Re: Announcement: Very Good Privacy

[jonathon <grafolog@netcom.com>]

On Sat, 30 Nov 1996, Mark M. wrote:

> On Sat, 30 Nov 1996, jonathon wrote:
> > On Fri, 29 Nov 1996, Mark Rosen wrote:
> > > 	I have written an encryption program called Very Good Privacy 
> > 	Trademark violation here.   Probably not a good thing.
> Nope.  "Pretty Good" is trademarked, but "Very Good" isn't.

	Very Good Privacy is violating the trademark of Pretty Good
	Privacy.   At least this is a simple, straightforward 
	easy to see and easier to sue on violation than most 
	other trademark violation cases are.

> > 	I'm not sure how an encryption product that uses encryption
> > 	algorithms weaker than Pretty Good Privacy can be described
> Both programs use IDEA.  How is this weaker?

	IDEA & RC4 were the only algorithms listed that AC2
	doesn't list 
	as having a security flaw.  And that isn't even true, if 
	one considers "weak keys" to be a security flaw, for IDEA.
	
	Some of the others are breakable on the fly, by a human.	

> RC4 has stood up to cryptanalysis.  It's secure as long as the same key
> isn't used twice.

	"Not used twice" is the operative phrase.

        xan

        jonathon
        grafolog@netcom.com



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