From: Mike Markley <mmarkley@microsoft.com>
Date: Wed, 6 Jul 94 09:55:32 PDT
To: cypherpunks@toad.com
Subject: Re: Windows for Workgroups 3.11
Message-ID: <9407061557.AA27737@netmail2.microsoft.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


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| From: Derek Atkins  <warlord@MIT.EDU>
| To: Andrzej Bursztynski  <psee@sam.nask.com.pl>
| Cc:  <cypherpunks@toad.com>
| Subject: Re: Windows for Workgroups 3.11
| Date: Wednesday, July 06, 1994 7:19AM
|
| > Just wonder if anyone had a closer look at the "Advanced security" option
| > built in the Microsoft Windows for Workgroups 3.11. You can use a soft
| > of a public/private key when sending a mail via fax (Class 1) driver
| > Micrsoft Fax at Work. The key seems to be quite short and I wonder 
if that's
| > a real secure solution comparing eg. to PGP?
|
| If it really is public key, and if the keys really are quite short,
| then its probably really *not* secure.  Remember than a 129-digit
| (~425 bit) RSA key was broken in 8 months!  A 384-bit RSA key is
| therefore not secure!
|
| -derek
|

The 129 digit key was broken in 8 calendar months and not 8 CPU months, 
correct? If so then for most purposes a 129 digit key is more than 
adequate. If you are faxing a contract to someone then if the deal 
isn't signed in 8 months the odds are that information about it will 
leak from a different source than your fax. If I had information that I 
wanted to be secure for several years than I would consider using many 
more digits than 129.

As to Windows for Workgroups 3.11, I don't know anything about the 
security features that are included.

Mike.

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Mike Markley <mmarkley@microsoft.com>

I'm not a Microsoft spokesperson. All opinions expressed here are mine.

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