Actively Sabotaging Clipper and Capstone?

[Mike McNally]

Timothy C. May writes:
 > Hey, I've just been told in e-mail that my $200,000 figure for the
 > Clipper keys (a tape or compilation of the ones that are held in
 > escrow) is way too low, probably by two orders of magnitude.
 > 
 > Maybe so, as having these keys could mean a lot.

Indeed.  If/when this technology becomes widespread, to the
right/wrong people this data will become an exceedingly valuable
target for theft or destruction.  We're talking outlandish James Bond
plots here; it becomes realistically worthwhile.

If you're an organization with no special love for the US Government
and plenty of resources at your disposal, would you choose to go
through the pain and labor of trying to break the cryptosystem when
you know the keys are all sitting around in a couple of filing
cabinets?

--
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