From: Rolf Michelsen <Rolf.Michelsen@delab.sintef.no>
Date: Wed, 12 Jul 95 13:47:21 PDT
To: Cypherpunks mailing list <cypherpunks@toad.com>
Subject: Re: QED_jak
In-Reply-To: <9507121445.AA10531@snark.imsi.com>
Message-ID: <Pine.3.89.9507122225.A949-0100000@ronda.er.sintef.no>
MIME-Version: 1.0
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On Wed, 12 Jul 1995, Perry E. Metzger wrote:

> The reports claimed the spys were using one time pads in some flawed
> manner, but did not explain very well what the problem was. Does
> anyone out there know?

According to Christopher Andrew in "KGB: The Inside Story" the Russians 
started to reuse one time pads near the end of the war due to the sheer 
volume of secret information being sent.  This was discovered by Meredith 
Gardener of the ASA in 1948 and later exploited to crack these messages.

The operation goes under the names of Venona and Bride.  The latter is 
used in Peter Wright's book "The Spycatcher's Encyclopedia of Espionage".

-- Rolf


Rolf.Michelsen@delab.sintef.no               "Nostalgia isn't what it
http://www.delab.sintef.no/~rolfm/            used to be..."