Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!cca!dee
From: dee@cca.CCA.COM (Donald Eastlake)
Newsgroups: sci.crypt
Subject: Re: Request for opinions: canadian cryptographic standard.
Message-ID: <26191@cca.CCA.COM>
Date: 28 Mar 88 17:14:56 GMT
References: <2463@geac.UUCP> <8497@reed.UUCP> <821@bucket.UUCP>
Reply-To: dee@CCA.CCA.COM.UUCP (Donald Eastlake)
Distribution: na
Organization: Computer Corp. of America, Cambridge, MA
Lines: 22

In article <821@bucket.UUCP> leonard@bucket.UUCP (Leonard Erickson) writes:
>NSA is trying to push use of a "black box" encryption standard which they
>almost certainly will have a "back door" to.
>Now it is suggested that Canada come up with its *own* black box. (probably
>with a back door :-)

There are a number of well known cases where persons working at NSA were
in the pay of or defected to foreign powers.  The people at NSA are
probably of at least average intelligence.  Therefore they must assume
that a few of the people currently working there are in the pay of
others or will defect in the future.  Putting a trap door into an
ecryption algorithm that will be used to protect the highest level
secrets strikes me as pretty stupid.  You have to assume that other
countries are recording your transmissions and keep copies for umpteen
years so if the trap door ever leaked they could read all of your
messages not to mention the cost and effort that would be involved in
replacing all the hardware to protect current and future message.

-- 
	+1 617-492-8860		Donald E. Eastlake, III
	ARPA: dee@CCA.CCA.COM	usenet:	{cbosg,decvax,linus}!cca!dee
	P. O. Box N, MIT Branch P. O., Cambridge, MA 02139-0903 USA