From: Eric Cordian <emc@wire.insync.net>
Date: Wed, 7 Jan 1998 03:53:41 +0800
To: cypherpunks@cyberpass.net
Subject: Re: Silly Shrinkwrapped Encryption
In-Reply-To: <199801061930.NAA09848@wire.insync.net>
Message-ID: <199801061949.NAA09879@wire.insync.net>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain



To follow up my prior message...
 
I managed to find a document entitled "Security in Lotus Notes and the
Internet" on the Web.
 
It describes the weakening procedure as follows.
 
  "No matter which version of Notes you are using, encryption uses the
   full 64-bit key size. However, the International edition takes 24 bits
   of the key and encrypts it using an RSA public key for which the US
   National Security Agency holds the matching private key. This
   encrypted portion of the key is then sent with each message as an
   additional field, the workfactor reduction field. The net result of
   this is that an illegitimate hacker has to tackle 64-bit encryption,
   which is at or beyond the practical limit for current decryption
   technology and hardware. The US government, on the other hand, only
   has to break a 40-bit key space, which is much easier (2 to the power
   of 24 times easier, to be precise)."
 
Would anyone care to extract the modulus and exponent for the NSA's
Lotus Notes helper key and post it to this newsgroup?

--
Eric Michael Cordian 0+
O:.T:.O:. Mathematical Munitions Division
"Do What Thou Wilt Shall Be The Whole Of The Law"