| T.R | Title | User | Personal
Name | Date | Lines |
|---|
| 207.2 | Consider merits ? | GAAS::BRAUCHER | | Thu Dec 15 1994 16:53 | 9 |
|
Forget about the solicitation part for a minute.
If cryptographic software is a "munition" (if frogs grew fur), as
the government claims, then wouldn't you have the right to keep
and bear it (the precious second) ? Perhaps this is the judicial
test y'all's been waitin fer...
bb
|
| 207.3 | | WAHOO::LEVESQUE | prepayah to suffah | Fri Dec 16 1994 07:20 | 5 |
| Sounds like a bogus attempt on the part of big brother to prevent us
from having any privacy whatsoever. But Janet Reno's interested in
prying into every aspect of our private lives, especially the flow of
information between private individuals. Why they could be talking
about guns after all...
|
| 207.4 | | CSOA1::LEECH | annuit coeptis novus ordo seclorum | Fri Dec 16 1994 09:19 | 13 |
| Big brother wants to nail him before he can finish his next
project...the secure phone throught the computer thing. Just imaging,
the FBI, BATF, CIA, et-al would be unable to spy on your phone
conversations with ease. Please note that in the last box there was a
discussion on phone tap legislation...big brother wants communications
technology set up a certain way so they can spy on everyone.
It is my guess that justice will NOT be served in this case, and the
little guy (and the American public) will get screwed yet again. We
are too apethetic to do anything about it, though, and the government
powers know it.
-steve
|
| 207.5 | | DASHER::RALSTON | Ain't Life Fun! | Fri Dec 16 1994 09:51 | 16 |
| Back to the basenote.
Phil will lose. The only unregulated industry in this country is the
computer industry. The government powermongers have been searching for
a way to get their claws on an industry that has made great strides in
achievement, unobstructed by government interference. Government and
all bureaucrats would give their eye teeth to steal the honest power
generated by the computer industry. As this progresses watch the
bureaucrats start to find all matter of false reports in order to
convince the american public that the computer industry, including the
internet, needs to be controlled. When this happens the industry will
grind to a halt, putting a stop to the great values that have been
produced. Further advances will be stifled as happened in the medical,
transportation, food, and education industries.
...Tom
|
| 207.6 | If alt.sex.* becomes the main source of traffic, watch out | TNPUBS::JONG | Steve | Fri Dec 16 1994 10:08 | 11 |
| Well, I don't subscribe to the world view Tom expresses. I, of course,
have one of my own. If the Internet falls under government regulation,
it will be because of some excess or outrage. I don't think it's likely
to happen, but I submit that with combination of a Republican (as in
family-values, sexual-purity, and anti-crime) Congress and the explosive
growth of sex-oriented newsgroups, picture-exchange clubs, and
(apocryphal) FTP sites on the Internet might be the combination that
triggers the action.
Either that, or the heat in alt.discussion.politics.newt-gingrich will
get too intense 8^)
|
| 207.1 | | RUSURE::EDP | Always mount a scratch monkey. | Tue Dec 20 1994 13:23 | 10 |
| This topic is for discussion of cryptography, the export of PGP, and
the government's investigation thereof. Discussion of Digital's
solicitation policy should go in topic 183.
-- edp
Public key fingerprint: 8e ad 63 61 ba 0c 26 86 32 0a 7d 28 db e7 6f 75
To find PGP, read note 2688.4 in Humane::IBMPC_Shareware.
|
| 207.7 | | WECARE::GRIFFIN | John Griffin ZKO1-3/B31 381-1159 | Tue Dec 20 1994 15:27 | 11 |
| The Sunday New York Times Magazine ran a feature stroy on Whitfield
Diffie, public key cryptography and the Clipper chip controversy,
I think, in the March-April timeframe of 1994. The story portrayed
Diffie as congressional witness and activist, and talked about other
players in the cryptography world (some of whom have significant
financial investments at stake).
I took a course in cryptography with Diffie a few years ago at
Northeastern. Clear, well-organized lectures -- he's immensely
knowledgeable about the history of cryptography, as well as the
mathematics of it.
|
| 207.8 | | PENUTS::DDESMAISONS | too few args | Tue Dec 20 1994 15:28 | 3 |
|
re last 5 - relevant replies moved here from the "Solicitations" topic
|
| 207.9 | | TOOK::MORRISON | Bob M. LKG1-3/A11 226-7570 | Sat Jan 14 1995 18:43 | 17 |
| > <<< Note 207.5 by DASHER::RALSTON "Ain't Life Fun!" >>>
> produced. Further advances will be stifled as happened in the medical,
> transportation, food, and education industries.
