[18121] in cryptography@c2.net mail archive
locking door when window is open? (Re: solving the wrong problem)
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Adam Back)
Mon Aug 8 14:04:41 2005
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Date: Mon, 8 Aug 2005 10:55:49 -0400
From: Adam Back <adam@cypherspace.org>
To: John Denker <jsd@av8n.com>
Cc: "Perry E. Metzger" <perry@piermont.com>,
cryptography@metzdowd.com
In-Reply-To: <42F51D47.4080505@av8n.com>
"Single picket fence" -- doesn't work without a lot of explaining.
The one I usually have usually heard is the obvious and intuitive
"locking the door when the window is open".
(ie fixating on quality of dead-bolt, etc on the front door when the
window beside it is _open_!)
Adam
On Sat, Aug 06, 2005 at 04:27:51PM -0400, John Denker wrote:
> Perry E. Metzger wrote:
>
> >We need a term for this sort of thing -- the steel tamper
> >resistant lock added to the tissue paper door on the wrong vault
> >entirely, at great expense, by a brilliant mind that does not
> >understand the underlying threat model at all.
> >
> >Anyone have a good phrase in mind that has the right sort of flavor
> >for describing this sort of thing?
>
> In a similar context, Whit Diffie once put up a nice
> graphic: A cozy little home protected by a picket fence.
> he fence consisted of a single picket that was a mile
> high ... while the rest of the perimeter went totally
> unprotected.
>
> So, unless/until somebody comes up with a better metaphor,
> I'd vote for "one-picket fence".
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