[48533] in Cypherpunks
Re: FV Demonstrates Fatal Flaw in Software Encryption of Credit
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Nathaniel Borenstein)
Mon Jan 29 17:46:24 1996
Date: Mon, 29 Jan 1996 17:30:32 -0500 (EST)
From: Nathaniel Borenstein <nsb@nsb.fv.com>
To: cypherpunks@toad.com, trei@process.com
In-Reply-To: <9601292111.AA23738@toad.com>
Excerpts from mail: 29-Jan-96 Re: FV Demonstrates Fatal F.. "Peter
Trei"@acm.org (1233)
> I started reading this thinking it was actually something important. All
> it describes
> is a keyboard monitor, which greps for CC#s, and which could be spread by an
> (unspecified) virus, and sends the output to a crook over the net by
> some (unspecified)
> mechanism.
There are many ways to spread it besides a virus. Zillions of 'em. And
there are totally anonymous ways to redistribute it, some of which I've
never seen described publicly, which is why they were left unspecified.
> It's sort of interesting that "Nathaniel Borenstein" has a PGP key, but
> failed to
> clearsign this message, which loudly trumpets it's great import.
> Considering the
> lack of actual content, I feel compelled to warn readers that this may
> be a forgery,
> designed to make him look like he's scaremongering.
Do you have my key in your key ring? I rather doubt it. So what good
would it have done?
Have you downloaded my key from the net? Assume that you have. How do
you know it's mine?
I use PGP about 20 times per day. I use it in a manner that is
*meaningful*. Unless we have in some way or another verified each
others' keys, it is meaningless for me to sign a message to you.
Putting a PGP signature on a message to someone who has no way of
verifying your keys is a nice political statement, but is utterly
meaningless in terms of adding any proof of the sender's identity. --
Nathaniel
PS -- On the off chance that anyone really doubts this is me, I will
shortly send cypherpunks a message that has my own voice AND a PGP
signature thereupon. That way, you can check my identity if you either
recognize my voice OR have verified my fingerprint. Sheesh. -- NB