I understand how government interference has "stifled" the medical (drugs,
devices, etc.) industry. How has it stifled advances in transportation?
Sorry to rathole this topic, but I am very interested in transportation
(specifically, rail).
Re PGP: I wonder if the plaintiff can get off the hook if he agrees not to
develop PGP Phone?
I sort of understand why the government feels they must have the capability
to eavesdrop on all communications: paper, voice phone, and Internet. Are
they pursuing this as an export issue because there are no laws on the books
to prevent PGP from being used in the U.S., but they know if PGP can't be ex-
ported, it in effect renders it unusable within the U.S. as well?
Please keep us posted in this topic on what happens in this case.
|
| 207.10 | | RUSURE::EDP | Always mount a scratch monkey. | Tue Aug 22 1995 14:24 | 124 |
| Nutters are crazy, and we can always trust the government to tell the
truth. Sure. Except that while the administration was telling us
Clipper would remain voluntary, the FBI, NSA, and DoJ had concluded it
must not remain voluntary.
-- edp
Public key fingerprint: 8e ad 63 61 ba 0c 26 86 32 0a 7d 28 db e7 6f 75
To find PGP, read note 2688.4 in Humane::IBMPC_Shareware.
From: US2RMC::"[email protected]" "PRIVACY Forum" 19-AUG-1995 20:18:46.32
To: [email protected]
PRIVACY Forum Digest Saturday, 19 August 1995 Volume 04 : Issue 18
Date: 16 Aug 1995 15:57:13
From: "Dave Banisar" <[email protected]>
Subject: FBI Files on Clipper Release
FOR RELEASE: August 16, 1995, 2:00 p.m. EST
CONTACT: David Sobel (202) 544-9240
FBI FILES: CLIPPER MUST BE MANDATORY
WASHINGTON, DC - Newly-released government documents show
that key federal agencies concluded more than two years ago that
the "Clipper Chip" encryption initiative will only succeed if
alternative security techniques are outlawed. The Electronic
Privacy Information Center (EPIC) obtained the documents from the
Federal Bureau of Investigation under the Freedom of Information
Act. EPIC, a non-profit research group, received hundreds of
pages of material from FBI files concerning Clipper and
cryptography.
The conclusions contained in the documents appear to conflict
with frequent Administration claims that use of Clipper technology
will remain "voluntary." Critics of the government's initiative,
including EPIC, have long maintained that the Clipper "key-escrow
encryption" technique would only serve its stated purpose if made
mandatory. According to the FBI documents, that view is shared by
the Bureau, the National Security Agency (NSA) and the Department
of Justice (DOJ).
In a "briefing document" titled "Encryption: The Threat,
Applications and Potential Solutions," and sent to the National
Security Council in February 1993, the FBI, NSA and DOJ concluded
that:
Technical solutions, such as they are, will only work if
they are incorporated into *all* encryption products.
To ensure that this occurs, legislation mandating the
use of Government-approved encryption products or
adherence to Government encryption criteria is required.
Likewise, an undated FBI report titled "Impact of Emerging
Telecommunications Technologies on Law Enforcement" observes that
"[a]lthough the export of encryption products by the United States
is controlled, domestic use is not regulated." The report
concludes that "a national policy embodied in legislation is
needed." Such a policy, according to the FBI, must ensure "real-
time decryption by law enforcement" and "prohibit[] cryptography
that cannot meet the Government standard."
The FBI conclusions stand in stark contrast to public
assurances that the government does not intend to prohibit the use
of non-escrowed encryption. Testifying before a Senate Judiciary
Subcommittee on May 3, 1994, Assistant Attorney General Jo Ann
Harris asserted that:
As the Administration has made clear on a number of
occasions, the key-escrow encryption initiative is a
voluntary one; we have absolutely no intention of
mandating private use of a particular kind of
cryptography, nor of criminalizing the private use of
certain kinds of cryptography.
According to EPIC Legal Counsel David Sobel, the newly-
disclosed information "demonstrates that the architects of the
Clipper program -- NSA and the FBI -- have always recognized that
key-escrow must eventually be mandated. As privacy advocates and
industry have always said, Clipper does nothing for law
enforcement unless the alternatives are outlawed."
