Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!usc!wuarchive!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!van-bc!rsoft!mindlink!a577
From: a577@mindlink.UUCP (Curt Sampson)
Newsgroups: comp.org.eff.talk
Subject: Re: Digital Signatures and Public Key Cryptography
Message-ID: <2994@mindlink.UUCP>
Date: 29 Aug 90 04:26:22 GMT
Organization: MIND LINK! - British Columbia, Canada
Lines: 32

> jik@athena.mit.edu writes:
> 
>   In other words, the encryption system already exists, and is quite
> workable. Don't knock yourself out writing another one, unless you think
> it'll be significantly better than RSA public-key encryption, and you're
> planning on letting the world use it for free (unlike RSA) :-).

If I were to write a program to implement such a system, it would probably be
for FidoNet technology, as that's where I do the large majority of my
"research."  I don't even have access to a UNIX machine; I do all my usenet
reading/replying though a proprietary system where I can't fool around with
such things anyway.  :-(  But it would be free.  :-)

Your ideas to eliminate directories strike me as very good ones.  I'll
definitely keep them in mind.

As someone else already pointed out, I did say *public* when I meant to say
*private*.  I think he also pointed out a good parallel with the credit card
application.  Keep in mind that if I had signed a contract a year ago and then
made public my private key so that I could claim that I hadn't signed it, it
would enable *anyone* to read *any* of my correspondence for the past year.  I
would certainly have to be very unhappy with that contract.  It would also
enable people who had signed contracts with me to claim that anything I had
allegedly signed might be forged.  I might stand to loose more than I gain.

As was also pointed out, if you multiply two primes together to get your public
key, *both* primes make up the private key, not just one of them.

I'm finding this discussion very stimulating.  I guess it's time to hit the
books again and look into it a little further.  <Grin>

        -cjs    ( Curt_Sampson@mindlink.UUCP )