At this point, someone will probably claim that the export of a mere signature (or the XOR between a sig'd and a non-sig'd file) is, itself, prohibited from export under ITAR. However, I've pointed out in the past that even if that export is illegal, it could be done by an unknown "volunteer", possibly using means as innocuous as a paper envelope (with no return address?) mailed to a confederate outside the US. Later, it could be mailed back to the (foreign) company who wanted it in the first place. The foreign company would, of course, NOT be guilty of any export violation, because it had no part in the export, and it would just be a beneficiary of some (guilty) anonymous prankster's action. This tactic would not benefit a domestic, US manufacturer of crypto software, because it still would have to export thousands or even million of copies of that software. Also, another question occurred to me, today: Let's suppose a piece of software was written which is designed to run on a Microsoft API, IF SIGNED. If it isn't signed, it won't do anything. Does that mean that it's legal to export, since it can't actually do any encryption? If so, we may have the last laugh yet. At 11:45 PM 7/9/96 -0700, Mike Ingle wrote:

It's even easier than that. Remember, signatures are detachable from the data. You import the software, MS signs it, you export the signature, and reattach it to the software.

Mike

...

Couldn't somebody IMPORT a piece of encryption software, have it signed by Microsoft, then take the XOR of the signed and unsigned software and export it? (It's not a tool capable of encryption...)

Or: Microsoft presumably has foreign branches, or at least it could easily afford to set up one. What's to stop Microsoft from signing foreign encryption software outside of the US? The software is never exported (since it's already outside the country...), so there's no USA-law involv ement. Jim Bell jimbell@pacifier.com

Jim Bell jimbell@pacifier.com