Scanned images of several key documents are available via the
World Wide Web at the EPIC Home Page:
http://www.epic.org/crypto/ban/fbi_dox/
-30-
David Banisar ([email protected]) * 202-544-9240 (tel)
Electronic Privacy Information Center * 202-547-5482 (fax)
666 Pennsylvania Ave, SE, Suite 301 * HTTP://epic.org
Washington, DC 20003 * ftp/gopher/wais cpsr.org
[ This information should of course be a surprise to nobody who has
followed this topic. Such conclusions were obvious from the start, and
various concerns regarding encryption have been made clear enough in
past Congressional testimony and reports. However, there is a
considerable jump between concluding that Clipper will fail without
legislation banning other encryption, and actually submitting such
legislation, passing it, and having it withstand court scrutiny.
The opposition to such an attempt would no doubt be quite dramatic, to
put it mildly. Since it's clear that there's really no way to stop all
non-Clipper encryption, it seems likely that legislative efforts would
concentrate on banning non-compliant encryption in hardware devices, in
conjunction with the commission of crimes, and similar specified
areas. In the case of crimes, onerous additional penalties might be
enacted to discourage use of such systems--just as penalties are much
higher for committing many crimes with firearms.
Regardless of any "limitations" to the intended focus of such
legislative efforts, the effect of any such moves to ban non-Clipper
encryption could be chilling to personal privacy, industry, commerce,
and other areas of daily life, to a degree that's difficult to
underestimate as we pass into the true information age.
Comments on all sides of this issue are invited.
-- MODERATOR ]
|
| 207.11 | | RUSURE::EDP | Always mount a scratch monkey. | Wed Aug 23 1995 08:37 | 9 |
| Yoo hoo, Bill Licea-Kane, oh seeker of truth. What's the word for when
two or more people communicate to commit a wrongful act?
-- edp
Public key fingerprint: 8e ad 63 61 ba 0c 26 86 32 0a 7d 28 db e7 6f 75
To find PGP, read note 2688.4 in Humane::IBMPC_Shareware.
|
| 207.12 | | CALLME::MR_TOPAZ | | Wed Aug 23 1995 09:09 | 1 |
| Salary-planning?
|
| 207.13 | | SPSEG::COVINGTON | There is chaos under the heavens... | Wed Aug 23 1995 09:19 | 4 |
| Bahahahaha!
<----------
|
| 207.14 | Civil Disobedience in support of personal privacy | COVERT::COVERT | John R. Covert | Wed Aug 23 1995 14:10 | 53 |
| Date: Tue, 15 Aug 1995 14:17:36 -0600
From: Don Henson <[email protected]>
To: [email protected]
Subject: Over 350 'Munitions T-shirts' Shipped
We have thus far shipped over 350 of the RSA/Perl Munition T-shirts.
Orders are still pouring in. Don't be left out. Order your's today.
Now you can wear a TSHIRT that has been classified as a MUNITION by the
US Goverment. That's right! The US International Traffic in Arms
Regulations (ITAR) makes exporting cyrptographic materials illegal.
ITAR further defines export as providing cryptographic information to a
non-US/Canadian citizen even if you are inside the US at the time.
Providing information is further defined as telling or showing
information to a non-US/Canadian citizen. The Munitions Tshirt has a
Perl implementation of the RSA algorithm (the one used by PGP) printed
on the front along with a bar-code of the same algorithm.
What all the above means is that if you wear the Munitions Tshirt where
a non-US/Canadian citizen can see it, even if it is inside the US, you
have just exported cryptographic material (which is already freely
available outside the US) and have become a criminal in the eyes of the
US Government. Now you too can become an international arms dealer for
the price of a tshirt (US$15.95 - US$19.95, depending on size) and the
guts to wear it.
If you are a non-US/Canadian citizen, you can still own a Munitons
Tshirt by ordering the tshirt from a source that is outside the US. The
email response to a request for info (see next paragraph) includes full
instructions for ordering the tshirt no matter where you live.
For more information on how to own this classic example of civil
disobedience, just send email to [email protected] with the subject of
'SHIRT'. (You don't have to be a US/Canadian citizen to request the
info.) Or, if you have WWW access, just point your Web browser to:
http://colossus.net/wepinsto/wshome.html
By the way, 25% of the profits from the sale of the tshirt (in the
US/Canada) goes to the PHIL ZIMMERMANN LEGAL DEFENSE FUND to help
defend the author of PGP from harassment and possible prosecution by
the Fedgoons.
And if you get arrested for wearing the Munitions Tshirt, we'll refund
your purchase price. :-)
Get your Munitions Tshirt now. Who knows how long they'll stay in
production!
