Cryptography-Digest Digest #695, Volume #10 Tue, 7 Dec 99 00:13:01 EST
Contents:
Re: How can you tell? (Pelle Evensen)
Re: NEMA missing a plugboard? ([EMAIL PROTECTED])
Re: Distribution of intelligence in the crypto field (CLSV)
Re: The leading university of cryptography (David A Molnar)
Problems with Ciphile (was quantum computing..) (albert)
Re: Encrypting numbers? (Johnny Bravo)
Perfect Shuffles [src code] (Arthur Dardia)
Re: NSA future role? (albert)
Re: compact encryption in javascript (Darren New)
Revolutionary War Cryptography and Espionage (CryptoBook)
Re: Cell Phone Crypto Penetrated >> 6.Dec.1999 >> Biryukov & Shamir describe (Keith
A Monahan)
Re: Problems with Ciphile (was quantum computing..) (Kal I. Normey)
Re: Data Encryption in Applet? ([EMAIL PROTECTED])
Re: Quantum Computers and Weather Forecasting (Gerold Lee Gorman)
Re: NSA should do a cryptoanalysis of AES ("Trevor Jackson, III")
Re: Quantum Computers and Weather Forecasting ("Trevor Jackson, III")
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: Pelle Evensen <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Re: How can you tell?
Date: Tue, 07 Dec 1999 00:12:40 +0100
John ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) wrote:
> Say you had an encrypter and no source. How would you go about
> verifying it? I usually do extensive tests on the cryptext. Is
> getting chi-square statistics on it good? If so, how many times and at
> what intervals would give best results?
Marsaglia has written some great papers about tests for "random" sequences.
The website hasn't been updated in quite a while but the stuff on the CD
is nice.
http://stat.fsu.edu/~geo/diehard.html
http://stat.fsu.edu/pub/diehard/cdrom
To write a "stream cipher" that will pass all known tests for randomness;
1. Take a statistically good PRNG, KISS, or a MWC generator or whatever you
like that passes all statistical tests known to you. Call it r, r[n]
is the nth number from the generator. Seed r with a small seed based
on k (the key), just make sure that the initial seed is big enough to be
hard to deduce (or make collide) from testing many k's but still small
enough to trivially brute force.
2. Take c[n] = r[n] + e(k, p[n]). Even if the "encryption function" e(k, x) is
something like e(k, p[n]) = k ^ p[n], that is simply the plaintext xored
with the key, the output will look "random".
(c[n] = nth ciphertext block, e(k, x) = the encryption of x under key k,
p[n] = nth plaintext block.)
Moral: You can't get any information whatsoever about a cryptosystems security
from statistically measuring the output data. This also works the other way
round, you could of course add redundant data to a secure algorithm's output
to make the data fail any such tests. Not that I know why anyone would do
that but it illustrates "no information whatsoever". :-)
Cheers,
Pell
--
Pelle Evensen, [EMAIL PROTECTED] Telenordia AB/Algonet
http://www.evensen.org/pgp.html for public key.
PGP fingerprint 22 DC 52 0D 7E 00 F7 9C 8B EB F0 55 1E 8C 71 5E
------------------------------
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: Re: NEMA missing a plugboard?
Date: Mon, 06 Dec 1999 23:53:00 GMT
[EMAIL PROTECTED] (UBCHI2) wrote:
> Why did the designers of the NEMA rotor machine leave out the
> plugboard found on the enigma. Wouldn't the plugboard dramatically
> increase the difficulty of cryptanalysis of a rotor machine message?
No.
The ENIGMA plugboard is nothing more than a rotor that doesn't rotate.
It is largely a nuisance than a real cryptanalytic countermeasure. The
ENIGMA ring settings are similar in this regard.
Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.
------------------------------
From: CLSV <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Re: Distribution of intelligence in the crypto field
Date: Tue, 07 Dec 1999 00:02:26 +0000
[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
> albert <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> > [...]I see Bruce's arguement, we know what we know, they know what we know
> > AND what they know. They also have resources up the wazoo. But
> > intelligence isn't something money can buy, if it was, windows would be
> > the best OS... correct?
Huh? Windows is the best selling OS. That is what counts for the
employees
of Microsoft, that is what counts for the shareholders of Microsoft. Why
would Microsoft make the *best* OS? What's the use?
> I'd disagree, at least for symmetric key ciphers. I think we're seeing
> the same names in commercial cryptography because there are only a
> handful of people who can spend their lifetime working on it. It's more
Where did you get that idea? Look at the contributors of the Crypto 'YY
and EuroCrypt 'YY conferences those are more than a handful.
