Printers betray document secrets

[John Young]

Bear in mind that typewrites have been traced by the
minute, unique characteristics of the metal face of 
character producers, whether lever-type or ball. The 
FBI has been doing this quite a while.

Micro-forensics of the unique printing mechanism of each
machine is likely possible. Identification in this manner 
would have nothing to do with toner cartridges or machine 
numbers, although it would probably take a sophisticated
laboratory to make the match.

As with most intelligence involving technology, it is not
the obvious that reveals but conceals the less than
obvious, at several depths of deception. Software 
registration numbers don't mean much compared to 
what is snarfed when you log on to register a product -- 
not to mention those sneaky handshakes of PKs and 
TTPs and SSHs and Extra-Secure Certificates.

Take a gander at a Wash Post Op-Ed from a few
days ago that explained what has been explained
years ago on this sacred list about technological
and intelligence deception, in particular the role
of media yokeling the public:


http://cryptome.org/intel-pr.htm

To be sure the Op-Ed, written by someone at MIT's
Security Studies Center (wah!), may be an example of 
what it speaks, but not this message from god: there will
be no casualities, James, dogdamn it, no pain and
suffering, just lip flapping about the horror deserved.