Don Henson, Managing Director (PGP Key ID = 0X03002DC9)
West El Paso Information Network (WEPIN)
Check out The WEPIN Store at URL:
http://colossus.net/wepinsto/wshome.html
|
| 207.15 | | RUSURE::EDP | Always mount a scratch monkey. | Wed Aug 23 1995 16:35 | 12 |
| Re .14:
You're late. Wore mine yesterday. Plus I have the Perl script on a 2"
button. Does putting it in a pocket constitute carrying a concealed
weapon?
-- edp
Public key fingerprint: 8e ad 63 61 ba 0c 26 86 32 0a 7d 28 db e7 6f 75
To find PGP, read note 2688.4 in Humane::IBMPC_Shareware.
|
| 207.16 | | DRDAN::KALIKOW | DIGITAL=DEC: ReClaim TheName&Glory! | Wed Aug 23 1995 22:55 | 5 |
| 207.15> Does putting it in a pocket constitute carrying a concealed
weapon?
Nope, but we thought you were just glad to see us...
|
| 207.17 | | RUSURE::EDP | Always mount a scratch monkey. | Thu Aug 24 1995 09:18 | 42 |
| Article 28581 of alt.privacy:
From: [email protected] (Andre Bacard)
Newsgroups: alt.security.pgp,alt.privacy,alt.security,alt.journalism
Subject: Chrysler Award to Phil Zimmermann!
Organization: CRL Dialup Internet Access (415) 705-6060 [Login: guest]
Lines: 33
Hello CyberFolks,
The WALL STREET JOURNAL announced that pro-privacy hero Phil Zimmermann
is a winner of the 1995 Chrysler Award. Congratulations Phil! Attached
you'll find details. Thanks to Mike Godwin of EFF for telling me this.
See you in the future,
Andre Bacard
======================================================================
[email protected] Bacard wrote "The Computer Privacy
Stanford, California Handbook" [Intro by Mitchell Kapor].
http://www.well.com/user/abacard Published by Peachpit Press, (800)
Enjoy your privacy... 283-9444, ISBN # 1-56609-171-3.
=======================================================================
Excerpts from WALL STREET JOURNAL
(Full-Page Notice from Chrysler Corporation)
August 16, 1995, Page A9
"For the past three years, Chrysler Corporation has been honoring
outstanding designers. By showcasing great innovations in fields such as
graphic, interactive, product, architectural, and environmental designs,
Chrysler strives to bring well-deserved attention to those designers
whose common attribute is a passionate commitment to their vision."
"... Philip Zimmermann is the designer of Pretty Good Privacy (PGP), an
E-Mail encryption software. Thanks to the algorithms of PGP, which was
released to the public as free software in 1991, E-mail messages can be
sent securely all over the world without risk of interception by any
third party."
|
| 207.18 | | RUSURE::EDP | Always mount a scratch monkey. | Thu Aug 24 1995 09:18 | 9 |
| No comment yet from the Seeker of Truth on the feds being caught in a
deception. Guess he's still busy digging that tunnel.
-- edp
Public key fingerprint: 8e ad 63 61 ba 0c 26 86 32 0a 7d 28 db e7 6f 75
To find PGP, read note 2688.4 in Humane::IBMPC_Shareware.
|
| 207.19 | | EST::RANDOLPH | Tom R. N1OOQ | Thu Aug 24 1995 14:55 | 4 |
| Gee, thousands (millions?) of computer users out there already have PGP...
we'll have to ban it so they won't have it anymore!
DUH, I'm from the government, and I'm here to help you.
|
| 207.20 | ? | PERFOM::LICEA_KANE | when it's comin' from the left | Mon Aug 28 1995 13:11 | 6 |
|
You post a document about FBI, DoJ, and NSA position on cryptography.
So should I therefore conclude that pineapple bombs exist?????
-mr. bill
|
| 207.21 | | RUSURE::EDP | Always mount a scratch monkey. | Tue Aug 29 1995 09:26 | 12 |
| Re .20:
> So should I therefore conclude that pineapple bombs exist?????
Sometimes you feel like a nutter. Sometimes you don't.
-- edp
Public key fingerprint: 8e ad 63 61 ba 0c 26 86 32 0a 7d 28 db e7 6f 75
To find PGP, read note 2688.4 in Humane::IBMPC_Shareware.
|
| 207.22 | | WAHOO::LEVESQUE | the heat is on | Tue Aug 29 1995 09:47 | 2 |
| <== Funniest note ever written by edp, with the sole exception of the
explanation of his p_name.
|
| 207.23 | | CALLME::MR_TOPAZ | | Tue Aug 29 1995 10:09 | 6 |
|
> Funniest note ever written by edp
You must have missed his Moderator's Fiat, which was far funnier.
