Re: joy of export, h/ware

[Michael Motyka <mmotyka@lsil.com>]

>>What type of attack was used in the famous test? Known plaintext? It
>>gets a bit tougher in the real world doesn't it?
> 
> Not really.  
>
Even if you don't know what you're looking for? Help me out with that
one.

> * PGPfone on a  very fast cpu plus fast link is still less pleasant
> than a noisy cordless (no pun intended).
>
You trust PGPfone on commercial HW enough to do your spy work with it? A
system with dedicated audio compression ( http://www.dspg.com/ e.g. )
and a modem could probably be used to establish a secure, full-duplex
link over the POTS. A microP, possibly with a small gate array to accel
the crypto, would be able to handle the rest of job. Actually a pretty
simple product. It could even use your dial-up account and be your
internet phone. I know it has been done. I just won't be happy 'til it's
in 50 million homes.

> * We'd never take encryption hardware through the same path as modems,
> would we? First used between companies, then used for remote access,
> eventually you can't buy a bloody machine without one. Getting
> cheaper, faster, closer to the motherboard, taken for granted by 
> applications.  Ever seen a 300 baud, 40 lb modem, cost probably $3000
> in 1970 dollars?  
>
Yes, I have. Fortunately encryption HW will not have to go through that
sort of process. The frontier has been tamed, there are freeways
everywhere - all you have to do is pick a lot and build. IOW - that 300
baud modem if done from scratch now would cost nowhere near $3000/unit.

> The final level of deployment is when garage-door-openers, car
> remotes, and childrens' toys (e.g., radio controlled cars) use 
> encryption chips... or chips with encryption, anyway.
>
The time is ripe.

> The outside encrypting unit should also perform NAT, otherwise
> the PC (doing the tunnelling) can broadcast traffic ('trap and trace' 
> in the pots world) info.
>
Clueless again! What is 'NAT'?

> Email is so low-bandwidth that software suffices.
>
Absolutely. The issue there is more one of trustworthy HW and SW. Back
to WINTEL/MICROSNORT. Again, !barf!.