From: gt7508b@prism.gatech.edu (PHrEaK!)
Date: Tue, 15 Aug 95 15:06:28 PDT
To: vznuri@netcom.com (Vladimir Z. Nuri)
Subject: Re: Purple Boxes
In-Reply-To: <199508112044.NAA12959@netcom19.netcom.com>
Message-ID: <199508152206.SAA23244@acmex.gatech.edu>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text


> it would be called the "purple box" because I have not heard
> of any other devices called "purple boxes" (i.e. this string
> in the "colorful" hacker namespace does not seem to be used up yet)
> and also the famous WWII compromised japanese diplomatic codes 
> were called Purple.
This isn't very important, but there actually is a purple box, but
like many boxes hogging up "colorspace" this one isn't too exciting.
Its a telephone hold button... (woo woo) 
> one of the problems is that serious crypto chips are pretty
> expensive. but an analog scrambler would actually be a decent
> start on all this, and I bet it could be built pretty cheaply.
Does anyone know of sources for des chips???
Are there any public key chips out there???
Has anyone ever tried putting PGP on a chip??? RSA??? (Are these too
slow for realistic real time hardware voice/data encryption??)
I know a little about digital electronics (I am a computer engineering
student) and I would love to get some data books and see if I could
come up with a secure "encryption box" that people could build. 
Obviously such things are available from AT&T, etc... but they come at
a premium due to the fact that people who need such security normally
have the cash for it. I little public key encryption box that is 
arguably easy to construct and costs less than $50 in parts would
catch on fast in the hacker world. At that point, someone would go into
business selling the things, as compaines did with blue boxes (remmeber
how apple computers got started?) and red boxes (look in 2600 marketplace.)
Please anyone send me info on possible vendors/databooks and I will definately
look into this.

-- 
=-=-=-=-=-=-= Tom Cross AKA The White Ninja / Decius 6i5 */^\* -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
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