at all, is useful only for the keys used to protect irreproducible stored data. There is basically no business model for other uses, as discussed below. In stored data applications, key recovery is only one of a number of options for assuring the continued availability of business-critical information. These options include sharing the knowledge of keys among several individuals (possibly using secret-sharing techniques), obtaining keys from a local key registry that maintains backup copies, careful backup management of the plaintext of stored encrypted data, or, of course, some kind of key recovery mechanism. The best option among these choices depends on the particular application and user. Encrypted electronic mail is an interesting special case, in that it has the characteristics of both communication and storage. Whether key recovery is useful to the user of a secure E-mail system depends on design of the particular system. The government, on the other hand, proposes a key recovery infrastructure that applies to virtually all cryptographic keys, including (especially) those used to protect communications sessions. They say that key recovery is not appropriate for transient keys used during a communication session. However, email is a special case, having characteristics of both communication and storage. In some systems, email may be archived for long periods of time in the same format that it was received. For such systems there is a business case for key recovery in email.

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