[47425] in Cypherpunks
Re: Lotus to export 64 bit, partially-escrowed Notes
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (jim bell)
Wed Jan 17 18:44:38 1996
Date: Wed, 17 Jan 1996 15:03:06 -0800
To: trei@process.com, cypherpunks@toad.com
From: jim bell <jimbell@pacifier.com>
At 03:45 PM 1/17/96 -6, Peter Trei wrote:
>A new 'international' version of Lotus notes is being released, with
>64 bit session keys, as opposed to the old 40 bit version.
>
>24 bits of the session key are stored encrypted under a special,
>government-access RSA public key. This is in addittion to the full
>64 bit key being available under the recipient's public RSA key.
>
>The idea is that the USG would have to search only a 40-bit keyspace,
>while others will need to search a 64-bit keyspace.
>Reportedly, this 'workfactor reduction key' will NOT be available to
>foreign governments.
>My colleague reports that opinion at the conference was divided over
>whether Lotus was doing something which made good business
>sense, or whether this was 'caving-in'.
My "vote"? They're "caving-in."