The researchers page of Counterpane labs lists ~300 people. Admitted,
security agencies have probably a better focus. But for how long?
The field is exploding with new technologies: quantum crypto, exotic
protocols, new public key systems, new private key systems, new hash
algorithms, distributed security ...
> a matter of effort and experience than brilliance. The NSA should be
> able to stay well ahead by hiring lots of reasonably brilliant people,
> pointing them in the right direction, and giving them computers,
> conference rooms and a salary.
Well the INFOSEC agencies have the advantage that they can hire the
*most* brilliant people in their fields (e.g. Gian-Carlo Rota) at least
part time or for certain projects. I think they will keep some advantage
on
increasingly smaller fields within crypto.
Regards,
Coen Viser
------------------------------
From: David A Molnar <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Re: The leading university of cryptography
Date: 7 Dec 1999 00:34:28 GMT
Keith A Monahan <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> On a side note, check out those links, I've noticed people here
> don't look ANYTHING like I expected them to.
What did you expect?
-David
------------------------------
From: albert <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Crossposted-To: talk.politics.crypto,talk.politics.misc
Subject: Problems with Ciphile (was quantum computing..)
Date: Tue, 07 Dec 1999 01:22:19 GMT
Errr, maybe I'm not digging deep enough, or maybe I over dug; but it seems
to me that there are a few contradictions in the description of OAP-L3.
First, source code would be nice, I don't trust anythin in the world of
crypto I can't see the source code to, or at least see the math
description model of it to ensure it's security. Most "holes" come in the
form of incorrect implementation, and so maybe your algorithm is secure,
but I don't know if you implemented it correctly...
Second:
"Well, everyone knows that only messages encrypted using one-time pads are
unbreakable. At its heart, Original Absolute Privacy - Level3 is an
automated pseudo one-time pad generator."
Hmmm, that's like a freedom loving government; it's a contradiction in
terms. The fact that the word "pseudo" appears in the sentence means that
you have thrown the one-time pad concept out the window. The fact that
you are generating "randomness" from a stated algorithm is even more of a
joke.
Third:
"And its bug free, too! " Says who? Says you? The salesman at Circuit
City says the Cellphone he's trying to sell me is 1) The best 2) secure
because the cell phone company uses a proprietary algorithm, and it's bug
free.
I don't trust the sales me, and I am having difficulty trusting OAP-L3.
But maybe it's just me.
Albert
------------------------------
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Johnny Bravo)
Subject: Re: Encrypting numbers?
Date: Mon, 06 Dec 1999 20:45:37 GMT
On Mon, 6 Dec 1999 14:40:26 -0500, [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Michael
Groh) wrote:
>I have a question that may seem rather obvious to some people, but I
>haven't found a simple answer yet. While reading Singh's book ("The Code
>Book") I noticed that none of the simpler encryption techniques
>specifically address encrypting numeric values. Consider something as
>simple as "$14.37". How can that value be encrypted using a Vigenere or
>substitution cipher? Even the Enigma machine doesn't include a numeric
>row on its keyboard. How did the German military transmit numeric values
>(persumably including + and - signs, decimal points, etc.) using the
>Enigma machine?
>
>TIA for an enlightenment!
>
>- Mike
You could always just spell it out for most values "Fourteen dollars
and thirty seven cents." Or define simple substitution for
them,(numbers start with ZZ, and a=1, b=2, c=3 ect, Z inside a number
is a decimal point, so "14.37" becomes ZZADZCG.
Best Wishes,
Johnny Bravo
------------------------------
From: Arthur Dardia <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Perfect Shuffles [src code]
Date: Mon, 06 Dec 1999 20:41:49 -0500
I've written a program to perform in- or out- shuffles until the deck is
returned to the original order. I've tested it on a deck of size 52
cards. It returns the proper in- and out- shuffles; however, I've
benchmarked it using a SysTimer class with a .001s granularity. My
tests fail to return a time for the deck of 52 cards. Is this a rather
fast algorithm? Here's some pseudo-code followed by my implementation:
perfectShuffle(array of card values, in- or out- shuffle switch)
split the deck into two halves: tDeck (representing position 0 to
the (deck size/2)-1) and bDeck, (representing the lower half)
shuffle the deck by placing the bottom card of the top half and then
the bottom card of the bottom half onto the bottom of the real deck (the
order is switched for in- or out- shuffles)
compare the arrays
I was wondering what the big-O notation of this is and if there are any
faster algorithms. I remember someone posting once about his
prospective company requesting such a program; however, he said he left
his running for 8 hours and came up blank. Then someone quickly
repsonded with a number near 97,000 shuffles. Therefore, I have to
assume that if my program can perform 8 shuffles in AT MOST .001
seconds, it could then perform the 97,000 and change shuffles in about
97 seconds. Is this calculation right? Why did the other guy's program
take a RIDICULOUSLY larger amount of time?
--- snip ---
#include <iostream.h>
#include <iomanip.h>
#include "apvector.h"
void perfectShuffle(apvector<int> &deck,int io) {
apvector<int> tDeck((deck.length()/2),0);
for (int i=0;i<tDeck.length();i++) {
tDeck[i]=deck[i];
}
apvector<int> bDeck((deck.length()/2),0);
for (i=0;i<bDeck.length();i++) {
bDeck[i]=deck[i+(deck.length()/2)];
}
if (io==1) {
// in-shuffle
int a=deck.length()-1;
for (int i=((deck.length()/2)-1);i>=0;i--) {
deck[a]=tDeck[i];a--;
deck[a]=bDeck[i];a--;
}
} else {
// out-shuffle
int a=deck.length()-1;
for (int i=((deck.length()/2)-1);i>=0;i--) {
deck[a]=bDeck[i];a--;
deck[a]=tDeck[i];a--;
}
}
}
bool compareVectors(apvector<int> initialDeck,apvector<int> deck) {
bool equal=false;
for (int i=0;i<initialDeck.length();i++) {
if (initialDeck[i]==deck[i]) {
equal=true;
} else {
equal=false;
return equal;
}
}
return equal;
}
int main() {
// the most important part of the program
int shuffles=0,size=0,io=0;
SysTimer myClock;
while (size<=0) {cout << "size of deck:? ";cin >> size;}
while (io!=1 && io!=2) {cout << "in/out shuffle [1=in/2=out]:? ";cin >>
io;}
// create a vector 52 in size, fill with 0's,
// and create an original for comparing
apvector<int> initialDeck(size,0);
apvector<int> deck(size,0);
// fill vectors with ints from 1-52
for (int i=0;i<initialDeck.length();i++) {
initialDeck[i]=(i+1);
}
for (i=0;i<deck.length();i++) {
deck[i]=(i+1);
}
do {
myClock.start();
perfectShuffle(deck,io);
myClock.stop();
shuffles++;
} while (compareVectors(initialDeck,deck)==false);
cout << endl;
if (io==1) {
cout << shuffles << " in-shuffles were performed" << endl;
} else {
cout << shuffles << " out-shuffles were performed" << endl;
}
return 0;
}
--- snip ---
--
Arthur Dardia Wayne Hills High School [EMAIL PROTECTED]
PGP 6.5.1 Public Key http://www.webspan.net/~ahdiii/ahdiii.asc
------------------------------
From: albert <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Crossposted-To: alt.politics.org.nsa
Subject: Re: NSA future role?
Date: Mon, 06 Dec 1999 17:43:32 -0800
> Scott,
I applaud you for your efforts on actually trying to squeeze productivity out of
NSA, but you can't get blood from a turnip, and you can't get productivity in the
public sector. Buy a hammer from me, I'll only charge you $5. You know what I'm
saying?
I find your post to be a bit harsh on Bruce.
If you walk into the library of the University of Michigan, you can actually find
all you need to know as far as how to make a nuclear bomb. So what, should the
NSA "ban" the university library? If you have a PPP account, you more than likely
can find enough information to build something we supposedly have locked down as
"National Secrets". Naval design of a Rail Gun is top secret, yet it's in my
physics book. So it's stupid.
I have mixed feelings about the NSA, I hate them, but then again, having the
largest budget out of all government organization, hacking all day long, and being
all secretive has a certain appeal;
Government doesn't work, if NASA wants to succeed, have a few private sector
companies join forces for this stuff, and you will see that the Mars Landers will
magically land correctly, and things over $125M won't blow up due to metric vs.
standard conversions...
Albert
------------------------------
From: Darren New <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: Re: compact encryption in javascript
Date: Tue, 07 Dec 1999 01:45:40 GMT
> Yes. Is there a site I can find a RC4 cipher in js?
http://leemon.com
--
Darren New / Senior Software Architect / MessageMedia, Inc.
San Diego, CA, USA (PST). Cryptokeys on demand.
"Perl - The BASIC of the 90's"
------------------------------
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (CryptoBook)
Subject: Revolutionary War Cryptography and Espionage
Date: 07 Dec 1999 02:18:16 GMT
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------------------------------
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Keith A Monahan)
Crossposted-To: alt.privacy
Subject: Re: Cell Phone Crypto Penetrated >> 6.Dec.1999 >> Biryukov & Shamir describe
Date: 7 Dec 1999 02:40:41 GMT
Thanks for posting this. Any idea when/where that paper will be published?
If anyone has a reference, post asap...
Thanks,
Keith
------------------------------
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Kal I. Normey)
Crossposted-To: talk.politics.crypto,talk.politics.misc
Subject: Re: Problems with Ciphile (was quantum computing..)
Date: Tue, 07 Dec 1999 02:36:46 GMT
albert <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>Errr, maybe I'm not digging deep enough, or maybe I over dug; but it seems
>to me that there are a few contradictions in the description of OAP-L3.
I can't wait to see Scott's answer.
------------------------------
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Crossposted-To:
comp.lang.java.security,microsoft.public.java.security,comp.lang.java.programmer
Subject: Re: Data Encryption in Applet?
Date: Tue, 07 Dec 1999 04:33:31 GMT
Could a possible solution be:
send your public key along with the applet, generate a PRN (session key)
and encrypt this using ur public key. the session key is the key for
symmetric key encryption. now encrypt data at client end using session
key and post back to self. Remember only data encrypted by session key
and session key encrypted by ur public key travel over the insecure
channel (posted). At server end decryt session key using ur private key.
Decrypt cipher text using this session key to get back the required
data.
here u can introduce mechanisms for message integrity, authenticity, non
repudiation etc.
best wishes,
rasane_s
In article <82grlc$fbc$[EMAIL PROTECTED]>,
"Tim Wood" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>
>
> wrote in message <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>...
> >Hi
> >
> >I am looking for a way to encrypt data through an applet using
symmetric
> >(or asymmetric) encryption. I thought of sending an applet
containing a
> >symmetric key to a client.
>
> How? If the symmetric key is not encrypted when you send it, it could
be
> intercepted and used to read the, client side encrypted, data.
>
> > This is key is to perform encryption on some
> >data on the client side. Anybody has any idea how to do this in Java
or
> >has any source codes in Java?
> >
> >Thanks in advance
> >
> >Greg
> >
> >
> >
> tim
> --
> **<Stolen line alert>**
> From my one-bit brain with a parity error.
> **</Stolen line alert>**
>
>
Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.
------------------------------
From: Gerold Lee Gorman <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Crossposted-To: sci.physics,sci.geo.meteorology
Subject: Re: Quantum Computers and Weather Forecasting
Date: Mon, 06 Dec 1999 20:44:34 -0800
Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
If you use a quantum computer to forecast the weather, will you get one
answer, or a superposition of possible results, i.e. partly cloudy on
Christmas with a 50% chance of rain before New Years Eve? This
is ponderable ...
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 07 Dec 1999 00:01:58 -0500
From: "Trevor Jackson, III" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Re: NSA should do a cryptoanalysis of AES
karl malbrain wrote:
> That's exactly the SAME point. Why don't they use COTS specifications from
> the airlines?
You'd probably end up in the same price neighborhood. but you would lose the
possibility of customization. For instance, military transport jets go places
no sensible commercial passenger jet would ever go. So the specs might be hard
to meet with standard grade commercial equipment.
------------------------------
Date: Tue, 07 Dec 1999 00:08:11 -0500
From: "Trevor Jackson, III" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Crossposted-To: sci.physics,sci.geo.meteorology
Subject: Re: Quantum Computers and Weather Forecasting
Try Alfred Bester's "The Demolished Man" for usage of this technique.
Joseph Bartlo wrote:
> Richard Herring wrote:
>
> > There appeared to be some implicit bragging about your punctuation :-)
> > But I think you meant at, not @.
>
> Actually I meant @, similarly I quasi-comically imitated John's use of
> <at> for @ in his e-mail address.
>
> Here is how I use @ & at (not stating this is grammatically correct, only
> logical for me) :
>
> A shower occurred @ 4 PM at Tannersville.
>
> "at" referring to a specific *place*, @ referring to another type of
> reference, such as a time; which you cannot be "at". Thus :
>
> I won't interfere with your attempt @ minimizing your accomplishments...
>
> Perhaps "attempt of minimizing" is best ?
>
> Joseph
------------------------------
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