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From: falk@peregrine.UUCP
Newsgroups: sci.crypt
Subject: Re: bitwise exclusive-or
Message-ID: <12414@sun.uucp>
Date: Fri, 30-Jan-87 12:07:08 EST
Article-I.D.: sun.12414
Posted: Fri Jan 30 12:07:08 1987
Date-Received: Sat, 31-Jan-87 08:18:13 EST
References: <434@ethz.UUCP> <1338@navajo.STANFORD.EDU> <9112@duke.duke.UUCP>
Sender: news@sun.uucp
Reply-To: falk@sun.UUCP (Ed Falk)
Organization: Sun Microsystems, Mountain View
Lines: 16
Keywords: xor radioactive decay

In article <9112@duke.duke.UUCP> srt@duke.UUCP (Stephen R. Tate) writes:
>Now here's an interesting point.  The exact same amount of information has to
>be transmitted as "key" information as will be transmitted as data.  Now since
>the data is transmitted over an insecure channel, then the key data is the
>valuable information.  So why not just use the secure courier for sending the
>actual data?  I mean, if the courier system can be broken to get the key, the
>data is suddenly rendered readable by anybody who cares.  So what is the
>point of encryption at all in this case?

That's the main problem with one time pads.  Their only real use is that
you can use a slow courier ahead of time, and then use an insecure but
fast channel (such as radio) at a later time.

		-ed falk, sun microsystems
		sun!falk, falk@sun.com
terrorist, cryptography, DES, drugs, cipher, secret, decode, NSA, CIA, NRO.