From: jazz@hal.com (Jason Zions)
Date: Fri, 12 Aug 94 11:15:46 PDT
To: cypherpunks@toad.com
Subject: Re: Problem in draft FIPS `CRYPTOGRAPHIC SERVICE CALLS'
Message-ID: <9408121815.AA23295@jazz.hal.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


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In article <3287ki$5aq@news.hal.COM> p.v.mcmahon.rea0803@oasis.icl.co.uk writes:

       2.  NIST have proposed the draft FIPS to a number of standards 
	   development organisations - including X/Open and POSIX'

I can personally guarantee that NIST has *not* proposed their draft FIPS to
POSIX. I've attended every POSIX meeting since mid-'88; I chair the PASC
management subcommittee which sees every proposal for new work.

What probably *did* happen was that the POSIX working group developing a
security framework received a copy of the draft FIPS to use in their work.
This committee isn't producing APIs of any sort, nor is it producing a
standard; their document is classed as a Guide, not a Standard.

I can also state that PASC (the sponsoring body for POSIX) has created a
Study Group on encryption APIs; the announcement is attached below. I am
also the official contact for the study group.

Jason Zions
Chair, IEEE 1003.8 POSIX Transparent File Access
Convenor, PASC Encryption Services API Study Group



IEEE PASC Study group on encryption interfaces and system services

        The PASC (Portable Applications Standards Committee) group
        will be hosting a study group on API's for Encryption services
        as an extension to the POSIX standards.  The meetings on this
        will be held at the Sea-Tac Red Lion Inn, Seattle, WA, Oct.
        17th and 18th in conjunction with the quarterly PASC meetings.
        There is a meeting fee of $100/day or $350 for the week that
        includes lunches.  The contact for this work is Jason Zions
        who can be reached at: jazz@hal.com.  A general meeting
        announcement is available on request from NAPS International
        who can be reached at ++(612) 888-0074 or tc@bungia.mn.org

        The study group will investigate the feasibility of developing
        IEEE and ISO standards for both command line and application
        program interfaces to encryption services.  Encryption services
        are expected to include basic encryption, public/private key
        encryption, digital signatures and digital cash.  The PASC study
        group would like to invite broad participation from interested
        parties consisting of private individuals, industry, government,
        users and producers.

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