-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- At 10:44 PM 2/17/96 -0500, SINCLAIR DOUGLAS N wrote:
If you have a secure link you don't need encryption. Arguably, the converse is true; if you have secure encryption you don't need a secure link. Isn't the ability to transmit secure data over insecure channels one of the primary justifications for encryption?
Of course. My point, though I seem to have failed to state it, is that encryption is a cheap software thing while laser beams are expensive, complicated, and still not secure.
I tend to agree. But my position is a bit more "middle of the road": We _should_ use laser/LED links, but we should encrypt the link with encryption sufficiently strong (IDEA/1024-bit RSA key) to make interception of the beam pointless. I think what's needed from the IC companies is a chip somewhat analogous to the UARTS (TR1602/AY5-1013) (which were "new" in about the 1975 time frame), but one which maintains one half of a bidirectional link with NSA-proof encryption. It wouldn't matter what the physical medium was, it would "handle it." They'd be given "authority" over link signal amplitude, and would be able to monitor link integrity/error rate to anticipate incipient link failures. (caused by electronic/mechanical failure, growth of vegetation, corrosion, and other items.) (I know, I know, shades of 2001! "Open the pod bay door, Hal!") During periods of low usage, it would occasionally automatically engage in link margin testing, etc, and automatically generate/transmit extremely-long period pseudorandom data to prevent snoopers from doing any sort of traffic-density analysis on the working link. If the chip was given mechanical authority over beam-pointing, the chip could also do auto-align test functions to compensate for misalignment, etc. Alignment would be kept "perfect." While I'm no IC-design expert, considering the fact that chips commonly possess at least 1000 times as many transistors as they did in 1974, they SHOULD be able to implement such a chip easily enough. Lazy bastards. Jim Bell jimbell@pacifier.com -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: 2.6.2 iQCVAwUBMSezPPqHVDBboB2dAQGu1gP+J1t3aagiHVoSE0ETiid2TPYw1wCBxi5H znvWIHbic9VNMnBo1ZkeSiR86Xi/C311CB526vRZnzNyUNuk8vF55MxGY7FRf1sn xGvH0n+b3Y4XR3NsJP0cazLhmDZocjTTjiRDGMSFt4wwLt0SqiLbrxQ/WkcB6ee+ /17ORpzAafk= =klc5 -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----