From: "Michael H. Warfield" <mhw@wittsend.com>
Date: Tue, 27 Aug 1996 13:18:22 +0800
To: 76473.1732@compuserve.com (JOHN E. HOLT)
Subject: Re: The POUCH
In-Reply-To: <960826234448_76473.1732_BHT119-3@CompuServe.COM>
Message-ID: <m0uvCrF-0000xRC@wittsend.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


JOHN E. HOLT enscribed thusly:
> 
> The Pouch uses a 64 x 64 block product cipher, a 1024 bit random initialization
> vector and the CBC technique.  Most experts agree that such an implementation is highly resistant to all forms of cryptographic attack.
> Hellman and Dilfie rely on knowing the algorithm for their known plain text attacks
> An unpublished algorithm forces them into reverse engineering the computer
> programs to learn the algorithm. The POUCH has many roadblocks built in
> to prevent this.

	An unpublished algorithm mean that it's worthless snakeoil that
depends on obfuscation until it is successfully reverse engineered (which
you just set yourself up as a prime target) and then all of your chumps
(ahh..  clients) get raped.  I wouldn't even look at it and would advise
all of my clients to avoid it like the plague...

> I refer to Cummings, Cryptography and Data Security pages 150 and 98 in this regard.
> John Holt

-- 
 Michael H. Warfield    |  (770) 985-6132   |  mhw@WittsEnd.com
  (The Mad Wizard)      |  (770) 925-8248   |  http://www.wittsend.com/mhw/
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