From: Adam Flinton 

Geo. wrote:
> "Adam Flinton"  wrote in message
> news:3ea9735a$1{at}w3.nls.net...
>
>
>>I don't think the gov (any gov) can "order the tide to back out". I
>>think the same applies to OSS & to OSS security. e.g. imagine you have
>>some bright spark maths person in say Ukraine or Russia or India or
>>anywhere outside of the US. There is a fairly high % chance that his
>>encryption algorithm is going to go OSS & how much control do gov's have
>>over that? Security is being driven by bigger $'es than govs can chuck
>>about i.e. by the business world & the generic "computer user".
>
>
> Well if he goes OSS then the proprietary people can see how he's doing
> something and that helps them too?
>
>

Yup but seeing the code etc may not help the spooks. E.g. You may remember
when the Russian Mafia or FSB killed my mate Alex (or at least he
"disappeared" after we'd got him to sweden).  That was because he
had some incredibly effective NP complete problem solving maths which he'd
coded into C & worked on OS/2 & Windows & a number of Unix'es.
The point was that it worked. He reckoned that if they came after him etc
then I should OSS the code. I never did coz frankly I didn't much want to
have the leather coat brigade turning up on my door with a silenced pistol.

The problem with the maths/code was that it worked. It worked too well.
Suddenly it put lots of encryption at risk & suddenly things got really
nasty really fast. Keeping any of that sort of code "secret" if
IMHO to invite in the FSB/Mafia & their global counterparts. Making it
instantly OSS stops you being a target as there is nothing to be kept
secret anymore.

What it taught me was that real people really do kill other real people
over this sort of "knowledge".

OSS is the only protection apart from working in/for a national security service.

>>Can be but IMHO they will have some sort of updateable code block
>>otherwise one good hack & the lot is rendered null & void.
If you have a
>>chip which checks all "content" & is updateable it
becomes a natural
>>target for spooks.
>
>
> Fine but a trusted environment works to stop them from updating anything.
>

True...you hope....but so does using paper & pen & a lighter when
finished. one time code pads are still the best form of encryption if you
can ensure the security of the pads.


Adam

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