Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site sdccs6.UUCP
Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!floyd!harpo!decvax!ittvax!dcdwest!sdcsvax!sdccs6!ix192
From: ix192@sdccs6.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.crypt
Subject: Re: Random Pad is Correct
Message-ID: <1306@sdccs6.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 28-Mar-84 00:11:43 EST
Article-I.D.: sdccs6.1306
Posted: Wed Mar 28 00:11:43 1984
Date-Received: Thu, 29-Mar-84 05:35:25 EST
References: <2363@allegra.UUCP>
Organization: Hacker's Haven, U.C. San Diego
Lines: 19

> Someone quoted (or misquoted) Divida as saying true random bits
> sequences could not be used for one time pads.  This was because one
> could get a long run of zeros as long as the message and thus wind up
> sending the text plain.
> 
> That is an invalid argument.  If the enemy sees a message that says
> "launch all missles", he does not know that the key was zero!  The
> chances are exactly that same the the key was some pattern of bits that
> converted any arbitrary message into "launch all missles".  It is
>  completely correct to use totally random bits in a one time pad.

It is not!  The chances that a message in english crypt into another
message in english seem much less likely than just a string of zeros.
Plus, the enemy could say, "Gee, they must have forgotten to crypt it."

				   Kenn the Kenf
				...!sdcsvax!kenn
				...!sdcsvax!sdccs6!ix192
				...!sdcsvax!sdccsu3!kenn