[92771] in Cypherpunks
Re: Silly Shrinkwrapped Encryption
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Bill Frantz)
Thu Jan 8 04:39:48 1998
In-Reply-To: <199801071847.NAA28200@users.invweb.net>
Date: Wed, 7 Jan 1998 19:29:48 -0800
To: "William H. Geiger III" <whgiii@invweb.net>
From: Bill Frantz <frantz@netcom.com>
Cc: Eric Cordian <emc@wire.insync.net>, cypherpunks@cyberpass.net
Reply-To: Bill Frantz <frantz@netcom.com>
At 10:36 AM -0800 1/7/98, William H. Geiger III wrote:
> at 12:10 AM, Bill Frantz <frantz@netcom.com> said:
>
>>At 11:49 AM -0800 1/6/98, Eric Cordian wrote:
>>>I managed to find a document entitled "Security in Lotus Notes and the
>>>Internet" on the Web.
>>>
>>>It describes the weakening procedure as follows.
>>>
>>> "No matter which version of Notes you are using, encryption uses the
>>> full 64-bit key size. However, the International edition takes 24 bits
>>> of the key and encrypts it using an RSA public key for which the US
>>> National Security Agency holds the matching private key. This
>>> encrypted portion of the key is then sent with each message as an
>>> additional field, the workfactor reduction field. The net result of
>>> this is that an illegitimate hacker has to tackle 64-bit encryption,
>>> which is at or beyond the practical limit for current decryption
>>> technology and hardware. The US government, on the other hand, only
>>> has to break a 40-bit key space, which is much easier (2 to the power
>>> of 24 times easier, to be precise)."
>
>>It seems to me that if you step on the correct part of the message, you
>>zap the encrypted 24 bits, and cut NSA out of the loop. Of course the
>>receiver could notice and refuse to decrypt, which would require some
>>software hacking to defeat, but that is certainly doable.
>
>Wouldn't it be much better just to not use the crap?!?
>
>Why should we give our money to a company that has shown that they will
>sell us out at the first chance of making a buck doing so??
I don't plan on using it, but the Swedes have a bit of an installed base
problem.
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