NetNews Usenet Archive 1992 #20/NN_1992_20.iso/spool/sci/crypt/3260

Internet Message Format | 1992-09-15 | 3.6 KB

Path: sparky!uunet!usc!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!lll-winken!tis.llnl.gov!shawni
From: [e-mail] (Shawn Instenes)
Newsgroups: sci.crypt
Subject: Re: "Sneakers" -- action/adventure movie about Cryptography
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Date: 16 Sep 92 00:22:49 GMT
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[e-mail] (Leonard Erickson) writes:

)The average person knows *nothing* about encryption. About 7-10 years ago
)a local BBS was essentially one continuing series "round-robin" stories.
)Some folks (most of whom are on the Internet now!) were doing one that
)was a cross between computer hacker stuff and spy stories. We decided to
)use some *simple* ciphers on messages. 90% of the poeople who said that
)they'd have "no trouble" reading them couldn't crack a simple Caesar
)cipher (done in standard 5 character groups). "Where are the words?"

)We lost another 90% with a simple change to a polyalphabetic cipher with
)a fixed key. Changing to a key that changed according to a known (to us)
)paterrn lost all but two of them.

I was pretty stubborn, all right.  I was, what, 17 at the time?  Did I ever
tell you I never worked out your key schedule, but rather how to break
a message with *any* key in your key space in a short time?  And on my C64
no less.  Maybe I should post the program to alt.hackers or something.

)We finally achieved security when we switched to bitwise encryption.
)It was an interesting excercise. Especially in seeing how few people
)could "crack" a code when given *broad* hints!

I still see "CPPAL..." in my sleep.  ;-)  Guess that's why I read
sci.crypt.

)JQWST HBAMQ VB@SR EJPPF ^\CEN IPWHZ KVLUY PZBRF NIWVZ NQ@IE PV\HB MLEQT
)PZKNL UYGRC HJATE EF]CA NQZWF HCRLU XF^\S TNLPF ^[Q@N QTFJH CPNIW VN\SE
)NMYR@ [[FDA \V^]K RDATV \YSIM QZGDX KTMEW V\HCI MYZF^ HCTMA RPZBR CM]VW
)@]KTL UYB@X [OMUV WJ[SI NQ\R@ XKRLT PGDYK QNURW F]CEL PW@ZB PMAID RN]SE
)DATV\ YSIMQ ZGDXK TLURB @QSIL QWV\Y KTEXP DB[SD DADR@ Z[NM] [R@]C HLEZB
)@\[EN YRWDX KLDAW VLHCY M]ZR@ XKRLT PFB]@ MAITV Z\CON IZFB[ STDAD V\]CE
)NIWFJ ]A@NM TWHYK SEXP@ ZBPMA IRV\Y A@NQY FB[SS MUTWF \[IM] W@ZBP

You dropped a group: "J_]@D".  It looks like your cipher program needs work.

060606060606060606060606060606060606060606060606060606060606060606060606
JQWST HBNHU JB@P[ EMYZG DXKLD @TDRX KNDAF VBXZH MEWFJ \SYED FPTQS RM]VS
THBNH UJB@L AVD@T DJ]KG LUWFJ HBFEX PDLXK RMQRW RJHMA HFPTT [TLEZ GJ\Y@
NIRW@ [[RNP ]B@RI @MAPW LYI@L EQVF[ [UMYZ GFHCT MAYF^ ]KGMA WWJ]A @IQFD
\SAND @PDF[ [NNQP VF]A@ NAWVR [STNL PBPZK NDAWW DYCEN HFPT[ [FDAY WHXKB
MEVFR ]CYED ]B@\[ HLE[V \ZJ@O MVFX[ SLEYS V^]QL DAYSB KSGM] [BXHC AM]VB
\X[OM TVB@] CINLW FX[CN MPWFN [[VOT WB@HB IDATF B]SEA TEFBX [CLUY WFHCA
NPPGL XKRME WWJ\Y @NMRV F[[NL QPWD^ I@LUR GJX[A NQTV^ [Q@ME WGF]C INQZW
HZKOM YYRXH A@LEW FHHCO LXPFF [[UNI YVJKA @JEZV RX[HL TFPTS CALIW WDXKT
M]YFR YKSEX PB@SA GIAWV Z[KED AYVB[ SSDAH FB\SI NQ\R@ \[HM] ZVXYA @LIRR
@\SEN AWWD] CIMYS R@\[O M]WB\ HA@IE ZBN\Y @MYTV FYI@N QWPZB SHLUP WDHCF
NIWVZ HCYM] ZR@XK GLETV \KA@N MTWDK PMAHF PTRI@ NMRVJ HCTMA PWHHC SM]VV
J[[NL TPFJ[ CSLTP FPXKS DATV\ ]CENI QVJ\C TLURB @^KON UYB@[ CANMZ B@]CR
LEWGF [KINM YVR[[ NEXPB @U[HL UWB@X KRLTP GNYHJ L]WVR [SGDA ZF^HC PNUZB
@TRSH DPF^[ Q@M]Z WDHCC M]VVZ [CIMY UWFKA @NMTW DOXMA HFPTQ JNHPP D^QQ@
IQDT\ QHMAH EO^PB
060606060606060606060606060606060606060606060606060606060606060606060606

--
Shawn Instenes, [e-mail], [e-mail]
Distributed Computing Support Program, LLNL