INteresting tidbit

[JOlson]

The following text is an e-mail I picked up from a firewall listserver.

Return-Path: <jolson3 at netbox.com>
Date: Tue, 28 May 1996 10:03:11 -0700
X-Sender: bstout at osc.hidata.com
To: Firewalls at GreatCircle.COM, Return requested <firewalls at GreatCircle.COM>
From: Bill Stout <bill.stout at hidata.com>
Subject: Re: Encryption Technology
Sender: firewalls-owner at GreatCircle.COM

Real-To:  Bill Stout <bill.stout at hidata.com>

At 09:05 PM 5/22/96 -0700, Michael Dillon wrote:
>...
>RTFM
><SNIP - Other literary content deleted>

On the Encryption note, and I swear not along the lines of the 'DOJ' 
and 'FBI Snooping' Big-Brother events, I heard another story recently.

# begin story

A person working on the MBONE project did an unannounced experiment
across the internet using Triple-DES for MBONE, and the very next day, 
'ATF' agents knocked on his door and warned him against exporting 
munitions.  The experimentor was shaken by the fact that agents 
approached him so quickly after the experiment.

# end story

Extrapolations of fact:
   1.   Internet traffic is monitored.
   2.   The ability to snoop for encrypted traffic is present
   3.   The ability to identify encryption levels is present
        (How else can they differentiate DES-1 from DES-3?)
   4.   The ability to crack DES-1 in near real-time mode is present.
        (See above).
   5.   If above=true, then Feds dropping the Zimmerman PGP case probably
        also points to it also being crackable in a similar manner.
   6.   Using encryption only flags traffic for capture and decryption, 
        using strong encryption makes you all that more interesting.

Sorry, couldn't resist.  I'll try not to start a threads about 
electro-plasma propulsion craft at Area 51, metallic-ceramic skin 
and pulse-jets on the Aurora spy plane, heat-imaging video cameras 
on satellites and planes that can watch you through your houses' roof, 
etc.  :)

Bill