From: gnu
Date: Tue, 13 Oct 92 12:12:29 PDT
To: George A. Gleason <gg@well.sf.ca.us>, cypherpunks
Subject: Re: one time pads
In-Reply-To: <199210130821.AA03658@well.sf.ca.us>
Message-ID: <9210131912.AA14835@toad.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


One time pads don't provide perfect security, George.  They only
provide perfect security if the opponent doesn't know the contents of
the pad.  Given that most small organizations are in locations that are
easily burglarized, ``when lives are at stake'' it would be easy for
governments to break in, copy the storage medium containing the pad, and
then read all past and future traffic encrypted with that pad.

All cryptography is economics.  If you make it harder to tap your phone
lines, but it's cheap to break in, they'll do that.  There is no absolute
security this side of the grave (and who knows about the other side).

	John