The NSA Responds

[se7en <se7en@dis.org>]

The NSA responded to a series of 14 questions posed to them by the 
Houston Chronicle regarding their involvement and interest in cryptography.
While this article is not recent, it is still very interesting.

Because of the size, I have not posted it here. It can be found at:

http://www.dis.org/se7en/    and click the on "The NSA"

The question list is:

1. Has the NSA ever imposed or attempted to impose a weakness on any 
cryptographic code to see if it can thus be broken?

2. Has the NSA ever imposed or attempted to impose a weakness on the DES 
or DSS?

3. Is the NSA aware of any weaknesses in the DES or the DSS? The RSA?

4. Has the NSA ever taken advantage of any weaknesses in the DES or the
DSS?

5. Did the NSA play a role in designing the DSS? Why, in the NSA's 
analysis, was it seen as desirable to create the DSS when the apparently 
more robust RSA already stood as a de facto standard?

6. What national interests are served by limiting the power of 
cyptographic schemes used by the public?

7. What national interests are served by limiting the export of 
cryptographic technology?

8. What national interests are at risk, if any, if secure cryptography 
is widely available?

9. What does the NSA see as its legitimate interests in the area of 
cryptography?  Public cryptography?

10. How did NSA enter into negotiations with the Software Publishers 
Association regarding the export of products utilizing cryptographic 
techniques? How was this group chosen, and to what purpose? What statute 
or elected representative authorized the NSA to engage in the
discussions?

11. What is the status of these negotiations?

12. What is the status of export controls on products uing cryptographic 
techniques? How would you respond to those who point to the fact that 
the expot of RSA from the U.S. is controlled, but that its import into 
the U.S. is not?

13. What issues would you like to discuss that I have not addressed?

14. What question or questions would you like to pose of your critics?

se7en