From: Bill Stewart <stewarts@ix.netcom.com>
To: William Knowles <erehwon@c2.net>
Message Hash: febe346c2773fb6896b24dbd210fa24a89c11d965113580019e4b2237d612f8b
Message ID: <199702012056.MAA26132@toad.com>
Reply To: N/A
UTC Datetime: 1997-02-01 20:56:04 UTC
Raw Date: Sat, 1 Feb 1997 12:56:04 -0800 (PST)
From: Bill Stewart <stewarts@ix.netcom.com>
Date: Sat, 1 Feb 1997 12:56:04 -0800 (PST)
To: William Knowles <erehwon@c2.net>
Subject: Re: PCS Encryption?
Message-ID: <199702012056.MAA26132@toad.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain
At 04:23 PM 1/31/97 -0800, William Knowles wrote:
>.. Primeco digital phone which uses CDMA technology to scramble
>the calls and makes passive listening next to impossible.
> (Primeco is a PCS phone)
>I have been having one helluva a time trying to find more
>information on the encryption used with Primeco, I have
>spoken to customer service twice & the local rep told me that
>the the Chicago FBI asked Primeco to shut off a phone this
>week because they can't listen in on what is been said,
>To which the the Primceco guys reply, If the feds can't listen
>in then I shouldn't be worried.
Many low-level phone company people don't know from encryption,
and consider just being digital to be enough to satisfy their
market's demand for privacy :-( On the other hand, if they're
telling the truth that the FBI had somebody's cellphone shut down
because they couldn't wiretap it, that's pretty outrageous,
and would seem to constitute a "taking".
>Excuse me if this posting is a little off topic, But I have
>nearly looked everywhere on the WWW to no avail.
CDMA is Code Division Multiple Access, a spread-spectrum
technology that lets them manage bandwidth efficiently as well as
providing a certain level of privacy (assuming they really are
using CDMA, as opposed to TDMA). If there is encryption,
it's probably the IS-136 stuff. Phil Karn from Qualcomm
was on the standards committees when the NSA was arm-twisting them
into making sure it's too wimpy to keep out the NSA,
and of course the spread-spectrum is a bit less private when
you can subpoena the spreading codes... But it really is
much better than nothing. Here's a posting from John Young;
you'll also want to look at the CAVE material on www.jya.com.
=================================================================
Date: Sun, 26 Jan 1997 17:44:49 -0500
From: John Young <jya@pipeline.com>
To: cypherpunks@toad.com
Subject: Cellular Encryption Docs
Thanks to David Wagner and Steve Schear, we've learned about the
latest documents on cellular encryption which supercede the
1992 CAVE document, Appendix A to IS-54, which contained the CAVE
algorithm. Here are the latest, followed by ordering information.
TIA/EIA/IS-136.1-A -- TDMA Cellular/PCS - Radio Interface -
Mobile Station - Base Station Compatibility - Digital Control
Panel, October, 1996, 372 pp. $350.00.
Addendum No. 1 to IS-136.1-A, November, 1996, 40 pp. Free.
TIA/EIA/IS-136.2-A -- TDMA Cellular/PCS - Radio Interface -
Mobile Station - Base Station Compatibility - Traffic Channels
and FSK Control Channel, October, 1996, 378 pp. $310.00.
TIA/EIA-627 -- 800 MHZ Cellular System, TDMA Radio Interface,
Dual-Mode Mobile Station - Base Station Compatibility
Standard, June, 1996, 258 pp. $120.00.
These documents can be ordered from:
Global Engineering Documents
15 Inverness Way East
Englewood, Colorado 80112
Telephone: 1-800-854-7179
However, each of the documents lists the following related
supplements which contain "sensitive information" and may be
obtained by US/CA citizens from TIA by signing a Non-Disclosure
Agreement and acceptance of export restrictions:
Appendix A to IS-136.
Appendix A to 627.
Common Cryptographic Algorithms.
Interface Specification for Common Cryptographic Algorithms.
These controlled documents can be requested by calling Ms. Sharon
Vargish at 1-703-907-7702, who will fax an NDA, and upon receipt of
the completed form, will send the controlled documents at no cost.
Here's the NDA:
AGREEMENT ON CONTROL AND NONDISCLOSURE OF
COMMON CRYPTOGRAPHIC ALGORITHMS
REVISION A TO IS-54, IS-95, AND IS-136
[Note: 627 supercedes IS-54; IS-95 is for CDMA]
"I, _________________________, an employee/consultant/affiliate
(typed name)
of __________________________, hereafter, "the company,"
(Company name)
_____________________________
(Company address)
_____________________________
and a United States or Canadian citizen, acknowledge and understand
that the subject documents, to which I will have access contain
information [which] is subject to export control under the
International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) (Title 22, Code
of Federal Regulations, Part 120-130). I also understand that the
subject documents represent valuable, proprietary and confidential
business information of TIA and its members. I hereby certify that
this information will be controlled and will only be further
disclosed, exported, or transferred according to the terms of the
ITAR.
______________________________ _____________________________
Signature Date
______________________________ _____________________________
Printed Name Witness
______________________________ _____________________________
Title Printed Name of Witness
[End NDA]
============================================================================
# Thanks; Bill
# Bill Stewart, +1-415-442-2215 stewarts@ix.netcom.com
# You can get PGP outside the US at ftp.ox.ac.uk/pub/crypto/pgp
# (If this is a mailing list, please Cc: me on replies. Thanks.)
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