[45370] in Cypherpunks
Re: The Elevator Problem
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Futplex)
Thu Dec 14 03:55:04 1995
To: cypherpunks@toad.com (Cypherpunks Mailing List)
Date: Thu, 14 Dec 1995 03:25:19 -0500 (EST)
Reply-To: cypherpunks@toad.com (Cypherpunks Mailing List)
In-Reply-To: <199512121533.JAA21358@cdale1.midwest.net> from "David E. Smith" at Dec 12, 95 09:11:45 am
From: futplex@pseudonym.com (Futplex)
Dave writes:
> Disregarding the "quantum properties of light" issue, if Eve can listen
> in on every communication between Alice and Bob about their keys, then
> doesn't she have enough information to reconstruct the key herself?
By "disregarding the quantum properties", I assume you are asking about
deterministic cryptosystems. Eve does not have sufficient information if
Alice and Bob use, say, Diffie-Hellman key exchange (DH). As I said, that's
why DH is so clever. :) (cf. any good crypto text) But that's patented
(for now), and we were asked about a patent-free solution.
-Futplex <futplex@pseudonym.com>
"We live in a time when...individual rights are constantly expanded" -Sen.
Orrin Hatch (R-UT), speaking in support of an anti-flag-desecration
Constitutional amendment
