From: "Marcel van der Peijl" <bigmac@digicash.com>
Date: Wed, 27 Sep 95 05:28:04 PDT
To: ecm@ai.mit.edu
Subject: NO weak links in DigiCash system!!!
Message-ID: <199509271227.NAA14451@digicash.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


> I have a couple of problems/complaints with your ecash project.
> When I was sent my Acct ID and Passwd they were sent to me plain text
> instead of being PGP-encrypted first.  This means that some malicious
> hacker could have intercepted the e-mail message and stolen the
> free cyber-bucks you were so generous as to give me.  Second, on the
> WWW-page where one downloads the software it does not seem to do a secure
> connection between my browser and your server (on netscape there is
> a small key in the lower-left hand corner that is supposed to show when
> one is securely connected to a secure server).  So someone could sniff my
> password from the transaction when I GET the software.  Also When I'm
> buying/selling things it would be smart for all parties involved to
> be using PGP, and I think you should stress this point more in your page.
> Otherwise this is another vulnerable point in your system IMHO.

Let's get this straight before spreading more of these vicious 
rumours that can easily get misinterpreted.

DigiCash is an R&D company developing ecash. We license out our 
technology to banks. We are running the trial, but only have limited 
resources to do so. This may result in long waiting time for accounts 
or no answer on a tech support mail. (We are of course trying to 
prevent this).
In a real-money system, the password can of course not be sent out in 
plain mail. Either it has to be transferred out-of-band (phone, 
paper) or PGP'd. But that would require at least ten people answering 
the phones, sending snailmail, etc. We do not have the resources to 
do so, so we send out the password plain. A malicious hacker may 
snatch the password and open the account for you and steal your 
cb$100. This, however, is not related to the security of the 
transactions once you open the account! The password is only for 
starting up the account.
And of course downloading on a secure server is not relevant. The 
software is the same for everyone! It is just not put out for public 
downloading because it would mean a hundred times more people asking 
for tech support. It would be more secure if we used different 
passwords for downloading and for opening the accounts but again, 
that would give a LOT more problems.
PGP does not add any security in the payment system. Ecash is already 
secure.

Feel free to ask us the questions before publicly posting. It will 
prevent misunderstandings and libel lawsuits.

// Marcel van der Peijl, DigiCash bv, http://www.digicash.com/~bigmac/
// "If you had to tell the Whole Truth, you'd never shut up."