- cypherpunks-legacy - lists.cpunks.org

Re: The Right to Keep and Bear Crypto
by jim bell 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

At 10:09 AM 10/3/96 -0700, Bill Stewart wrote: >At 08:29 PM 10/2/96 -0700, azur(a)netcom.com (Steve Schear) wrote: >>Unless we get the strong support of the gun lobby and NRA. > >The gun lobby and NRA are generally against handgun registration, >but haven't stopped it. We're against crypto key registration. >The gun lobby and NRA are generally against machine gun licensing requirements, >but haven't stopped it. We're against strong crypto licensing requirements. >The gun lobby and NRA are generally against firearms dealers' licensing, >but haven't stopped it. We're against crypto dealers' licensing. >The gun lobby and NRA are generally against assault weapon import laws, >but haven't stopped them. We're against strong crypto import laws. If the wimps at the NRA had any guts, they would poll their membership, asking if anybody would be willing to make "the sacrifice" (presumably due to a recent terminal illness diagnosis). Then, they'd get on the phone to the Supreme Court, and point out that they'd just noticed that Supreme Court appoints were ONLY "good for life" and suggest nicely that if all of the above outrages (WRT guns) weren't reversed within the year, they predict about nine open seats shortly thereafter. Okay, maybe it's only wishful thinking, but... If you take the position that all human life is equally valuable, then you must concede that the deaths of nine fools is no worse than the deaths of nine randomly-selected individuals who found themselves the victim of gun laws. Crypto relevancy? Well, the so-called "gun nuts" have already tolerated far more regulation and restriction of guns than we should ever accept. But if we use their tactics, can we expect any better results? Jim Bell jimbell(a)pacifier.com

1 0

Re: NYT on IBM GAK
by jim bell 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

At 07:51 AM 10/3/96 -0500, Adam Shostack wrote: >Rich Burroughs wrote: > >| The word "boycott" leaped into my mind. I personally do not believe that I >| will be buying products from any of these companies, as long as thay >| participate in this GAK charade. > > Folks, > Lets be reasonable. Its time to jump on board the GAK >bandwagon. After all, where better to disrupt the music? We need to >start writing GAK software, and it better be up to the high standards >that the NSA sets for itself. > > Once we've written it, and its being distributed, we can say >'See, another broken bit of GAK software. Not even the NSA could get >it right. Our data is too important to be using broken software to >protect us.' > And we have 56 bit exportability in hand. >Adam The problem is that the appearance of defeat could easily guaranteee the real defeat itself. Jim Bell jimbell(a)pacifier.com

1 0

Re: support for "crack DES"
by Omegaman 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

> NetScape might not hawg the glory, but Bully Billy will trumpet > to the world that HE devised the means, HE directed the breakers, > and MicroSlop is the "benevolent" [read greedy, vicious, corrupt, > threatening predator] organization which "pulled freedom loving > Americans clear from the *very* mouth the the beast." Considering the situation -- considering that RSA has even signed on to this scheme -- I'd have to say that I don't give a rat's ass what Bill Gates claims. If Micro$oft bucks the system, I'll gladly applaud their stand. The situation is not good at all. Cracking DES (whether distributed or through a hardware crack, or both!) seems critical at this point. me -------------------------------------------------------------- Omegaman <mailto:omega@bigeasy.com> PGP Key fingerprint = 6D 31 C3 00 77 8C D1 C2 59 0A 01 E3 AF 81 94 63 Send a message with the text "get key" in the "Subject:" field to get a copy of my public key. --------------------------------------------------------------

1 0

Flood Warning
by jya＠pipeline.com 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

BSDI To Share "SYN-Flooding" Protection Software This code is freely available via BSDI's Web and FTP sites at www.bsdi.com and ftp.bsdi.com. TIS will license its encryption key recovery technology to Atalla The agreement comes on the heels of two other recent developments: a new Administration policy regarding export controls on strong encryption, and TIS and Atalla's participation in a new computer industry alliance to promote adoption of a worldwide standard for encryption key recovery. RecoverKey supports the Administration's new policy by allowing emergency recovery of an encrypted message or file. This technology, patented by TIS and first approved by the U.S. government for export in January 1996, is fundamental to approaches now being considered as the basis for a new global standard. For more on RecoverKey, see: http://www.tis.com/docs/products/cke/index.html High-Tech Leaders Join Forces to Enable International Strong Encryption See: http://www.ibm.com/news/alliance2.htm ----- http://jya.com/floodd.txt ftp://jya.com/pub/incoming/floodd.txt

