- cypherpunks-legacy - lists.cpunks.org

Re: Netscape (foreign downloads)
by Arun Mehta 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

At 01:11 23/07/96 -0700, Jeff Weinstein wrote: > I certainly have sympathy for those who want to make a point >by uploading our US software to hacktic and other foreign servers, >but I think that my company will probably have to ask hacktic >and others to remove these copies. > And what are your plans for those outside the US who have downloaded from hacktic? While I'm sure your copyright allows you to do so, don't suppose you have any plans of going after them? Suppose I, as a foreigner, were to obtain a copy Arun Mehta Phone +91-11-6841172, 6849103 amehta(a)cpsr.org http://www.cerfnet.com/~amehta/ finger amehta(a)cerfnet.com for public key

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RE: Distributed DES crack
by Andy Brown 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

On 24 July 1996 12:11, pjn(a)nworks.com wrote: > You are assuming that we will not get the right equasion/code/whatever > untill the very end. There is a good chance that it will only take > half that time...and a slim chance that we will get it with the first > try... My figures were based on 2^55 tries, which is exactly half of 2^56. - Andy

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Pachinko Cards in WSJ
by moulton＠netcom.com 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

The July 24 1996 edition of the Wall Street Journal has a front page article about the "cashless Pachinko cards" in Japan which resulted in losses for several businesses. This was discussed in cypherpunks when the story originally broke months ago. The article in the WSJ relates how the cards were the results of fears that the money laundered from the pachinko halls was being sent to North Korea to fund the nuclear program there. The CIA provided intelligence about this to the Japanese authorities according to the article. Far too many details to summarize here, I suggest those who are interested read it. Fred

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OPS_nuk
by jya＠pipeline.com 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

The WSJ Page Ones a loser's game about the CIA's role in promoting Japanese pachinko cards to halt the surreptitious funneling of betting cash to the construction of a North Korean nuclear plant. And the op's nuking by the Kobe quake looting of card-reading mechanisms, cracking encryption codes, and counterfeiting not-so-smart cards for counter- tipping the house fix. Mondex, watcher bleedin arse. ----- http://jya.com/opsnuk.txt OPS_nuk

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Re: Digital Watermarks for copy protection in recent Billbo
by Alex F 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

> >Yes, but concievably if (whoever would be incharge, FBI?) *could*, > >under law do this, even if they are wrong. It is a lot harder to > >prove that they intentionally harrassed *you* than it is for them to > >say that they were following leads and show evidence. Yes, this may > > To go to trial, an indictment would be needed. How likely is this? The likelyness is irrelevant to the point. Possibility is relevant. Probability is not. > Discussion of "in theory they could arrest you" points often neglects the > realities of the legal system. Does that really matter? . In REALITY, it will never be enforced. So what? The potential is still there, and in essence, that is ALL that matters! The discussion of "in theory...." doesn't neglect the realities of the legal system, rather it highlights the POTENTIAL for abuse. Even if the law is never enforced, could it not be used as an example to justify other laws that *may* be introduced? Does it not set a dangerous precedent? We are talking about dangerous empowerment here. Hmm. The arguement "well, we would never REALLY enforce it" just doesn't hold water with me, and makes me uncomfortable. > A large fraction of pawnshop items have questionable provenance, the items > having been stolen at some time in the past. Could J. Random Buyer who > walks in, sees an item he likes, buys it, and walks out with it be > handcuffed and taken down the lockup for the crime of buying stolen > property? Doubtful, in the real world. And defense would be ridicuously > easy. A defense would be easy, fine. But it would still cost $$$. Do you see what I am getting at? This is done ALL THE TIME (no, not at pawn brokers. I'm talking about taking advantage of either cost or time to get what you want). > A trivial increase in frequency, and still not allowing the hypothesized 30 > KHz signal to be added. DATs often sample at 44 and 48 KHz, switchably. The > CD standard is of course still what it is. That's not the point. What we are talking about here is a covert channel. Whether it is at 30KHZ, 22KHz or right in the middle of the audible range. Mine was ONE proposal, a theory of sorts, thought up off of the top of my head as a possible way of doing this. You can also add a digital serial number right in the audible range, if you like. Static that is recorded along with analog sound is at certain frequency ranges, typically. When you have a disk that holds 640Mb or so the serial number's size is trivial in comparison. Sending the whole number at once will barely be audible even if in a good frequency range simply because of speed. If you send it in bits and pieces during the song, and furthermore record this data in the middle of the frequency range where static is located, you won't hear it anyway. However certain devices will be able to read the data w/o problem. Similarly, you have a CD, let's say Beethoven's 9th symphony. You have ~640 MB on the CD. If you want to sneak someone an encrypted message, say a top secret document and it is compressed down to 1K, then putting this into the audio signal as described above is fairly trivial. The other end doesn't even need to know bit counts. The document can be spreadout, reversed, whatever and just signaled w/ a flag (much like PPP and other protocols). All the other end needs to decode is a flag at a set frequency range, both of which can be constantly changed. interestingly, Alex F =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Alex F alexf(a)iss.net Marketing Specialist Internet Security Systems =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

