Re: Orwell's country wants Big Brother backdoor in Vista cipher!

[Simon Smith <simon () snosoft com>]

Yet another premature reliance on an unproved technology.

This chip is yet another premature reliance on an unproved technology.
This chip will not protect computer users, or their respective data.
This chip will cause problems for legitimate users and potentially
protect black hats.

Examples

   1. Forensic research: This chip will cause harm to any company who's
      primary service offering is forensic research (Encase).
   2. If my motherboard fails, how the hell am I going to replace it if
      my damn hard-disk is encrypted and I can't get at the key (all of IT)?


Hinder legitimate research?
"The system is aimed at preventing tampering with computers but it would
also help prevent people from downloading unlicensed films or media."

Forensic research moot or just hindered?
"An unfortunate side effect from law enforcement is it would be
technically fairly seriously difficult to dig encrypted material out of
the system if it has been set up competently."

nuff said

-simon


Feher Tamas wrote:
> Hello all,
>
> http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/4713018.stm
>
> According to the above article from BBC News, the british
> parliament is urging Blair government to negotiate with
> Microsoft to implement a backdoor into the strong hard disk
> encryption module of upcoming Windows Vista from day one.
>
> The interior affairs committe of MPs heard testimony by
> Cambridge security design expert Ross Anderson. The
> academican said new TPM-based "BitLocker Drive Encryption"
> schemes in Microsoft Vista would be too difficult to break
> in the short timeframe terror suspects can be held without
> charge and thus cases could collapse for lack of evidence as
> detainees avoid self-incrimination by inventing tales of
> lost keys and passwords.
>
> The expert's answer is to put a backdoor into the BitLocker
> program code to bypass password and key checks. Critics
> argue this move would be hypocrisy, since the TPM based
> encryption method was invented to protect the interests of
> music and movie industry in the first place, who wanted to
> base their DRM schemes on encrypted files, which cannot be
> modified, ripped or shared meaningfully. Thus encryption is
> strong when used against the users, but would become weak or
> non-existent when people could use it for personal legal
> defence.
>
> Regards: Tamas Feher from Hungary.
>
> ___________________________________________________________________________
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-- 


Regards, 
        Adriel T. Desautels
        Harvard Security Group
        http://www.harvardsecuritygroup.com


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