2 1

Re: The New GAK-Clipper Thing will Fail
by jim bell 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

At 11:11 AM 10/3/96 -0800, Timothy C. May wrote: > >Comparing the latest GAK/Clipper III (or is it Clipper IV?) thing to the >original Clipper announcement in April 1993, I sense a lot more confusion, >a lot more thorny issues, and a lot more vagueness. They just seem more >disorganized and less committed than the last time around. Each iteration >of Clipper gets less focussed and seems to last a shorter time before the >next version is being talked about. A good thing, of course. Sort of like a "political" version of Zeno's paradox? B^) > >Some random points: >--the large pool of _existing_ crypto products means people will be using >these products for years to come (possibly within GAK wrappers, as just >noted)...unless the New World Order (tm) somehow locates, seizes, or >otherwise makes criminals out of those who use a once-legal product, how >could this be stopped? And I suspect that there will be large numbers of people using non-GAK simply as a protest. Trying to convict even one of them will be difficult; the government has to admit that they're not doing anything illegal, etc. Yet, if the gov't FAILS to prosecute them, that'll destroy an law requiring GAK. [snip] >(On the "costs" issue, running these Key Authorities, staffing them, >complying with subpoenas (and who will _fight_ the subpoenas?), I think it would be appropriate to contact each of the companies which have publicly signed on to this most recent propsal (Clipper 3.XX? Clipper IV?) and point out that (if they still won't revoke their approval) they should publicly and irrevocably commit to challenge each and every key subpoena with a full legal challenge (to the SC if necessary), INCLUDING informing and participation of the key owner/user, with all of his attorney fees paid for by an insurance policy issued specifically for the purpose. This process would probably take at least months, if not years. (This is important, because I believe that wiretaps have set a false precedent: AT+T (before breakup) and local telcos afterwards, being monopolies, had no motivation to challenge wiretap orders, and the practice was to not inform those tapped, perhaps not even after the tap was removed. There is no reason to assume, however, that key-escrow systems should follow that precedent, because the relationship between AT+T and government was not an "arm's length" one. Presumably, key-escrow companies should be entitled, no REQUIRED to verify the legitimacy of any key-release. "It's only fair!" ) The resulting legal atmosphere would become so distasteful to the Dept. of Injustice that it would make key escrow useless as a practical tool, even though it would exist as a technicality. If the DOI objected, companies need merely say the magic words "Richard Jewell" and all ordinary citizens would recognize the problem. The point, of course, is NOT to encourage these companies to support Clipper IV. Rather, goal is to suggest to them a "poison pill" which would make their cooperation meaningless in the end, while at the same time giving them a 2-year free 56-bit export. Think of it as a monkey-wrench they can throw into the works. We can use such a proposal as a sort-of "loyalty to freedom and their fellow citizens oath" because any company which refused such a REASONABLE protection to ordinary citizens would be, in effect, giving their middle finger to the public. Jim Bell jimbell(a)pacifier.com

1 0

RE: The Right to Keep and Bear Crypto
by jim bell 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

At 11:39 AM 10/3/96 -0400, Mullen Patrick wrote: >This may (will?) limit the products which are produced by large corporations, >as their need for a single, globally distributable product is respected. >However, smaller companies who have neither the desire nor finances to >distribute their product on a global scale will be unaffected. Shareware/ >freeware products will also be unaffected (unless someone from another >country pulls it off a website, or similar means). > >However, all of this is irrelevant, because I must say, Tim May has the >proper idea -- We may have the right to bear crypto, but the government >has the right to limit the types/amounts of crypto we bear. > >** Success in this matter is classifying crypto as speech ** >Patrick While I agree we shouldn't push the crypto/arms connection, on the other hand I think we can push BACK: If the government tries to equate crypto with arms,take the position that while we disagree with this equation, to the extent the government is using it, it must take the good with the bad and accept the "keep and bear arms" interpretation literally. Jim Bell jimbell(a)pacifier.com

