Re: [Announce]: axspawn PAM with MD2, MD5, SHA1, RIPEMD160 and ARC4.

From: Luis Yanes (nbeiirwc.lmco@dsl-149-33.utaonline.at)
Date: Mon Mar 12 2001 - 20:00:18 EET

  • Next message: Arno Verhoeven: "latest version of htpp ?"

    Joerg Reuter wrote:
    >
    > -- there is one problem I see so far, and that is the
    > patent issue with some of these protocols. I know for sure we cannot
    > use MD2 (I've asked RSA Inc.) and need to check on the other prototocols.

    Well. We can't use MD2. And shouldn't. The crypto libraries aren't
    included, just support for them. As long as I know, the only supported
    hashes right now in DOS/Windows packet programs are md2 and in some
    newer md5. Didn't used any for linux. The standard defacto md2 is needed
    for these programs till all will switch to an open one. Anyway, the use
    of md2 is a personal decission forced only by the necesity (my tpk only
    uses md2).

    > The best solution would be a public key scheme (how do you upload the
    > secret key for the message digest algorithms in a secure way?), but
    > this would be far more complex to implement than a hash key algorithm.

    With a symetric crypto system, you can't upload a secret key if there
    isn't a shared secret before. Just like the passphrase where to pick
    the 5 characters. Only if there is a secret key known to the system,
    a new one can be transferred using the previous one with a symetric
    cipher.

    The problem is the same with a public key scheme because you must know
    the public keys from a trusted source, being online or personal
    exchange, and for an isolated system is almost the same as the
    symetric scheme.

    Of course, I agree that a public key aproach is better even for an
    isolated system, since you can use the same public key everywhere.
    I only used ARC4 because was just straigth forward and knew it well.
    Never used public keys before, but shouldn't be much more difficult
    of implement, other than the increased CPU usage. 

    -- 
73's de Luis

    mail: melus0(@)teleline(.)es
Ampr: eb7gwl.ampr.org
http://www.terra.es/personal2/melus0/ <- PCBs for Homebrewed Hardware

    -
To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe linux-hams" in
the body of a message to btz.fgvyfnrtf@sol.no

    This archive was generated by hypermail 2b30 : Mon Mar 12 2001 - 20:21:28 EET