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Re: Digital Watermarks (long, getting off-topic)
by jim bell 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

At 02:14 PM 7/24/96 +0200, Gary Howland wrote: >Timothy C. May wrote: > >> Pre-recorded DAT tapes were available for a while...they did not sell. I >> believe this was because DAT machine purchasers were sophisticated and new >> how to make CD-to-DAT copies, with or without SCMS. > >Don't forget that pre-recorded DAT tapes are at least an order of >magnitude more expensive to manufacture than CDs. Isn't it odd that when music is sold, CD's are MORE expensive than cassette tapes, even though you _know_ that the manufacturing cost of CD's is less? Another oddity: The price for a blank, standard-quality videocassette is about the same as that of a blank, standard-quality audio cassette tape, despite the fact that the volume of tape included in the former is probably about a factor of 10 higher. Jim Bell jimbell(a)pacifier.com

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FTP Software Licenses Pretty Good Privacy 07/23/96
by reagle＠rpcp.mit.edu 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

HAMBURG, GERMANY, 1996 JUL 23 (NB) -- By Sylvia Dennis. FTP Software, the Internet/connectivity software company, has licensed Pretty Good Privacy's encryption technology of the same name (PGP). Plans now call for FTP to integrate PGP within its range of TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol) software. Under the terms of the agreement, PGP has licensed its encryption software to FTP for use in OnNet32 2.0 for Windows 95 and Windows NT, both versions of which will ship in the third quarter of this year on both sides of the Atlantic. Tom Steding, PGP's chief executive officer, said that a critical piece of the company's business strategy is to proliferate the "seamless integration of encryption technology" within e-mail applications programs. "We see this partnership as a powerful combination of two leaders who, together, will use their considerable market weight and technical expertise to promote and enhance the PGP towards becoming a universally accepted industry standard," he said. According to Rebecca Buisan, product marketing manager with FTP, the company has made several enhancements to OnNet32 to integrate PGP into its basic functions. There is now a two icon system which allows users to access a tool bar, designating options to encrypt or decrypt a message, and make a digital signature. Mail messages can also be left on a server or computer in an encrypted format, to be decrypted and read at will. "Experience has proven that cryptography only works if implemented effectively, so that it is simple for the user," she explained. According to Buisan, FTP has conducted extensive human factors testing to fine-tune PGP's cryptographic software into a "flexible and intuitive application that people will be encouraged to use." According to FTP, its implementation of the PGP encryption software is interoperable with current freeware versions available for free download from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) or one of the many other FTP (File Transfer Protocol) sites that distribute the package. The MIT site is at http://web.mit.edu/pgp . PGP was originally developed in 1991 by Phil Zimmerman. The package allowed PC users, for the first time, to send information in a secure encrypted format without fear of intervention. FTP's Web site is at http://www.ftp.com . (19960722/Press & Reader Contact: Manuela Dorken, FTP Software, +49-89-614130, Internet e-mail manuela(a)ftp.com; PGP, 415-631-1747, Internet e-mail info(a)viacrypt.com)

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Re: NSA Lawyers Believe ITARs Would be Overturned if Tested in Court
by Arun Mehta 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

At 21:32 21/07/96 -0800, jim bell wrote: > Why aren't they (still) restricting >PC-type computers for export? Because, I imagine, it did not stop the clones from Taiwan, but severely hurt US computer manufacturers. Ultimately, this is the argument that will bring the US government kicking and screaming to its senses on the cryptography issue. Arun Mehta Phone +91-11-6841172, 6849103 amehta(a)cpsr.org http://www.cerfnet.com/~amehta/ finger amehta(a)cerfnet.com for public key

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Would Netscape take money for 'exported' copies?
by Arun Mehta 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

At 22:13 23/07/96 -0400, Anonymous Remail Service wrote: >As I have said before, European & other foreign users, who get the strong- >crypto version should pay Netscape what they owe Netscape, to keep the ITAR >as the issue, and not piracy. Yes, but could/would Netscape even take our money? Wouldn't that be complicity (IA obviously NAL)? I'd imagine they'd just return the money, and tell us to please destroy our copies of the software. Arun Mehta Phone +91-11-6841172, 6849103 amehta(a)cpsr.org http://www.cerfnet.com/~amehta/ finger amehta(a)cerfnet.com for public key

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Re: Parsing John Youn (Re: OPS_nuk)
by jya＠pipeline.com 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

On Jul 25, 1996 03:46:19, 'tcmay(a)got.net (Timothy C. May)' wrote: >P.S. John Young does an invaluable service in forwarding items and making them >available at his site, but I find parsing his text into something >understandable a real chore. Too bad when style gets in the way of substance, >unless, of course, ones aspires to Joycehood. Tim, pity the moot transcriber a-choring (spit). It's a grind (pus) forwarding other's fishwrap (buggers), hardly able to contain one's gibbering idiocy (pee) counterreaction to the new's gratuitous fatuity (dookie). Usually, though, one's bowel-rumblings (Bic lits) pass unnosed in the c'punk parfumerie.

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