From: mgraffam@mhv.net
Date: Tue, 11 Aug 1998 15:19:56 -0700 (PDT)
To: "Vladimir Z. Nuri" <vznuri@netcom.com>
Subject: Re: Internet is rickety
In-Reply-To: <199808112055.NAA01325@netcom13.netcom.com>
Message-ID: <Pine.LNX.3.96.980811180002.10326A-100000@albert>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


On Tue, 11 Aug 1998, Vladimir Z. Nuri wrote:

> if the internet is insecure, blame the real source
> of the problem: the multibillion dollar NSA that
> has a vested interest in keeping the world technology
> weak..

This is absurd. The internet would be insecure even with strong crypto.
Certainly, good crypto would plug up some holes but general internet
technology is full of cracks. All the crypto in the universe won't
stop a buffer overflow in your mail program, or 1000's of nested tags
from crashing your browser in a DoS. 

NSA has nothing to do with bad programming practicies. Crypto is not
the end-all-be-all in overall security. Encrypting your mail does you
little good if I can read the plaintext off of your hard drive. Crypto
is one piece of a secure system, and in some cases it may be the smallest
piece. 

I don't support export restrictions any more than anyone else who is
likely to be on cypherpunks .. but laying all the evils in the universe
at NSA's door is a wee bit irresponsible. 

Michael J. Graffam (mgraffam@mhv.net)
http://www.mhv.net/~mgraffam -- Philosophy, Religion, Computers, Crypto, etc
"..subordination of one sex to the other is wrong in itself, and now
one of the chief hindrances to human improvement.." John Stuart Mill
"The Subjection of Women"