Of course, on that occasion he apparently didn't intend to be
funny.
|
| 207.24 | They still make those cars????? | SOLVIT::KRAWIECKI | Been complimented by a toady lately? | Tue Aug 29 1995 10:13 | 2 |
|
> Moderator's Fiat
|
| 207.25 | | WAHOO::LEVESQUE | the heat is on | Tue Aug 29 1995 10:23 | 3 |
| >You must have missed his Moderator's Fiat
Apparently.
|
| 207.26 | | DEVLPR::DKILLORAN | Danimal | Thu Aug 31 1995 11:19 | 13 |
|
"Government is simply asserting its right to read private communications."
Think this is an interesting quote? It was made by a Justice Department
attorney in an interview in which he advocated implimenting the Clipper Chip
and the outlawing of any other kind of encryption or similar function device.
This is from private e-mail, I haven't seen the article.
The source is Lan Times, August 28, 1995. Cover story, "Big Brother on the
Net?" by R. Scott Raynovich. The quote itself appears on page 19, where the
story is continued from the front cover.
|
| 207.27 | | EST::RANDOLPH | Tom R. N1OOQ | Thu Aug 31 1995 11:49 | 2 |
| A government with rights... hmm, interesting concept, wonder what country
he's talking about?
|
| 207.28 | | STAR::OKELLEY | Kevin O'Kelley, OpenVMS DCE Security | Thu Aug 31 1995 14:01 | 11 |
| <<< Note 207.26 by DEVLPR::DKILLORAN "Danimal" >>>
> "Government is simply asserting its right to read private communications."
>
> Think this is an interesting quote? It was made by a Justice Department
> attorney in an interview in which he advocated implimenting the Clipper Chip
> and the outlawing of any other kind of encryption or similar function device.
Can someone please post the whole article, or at least verify the quote and
post the name of the attorney? I'd like to send a letter to this person.
|
| 207.29 | ex | SNOFS2::ROBERTSON | where there's smoke there's toast | Mon Sep 04 1995 03:47 | 15 |
| <<< Note 207.26 by DEVLPR::DKILLORAN "Danimal" >>>
> "Government is simply asserting its right to read private
communications."
>
Similarly, down here in Oz the govt. wouldn't allow digital phones with
uncrackable scramblers. The police decided it was in our best interests
to be able to tap any mobile communication.
|
| 207.30 | | SX4GTO::OLSON | DBTC Palo Alto | Mon Jan 15 1996 14:20 | 75 |
| AP 11 Jan 96 21:34 EST V0928
Copyright 1996 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- A software writer won't be prosecuted for a
program he wrote that was put on the Internet and is now widely used by
computer users to keep their communications secret, the government said
Thursday.
Philip Zimmermann's Pretty Good Privacy encryption program turns
computer messages into a jumble of numbers and letters unreadable to
anyone except the intended recipient.
The code is so unbreakable that it is classified as munitions under the
Arms Export Control Act, making its export without a license a felony.
Federal prosecutors began investigating Zimmerman in 1993 after the
program appeared on the Internet global computer network. Zimmerman
said that others put it there, not him.
The government opposes export of cryptographic technology for fear it
will make it harder to monitor electronic communications overseas, and
domestic law enforcement agencies are concerned such programs could
keep them from eavesdropping on digital conversations.
U.S. Attorney Michael J. Yamaguchi announced the decision not to
prosecute Zimmerman, but didn't say why. If convicted, Zimmermann would
have faced 51 months in prison.
"I'm just really pleased that the sword of Damocles is not over me
anymore and I wonder why it took so long," Zimmermann said in a phone
interview from his home in Boulder, Colorado.
"This is not just for spies anymore. It's for the rest of us. The
information age is here. The rest of us need cryptography to conduct
our business."
The case had been closely watched as computer users and the government
square off over free speech and privacy rights.
Some critics contended it was foolish of the government to claim that
Zimmerman had broken the law because the same coding information
forbidden for export electronically may be shipped abroad in print
form. They also noted that the technology already circulates throughout
the world, making the law unenforceable.
"Zimmermann never exported Pretty Good Privacy, so the U.S. Attorney
seemed to be missing the point. Unfortunately there still is no clear
ruling from our government as to whether or not making software
available on the Internet counts as exporting it," said Simson
Garfinkel, who wrote a book about the program.
