From: "David K. Merriman" <merriman@arn.net>
Date: Mon, 4 Mar 1996 05:40:12 +0800
To: cypherpunks@toad.com
Subject: Re: Duress
Message-ID: <2.2.32.19960303090718.006a7d38@arn.net>
MIME-Version: 1.0
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At 02:49 PM 03/3/96 EST, dlv@bwalk.dm.com (Dr. Dimitri Vulis) wrote:
>"A. Padgett Peterson P.E. Information Security" <PADGETT@hobbes.orl.mmc.com> writes:
>> Those of you who follow FIREWALLS may recall that I premote the use of
>> "minefields" on networks, machines that should never be accessed and will
>> trigger an alarm/response on any access.
>>
>> Some years ago I wrote a spec for cryptographic securing of notebooks/
>> E-Mail that included a "duress" capability: a "password" that, when
>> entered would appear to be properly accepted but would report an error
>> on retrieval. Optional was to be overwriting of any material whose access
>> was attempted.
>
>As a side remark, every burglar alarm connected to a phone that I've ever seen
>has this feature: a code that one can type under duress that will both turn
>off the alarm and call for help. I wonder how many users will remember this
>code when under duress.
>

Many (if not most) alarm companies make the duress code the *reverse* of the normal code.

Dave Merriman
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"Giving money and power to government is like giving 
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                    P. J. O'Rourke (b. 1947), U.S. journalist.
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