Hallo Jan,
On Thu, 23 Nov 2000 14:14:38 -0500 GMT (24/11/2000, 03:14 +0800 GMT),
Jan Rifkinson wrote:
Alexander>> [...] At the height of the cold war during the fifties and
Alexander>> sixties, Soviet spies in the USA used one-time pads to
Alexander>> communicate with their controllers, usually located inside
Alexander>> Russian embassies and consulates. Not a single message was
Alexander>> cracked by the FBI or NSA. [...]
JR> Although I don't question the authenticity of this statement, I'm
JR> curious how it isyou can state this in such a way that it sounds like
JR> a fact.
JR> Inquiring minds want to know.
I don't know whether Alexander's story is true, but it could well be.
do you know how a one-time pad encryption technology works? Her it
comes:
The sender has a key code which tells him how to encrypt his message.
The receiver has the same key code, and uses it to decrypt the
message. Then they both through it away and use the next key. The keys
are strictly random.
Since there is no regularity, you cannot break the code with an
algorithm. Disadvantage: both sender and receiver need the same
one-time keys, to be discarded after each use. Biggest security risk:
interception at time of key exchange / delivery of key.
Likelihood of the FBI or NSA never having intercepted any key tabs and
thus never having decrypted any message is low, though. I think
Alexander meant that they could never decrypt any message for which
they didn't have the key.
Inquiring mind satisfied? How do you know I didn't just make this up
on the spot?
--
Cheers,
Thomas.
Monday is an awful way to spend 1/7th of your life.
Message reply created with The Bat! 1.48 Beta/8
under Chinese Windows 98 4.10 Build 1998
using an Intel Celeron 366Mhz, 128MB RAM
--
--------------------------------------------------------------
View the TBUDL archive at http://tbudl.thebat.dutaint.com
To send a message to the list moderation team double click here:
<mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To Unsubscribe from TBUDL, double click here and send the message:
<mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
--------------------------------------------------------------
You are subscribed as : [email protected]
