From: fnerd@smds.com (FutureNerd Steve Witham)
Date: Wed, 2 Jun 93 10:05:56 PDT
To: cypherpunks@toad.com
Subject: Re: Clipper replacement chip
Message-ID: <9306021716.AA26131@smds.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


RYAN Alan Porter <rtfm!rtfm.mlb.fl.us!ryan@mlb.semi.harris.com> sez

> Just out of curiosity, does anyone on the cypherpunks list posess the
> technical skills that would be necessary to begin a project of hacking out
> a pin compatible version of the Clipper that didn't have the backdoors
> once the chip is out, a la AMD and CYRIX?
> ...
> So I guess the really important question is: does anybody know how to
> reverse engineer a chip and build a duplicate, pin-compatible device from
> the ground up while hiding from the feds the whole time and still managing
> to make a living?

Well, there's an easier end-run: a piggyback board.  This would plug into
the Clipper's slot, and the Clipper would plug into it.  Then it could either
run in Clipper or PGP/DH-IDEA/Whatever mode.  I don't understand enough
about the Clipper protocols and interface to know whether there's room to
squeeze in bits to signal which of these two modes, unbeknownst to the
rest of the phone, but you could certainly attach a Clip vs. Secure switch.

-fnerd