NSA responds to criticism over weakening cellular crypto

[Declan McCullagh]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Thu, 20 Mar 1997 15:50:40 -0800 (PST)
From: Declan McCullagh <declan at well.com>
To: fight-censorship-announce at vorlon.mit.edu
Subject: NSA responds to criticism over weakening cellular crypto

John Markoff writes in today's NYT:

	Several telecommunications industry officials said the
	pressure came from the National Security Agency, which feared
	that stronger encryption technology might allow criminals or
	terrorists to conspire with impunity by cellular phones.

	But independent security experts now say that the code is easy
	enough to crack that anyone with sufficient technical skills
	could make and sell a monitoring device that would be as easy
	to use as a police scanner is.

Below the NSA's Clint Brooks responds to Dave Banisar.

-Declan

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Thu, 20 Mar 1997 18:08:28 -0500
From: Dave Banisar <Banisar at epic.org>

>Date: Thu, 20 Mar 1997 17:35:44 -0500
>From: Clinton Brooks <cbrooks at romulus.ncsc.mil>
>Reply-To: cbrooks at romulus.ncsc.mil
>MIME-Version: 1.0
>To: banisar at epic.org
>CC: "Brooks, Clinton" <cbrooks at romulus.ncsc.mil>
>Subject: Cellular Phone Flaw
>
>Dave,
>
>   Re your comments on the flaw apparently found in cellular phones:
>
>   We have released the following statement:
>
>   "NSA had no role in the design or selection of the encryption
>algorithm chosen by the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA).
>NSA also had no role in the design or manufacture of the telephones
>themselves.  As we understand the researchers' claim, it appears that
>the algorithm selected and the way it was implemented in the system has
>led to the stated flaws.
>
>NSA provided the TIA with technical advice on the exportability of these
>devices under U.S. export regulations and processes."
>
>
>								Clint
>


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