1 0

paging nets
by Jeff Ubois 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Interesting recycled bits from Newsbytes concerning a BBC story drawn from Usenet: BBC Blows Radiopager Security Systems Wide Open LONDON, ENGLAND, 1996 OCT 2 (NB) -- By Steve Gold. The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) has revealed that radiopaging messages on the UK's paging networks can be read by anyone with a radio scanner and suitable PC software. In addition, the British TV company claims that it is also possible to insert bogus messages onto the paging networks using instructions on the Internet. ... BBC journalists, meanwhile, said that UK radiopaging transmissions were unencrypted and, as such, were insecure when viewed alongside digital cellular phones, where signals are encrypted. ...the BBC claimed it had been shown messages reporting on the activities of Tony Blair, the head of the British Labor Party, along with a message referring to a residence of a member of Royalty. Newsbytes noted that the same system is used in the US.

1 0

EzStego in Java!: Now Disappearing At A Site Near You
by romana＠glamazon.com 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

EzStego, my tool for "steganography made easy", now has its own web site at http://www.fqa.com/ezstego/ EzStego is currently alpha software. Use it at your own risk. It is a reimplementation in Java, with much improvement, of my notorious shareware product, Stego. EzStego is also shareware. I have made the source code available for peer review and verification. EzStego and EzSteggy are (C) Romana Machado 1996. All rights reserved. Romana Machado romana(a)fqa.com http://www.fqa.com/romana/ http://www.glamazon.com/

1 0

Re: Censorship?
by Omegaman 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

> What say ye?? > > :From: Zimm2(a)gnn.com (Zimm2) > :Newsgroups: alt.security.pgp > :Subject: Cypherpunks engaged in censorship? > :Date: Wed, 02 Oct 1996 08:39:50 > : > :It has come to my attention that Cypherpunks no longer allows users of > :Microsoft browsers to access their archives. The "cypherpunks archives" is not owned by the cypherpunks or maintained by toad.com (which is the host of the actual list). The owner of infinity.nus.sg/cypherpunks webpage maintains the archive. It is his effort and his choice to restrict the browser. Anyone is free to provide an archive the list. And anyone can read the list. > :Is it contradictory for an organization who proclaims an interest in the free > :exchange of ideas through the mechanism of the Internet to limit the exchange > :of ideas using an individual's software decisions as the criteria? Agreed. But the cypherpunks is not an "organization" in the strictest sense. The only "official" aspect of cypherpunks is the list hosted at toad.com. > :Are issues of annonymity and privacy and the encouragement of private use of > :powerful encryption and remailer tools secondary to and less important than a > :crusade against a software manufacturer? Of course not. But the owner of http://infinity.nus.sg/cypherpunks disagrees and since it's his website and he pays for it and compiles it... me -------------------------------------------------------------- Omegaman <mailto:omega@bigeasy.com> PGP Key fingerprint = 6D 31 C3 00 77 8C D1 C2 59 0A 01 E3 AF 81 94 63 Send a message with the text "get key" in the "Subject:" field to get a copy of my public key. --------------------------------------------------------------

1 0

Re: support for "crack DES"
by jim bell 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

At 01:26 PM 10/3/96 +0000, Omegaman wrote: >Considering the situation -- considering that RSA has even signed on >to this scheme -- I'd have to say that I don't give a rat's ass what >Bill Gates claims. If Micro$oft bucks the system, I'll gladly >applaud their stand. > >The situation is not good at all. > >Cracking DES (whether distributed or through a hardware crack, or >both!) seems critical at this point. Just remember that it would be far better to make the crack look easy, than to make it look hard. quantity 9000+, $1,000 Pentiums for a year (plus maybe $500,000 in electricity) looks "hard." 1000 dedicated chips (whether they be FPGA or custom or...) for 1.5 months or so looks "easy." The latter crack looks far more likely to be repeated. The former is OBVIOUSLY a stunt. Jim Bell jimbell(a)pacifier.com

2 1