Cryptography

[Sandy Harris]

On 10/23/09, David Neeley <dbneeley at gmail.com> wrote:

> This morning, I read that a new security enhancement for the Ubuntu
>  family of Linux operating systems has been launched. Using this, users
>  can encrypt their /home directories--the idea being that stolen
>  laptops and such would be very difficult to use to steal confidential
>  files--generally stored either in /home itself or in a subsidiary
>  directory to it. That sounds like an excellent idea to me.

It is, but like many crypto schemes it is easily subverted if someone
can get into the machine and plant a keystroke logger. The "evil
maid" who tampers with the computer in your hotel is one version
of this scenario.

>  I once worked on a startup--which didn't make it, unfortunately. We
>  were attempting to launch a niche product, but one which has a
>  verifiably uncrackable encryption method--the one-time pad.

There's a good FAQ on those:
http://www.ranum.com/security/computer_security/papers/otp-faq/
See also Schneier's comments:
http://www.schneier.com/crypto-gram-0210.html#7

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