[81900] in Cypherpunks
Re: keeping secrets and knowing when they're compromised
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (David Coe)
Mon Jun 16 16:15:13 1997
Date: Mon, 16 Jun 1997 14:02:32 -0400
From: David Coe <dcoe@overlord.com>
To: cypherpunks@sirius.infonex.com
Reply-To: David Coe <dcoe@overlord.com>
This would probably work, if the other person knows to obtain the secret
key within a reasonable time after your demise -- unless I've missed the
point entirely:
Generate a pair of keys to be used only for this specific purpose, and
place the public key on your own running copy of a public key server (or
at an ISP if you can't do it yourself).
Encrypt the package with the private key and deliver it to the "friend,"
with instructions on where to obtain the public key -- and instructions
*not* to do so until the key is going to be used.
Then you monitor the public key server and watch for anyone grabbing
that public key (might require help from your ISP if you're not running
it yourself).
As I see it, the main problem would be ensuring that that public key
server stays up and available after you go out of business (or die, or
whatever), so that the key could still be obtained.
nobody@huge.cajones.com (Huge Cajones Remailer) wrote:
>...
>
> I want to encrypt and give to a "friend" some computer documents that
> are only to be decrypted and used by that person if something terrible
> happens to me.
>
> I also want to know, if I'm still around, when and if those documents
> are decrypted. I.e. In the event that my friend isn't as trustworthy
> as I presume, I want to find out if s/he decrypts the files while I'm
> still around.
>
> I know I could put the key in escrow somewhere, but would prefer not
> to involve a third party. Any ideas?
>...
--
David Coe mailto:dcoe@overlord.com
Overlord, Inc. http://www.overlord.com mailto:info@overlord.com
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