From: Black Unicorn <unicorn@access.digex.net>
Date: Wed, 9 Aug 95 23:20:26 PDT
To: Phil Fraering <pgf@tyrell.net>
Subject: Re: Sat phone permit "wire"taps
In-Reply-To: <199508010141.AA02724@tyrell.net>
Message-ID: <Pine.SUN.3.91.950810012606.4442A-100000@access5.digex.net>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


On Mon, 31 Jul 1995, Phil Fraering wrote:

> Date: Mon, 31 Jul 1995 20:41:37 -0500
> From: Phil Fraering <pgf@tyrell.net>
> To: stewarts@ix.netcom.com
> Cc: hoz@univel.telescan.com, cypherpunks@toad.com
> Subject: Sat phone permit "wire"taps
> 
> Bill, I also understood that the Walkers also leaked to the Soviets
> details on U.S. submarine sonar operating procedures.
> 
> _Anyway_, my point was, if they can't keep _that_ secret, I doubt
> they'd be able to keep secret the details/keys for activating the
> backdoor on whatever artificially weakened system they're forced to
> use (if they are).
> 
> Phil
> 

What the walkers really gave over was the ability to decode U.S. Naval 
and some diplomatic ciphers through the surrender of codebooks, 
procedures, keycards and repair manuals for the crypto hardware.  The 
resulting traffic and crypto analysis was backbreaking- and valuable 
enough to make Walker Sr. the best paid spy to that date in the Soviet 
scheme of things.

Sov's discovered their traffic was being read on the Ivy line by 
listening to naval and diplomatic communication referencing it directly- 
and a little bit of selective transmission to confirm the source of 
intelligence.  (The U.S. played a similar trick on the Japanese to verify 
Midway as their target in the Pacific- they were reading Purple and the 
JN-12 and JN series flawlessly at the time)

Sov's discovered their subs were being tracked with amazing ease by 
listening to U.S. Naval anti-sub communications and reports.  The 
result:  Directed attention to the noise emmisions of their sub fleet, 
something they might have overlooked for years otherwise.

The grand result:  Among others: Stronger Soviet Encryption, and the 
purchase from Japan of high precision milling equipment which allowed the
Sov's to produce perfected and hyper quiet propellers for their subs- they
jumped 10 years in technology in 12 months.

The most damaging and most coveted espionage information is cryptanalysis.

Period.

---
00B9289C28DC0E55 nemo repente fuit turpissimus - potestas scientiae in usu est
E16D5378B81E1C96 quaere verum ad infinitum, loquitur sub rosa    -    wichtig!
*New Key Information*    -    Finger for key revocation and latest key update.