Zimmerman's supporters argued that without encryption, government could
do widespread eavesdropping, perhaps for political reasons, scanning
for words and phrases it considers subversive. They acknowledge that a
few criminals may use programs like PGP to hide out in cyberspace, but
believe that concern is outweighed by free speech and privacy rights.
"The case was part of the government effort to crack down on good
technologies for privacy. We hope the government's decision signals a
rethinking of federal policy in this very important area," said Marc
Rotenberg of the Electronic Privacy Information Center in Washington,
an on-line civil rights watchdog group.
Others see the 2 1/2-year investigation of Zimmermann as intimidation.
"It seems to me is that all the U.S. Attorney is saying is that they
don't want the public relations nightmare of prosecuting Philip
Zimmermann, but they still want everyone scared so that they won't
exercise their Constitutional rights," Garfinkel said.
------
Pretty Good Privacy is available on the World Wide Web at
http://www.epic.org/privacy/tools.html
|
| 207.31 | | SOLVIT::KRAWIECKI | Rhubarb... celery gone bloodshot. | Mon Jan 15 1996 14:26 | 4 |
|
Zimmermann oughta start yanking his own chains and try to sue...
|
| 207.32 | | BUSY::SLABOUNTY | Don't like my p_n? 1-800-328-7448 | Mon Jan 15 1996 14:29 | 4 |
|
How would that relate, if at all, to a PGP NOTES file that can
be accessed by people from both sides of the Atlantic/Pacific?
|
| 207.33 | | HIGHD::FLATMAN | Give2TheMegan&KennethCollegeFund | Mon Jan 15 1996 14:39 | 3 |
| Anybody know how much Zimmerman spent in defending himself?
-- Dave
|
| 207.34 | | TRLIAN::MIRAB1::REITH | If it's worth doing, it's worth overdoing | Wed Jan 17 1996 12:02 | 5 |
|
I don't have a number, but he had to stop work for over 2 years, and
spent thousands on the lawyers (although many hours were pro bono).
skip
|
| 207.35 | | WAHOO::LEVESQUE | Spott Itj | Thu Jan 30 1997 09:05 | 59 |
| Student breaks highest-level encryption code U.S. allows exported
Associated Press, 01/29/97; 23:23
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - It's the most secure encryption code the United
States allows to be exported - and it took a graduate student only 3
hours to break it, industry officials said Wednesday.
``It shows you that any kid with access to computers can crack this
kind of cryptography,'' said RSA Data Security Inc. spokesman Kurt
Stammberger, whose company had offered the challenge. ``The
cryptography software that you are allowed to export is so weak as to
be useless.''
The company put its challenge on the Internet Monday, offering $50,000
in prizes to crack various levels of encryption codes with electronic
key lengths ranging from 40 to 256 bits.
The federal government, worried about security, has barred exports of
codes higher than 40 bits. Devices with larger numbers of bits are
stronger and harder to decode.
Last month, the Clinton administration began allowing companies to
export encryption devices with 56-bit keys - but only if they have a
way for law enforcement officials to crack the code and intercept the
communications.
Meanwhile, Ian Goldberg, a University of California-Berkeley graduate
student, took on RSA Data Security's challenge by linking together 250
idle workstations that allowed him to test 100 billion possible
``keys'' per hour.
That's like trying every possible combination for a safe at high speed,
and many students and employees of large companies have access to such
computational power, the school said.
In 3 hours, Goldberg had decoded the message, which read, ``This is why
you should use a longer key.''
Goldberg, who won $1,000 with his effort, says the moral is clear.
``This is the final proof of what we've known for years - 40-bit
encryption technology is obsolete,'' the student said.
That puts software exporters in a quandary, said Stammberger.
Almost all business software now requires built-in encryption, a
necessity for any company doing business over the Internet.
But no one will buy U.S. software that can be cracked by a student in 3
hours, he said.
``You're talking about the U.S. giving up its global dominance in
software because of some outdated Cold War spy agencies,'' Stammberger
said. ``People in the industry are pretty angry ... The market is
enormous, literally in the hundreds of billions of dollars.''
As of Wednesday afternoon, no one had broken any of the codes higher
than 40 bits, Stammberger said.
|
| 207.36 | | GOJIRA::JESSOP | Ankylosaurs had afterburners | Thu Jan 30 1997 14:16 | 1 |
| They'd better kill the kid. We don't want any security leaks.
|