Re: PGP Mailer for the masses ?

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To: provos@wserver.physnet.uni-hamburg.de, coderpunks@toad.com,
 cypherpunks@toad.com
Date: Fri Aug 09 15:56:37 1996
Niels,

Thanks, for describing the features of Pronto Secure :)
This is how Pronto Secure matches up to your checklist:

> Here is just a short list what such a programm should be able to
>  do: ( all options should be optional ;)
> 
> Sending Mail:
> - Clear signing of outgoing mail
YES

> - If public key of recipients is known encrypt with those keys
YES

> - If there is access to a public keyserver try to get a public key
>   for the recipients
YES

> Receiving Mail:
> - While reading mail ( similiar to premail ) try to check existing 
>   signatures if public key is available otherwise try to get 
>   public key from server
YES (do on the fly signature checking as mail arrives in inbox)

> - Traverse the web of trust and show how the public key is
>    related to one own keys to mutual signatures on other public keys
>    ( For example mean distance to a key signed by the recipient
>    himself )
NO  (we handle certification by allowing the user to modify a list of  
    trusted certifiers for signing keys)

> - If the mail contains a public key add it to the keyring
NO  (Key is shown as an attachment icon double click on it adds it to  
   the keyring)

> - Don't show pgp blocks in Mail since they might confuse
YES

> Keymanagement:
> - Should be integrated in the addressbook together with E-Mail
>   Address and name.
YES

> - Keys should be imported via generation or via mail or via a file
YES (or the clipboard)

> - If you have a public key without an entry in the addressbook
>   take the EMail and Name from the public key
YES (or prompt user to supply address)

> - One should be able to sign the keys during import if origin is
>   known
NO  (signing keys is a separate process. This gives the user an     
opportunity to authenticate on another channel)

> Misc:
> - Passphrase should be kept in memory for a definable time, 0 for
>  immediate deletion, thus you would be prompted for the passphrase 
>  each time you use it. Question about Windows Swapspace ? or tag the 
>  memory as uncacheable ?
NO (Keyboard sniffing is too easy to do in Windows, This would give    
   a false sense of security)

> I would suggest creating a library with seperate io and gui parts in
> order to motivate peeple in helping who do not want to support 
> mainstream products like Windows. Like taking the PGP 3.0 lib ( is it 
> out yet ?) and modify it a bit.
YES (Separating UI from security functionality is also the right       
   way to go for offering plug in security providers)
 
> Since there are a variety of good functioning mailers available
> already it wouldn't make sense developing the whole stuff but instead 
> only integrate the library into existing products.
NO  (It will not be an easy task to design a general library of UI    
   elements that any mail client will be able to seemlessly plug into.)

> Do you think that such proposal is senseable and that there are
> people who would be willing to support the idea with programming 
> affords ?

It exists. Plus a few additional features not mentioned, and a much 
longer wish-list in the process of being implemented.

Check it out. It is available from http://www.commtouch.com/p1.htm

IMPORTANT: COMMTOUCH WILL GIVE A FREE COPY OF PRONTO SECURE TO ANY 
MEMBER OF THE CODERPUNKS/CYPHERPUNKS LISTS SUPPLYING USEFUL FEEDBACK 
ABOUT THE PRODUCT.

The impressions of early users of Pronto Secure can be viewed at: 
http://www.commtouch.com/testers.htm (many of whom are list members)

Regards, Geoff.



- ---------------------------------------------------------------
Geoff Klein, Pronto Secure Product Manager;   www.commtouch.com 
My PGP public Key 1814AD45 can be obtained by sending a message
to geoff@commtouch.co.il with "Get PGP Key" as the subject.
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On Fri, 9 Aug 1996, geoff wrote:
> Thanks, for describing the features of Pronto Secure :)
> This is how Pronto Secure matches up to your checklist:
> > - Traverse the web of trust and show how the public key is
> >    related to one own keys to mutual signatures on other public keys
> >    ( For example mean distance to a key signed by the recipient
> >    himself )
> NO  (we handle certification by allowing the user to modify a list of  
>     trusted certifiers for signing keys)
I personally would find it useful if you could get a measure of
trustworthy ness due to keydistance. Like that if I knew that the sender
is only 2 keys away from my own I would most likely trust his public key
to be the original, it would be nice to see the signing people involved
though:
Max Miller 
  |-signed- a friend of mine <-signed- me
  |-signed- Molly Malone <-signed- Someone <-signed- friend <- signed me

According to http://bcn.boulder.co.us/~neal/pgpstat/ there were 19124 keys
in the keyserver but the biggest werb of trust had only 1291 keys and
the next only 16 keys. The mean key distance was between 6 and 7.
That means that you don't have to get too many public keys in order to
find the connection to your key and on the other hand it might show that
calculating trust according to keydistance isn't worth is since the web
of trusts are so small. But I figure if you would show the connection of
keys in your mailer it might encourage people to participate in key
signing parties.

> > Misc:
> > - