From: Richard Barrett, [EMAIL PROTECTED]
>--
>I don't think anyone could answer a question like that.
>
> >From my perspective, very secure. From GCHQ's perspective,
>not very. They can even crack 128-bit encryption now, so
>PGP should be easier even than that.
Not so. PGP only uses public key cryptography (RSA) to encrypt a
randomly chosen (each time something is encrypted) secret key for a
secret key algorithm like DES. Encryption of the message itself then
done using that secret key. Because the thing encrypted using RSA is
quite short, a much larger key can be used to achieve the same level
of cracking resistance as a secret key algorithm with shorter key
length, without excessive computational demands. One could use a 1024
bit public key length and a 128 bit secret key length to achieve
quite reasonable results. The two bits are then glued together and
sent. Sort of like sending a ciphertext encrypted with a one time pad
and the encrypted version of the one time pad encrypted with you
personal key. First decrypt the one-time pad, then use that to
decrypt the message.
>
>The thing to remember here is that getting MI5 and GCHQ
>involved isn't going to happen on a regular basis.
>
>I know one copper involved in doing these sorts of
>investigations, and he told me the whole thing was a joke,
>because the serious kiddy porn types use BBSes anyway,
>so tapping ISPs helps not one jot.
>
>Any criminal who sends email to his criminal friends via
>the internet is a candidate for "America's Dumbest Criminals"
>IMO.
>
>Also I point out the problem with this "off-shore" ISP
>jive is that the Government's legal power may only extend
>to the borders of this country, but when has that stopped
>MI6 from surveilling someone overseas? They don't care
>about laws overseas in big cases. The Government
>has a whole communications set up on Ascension Island
>that intercepts virtually everything, they don't need the
>RIP Act for that!
>
>Face the reality that you cannot keep your communications
>secret from someone with the resources of our Government
>and move on.
>
>Steve.
I think we should resist the "government is too big and bound to beat
us" argument. Through RIP the government is trying to get us all to
accept that they have a god given right to read our mail/data without
any resistance from us. Moreover they are using the spurious argument
that they are returning us to the status quo anti the availability of
cheap computers, digital communications and strong encryption.
The issue now is no more than it was in pre-computer days. The
government could always read paper mail but it was not feasible/cost
effective for them to read ALL the mail (well, except in some of the
old communist "democracies"). They couldn't just trawl all the mail
looking for things that they could then decide interested them.
Unencrypted electronic communication now makes it possible for the
government to trawl through all our e-mail for whatever good or bad
purposes it chooses. By using public key cryptography, the balance is
restored. Yes, GCHQ can probably deploy enough resources to break
some encrypted messages but it is not feasible for them to break all
encrypted messages on a regular basis. Well not unless/until they've
developed viable quantum computing technology.
My attitude is **ck em. They should have to work hard to steal my liberty.
btw. Do you realize the extent to which the freedoms guaranteed to
its citizens by the US constitution have been the primary reason why
we in the UK and Europe have access to high-grade encryption?
Notwithstanding the ECHR, you can bet you sweet bippy that without
that, UK and other EU governments would have been a lot closer to
suppressing public access to strong encryption.
--
I think Dyfed Powys have the best "code cracker" i.e. a guy
who breaks down your door at 4 in the morning and seizes your
PC!
Steve.
Cybershooters website: http://www.cybershooters.org
List admin: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
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