From: The Deviant <deviant@pooh-corner.com>
Date: Mon, 22 Jul 1996 07:38:52 +0800
To: Simon Spero <ses@tipper.oit.unc.edu>
Subject: Re: A Snake-Oil FAQ
In-Reply-To: <Pine.SUN.3.91.960721155821.22581B-100000@tipper.oit.unc.edu>
Message-ID: <Pine.LNX.3.94.960721204851.1048D-100000@switch.sp.org>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


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On Sun, 21 Jul 1996, Simon Spero wrote:

> Date: Sun, 21 Jul 1996 16:05:59 -0400 (EDT)
> From: Simon Spero <ses@tipper.oit.unc.edu>
> To: David Sternlight <david@sternlight.com>
> Cc: The Deviant <deviant@pooh-corner.com>,
>     Deranged Mutant <WlkngOwl@unix.asb.com>, cypherpunks@toad.com
> Subject: Re: A Snake-Oil FAQ
> 
> [sorry Perry]
> 
> On Sun, 21 Jul 1996, David Sternlight wrote:
> 
> > So is your comment. What was broken was not public key, but a particular
> > key length (and by implication shorter ones). You can do that with just
> > about any system, even a one-time pad, by brute force, but it won't buy you
> 
> Really? The only way I know of forcing a one-time pad is to use a hardware
> QM-based random number generator to generate every possible decrypt, thus
> creating a number of universes equal to the number of possible keys. Since
> you can't tell if you're universe is the right one, one should always
> verify the information obtained against a second source. IANAL, so I can't
> say if such a decrypt would count as probably cause. 
> 
> Simon
> 

Yes, but this is even more un-revealing than the OTP'd message, cause now
you have a list of messages that say

Nuke Siam.
Nuke Ohio.
Nuke Hell.
Nuke Shit.

and so on and so forth, and any of them could be right.
Its better just to rely on other techniques (physical key compromise, etc)
than to have the _complete_ list of possibilities on OTP...

> ---
> Cause maybe  (maybe)		      | In my mind I'm going to Carolina
> you're gonna be the one that saves me | - back in Chapel Hill May 16th.
> And after all			      | Email address remains unchanged
> You're my firewall -    	      | ........First in Usenet.........
					^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
					Umm... that would be Duke, next
					door in Durham...

					Of course, I'm an NCSU fan anyway,
					but...

 --Deviant


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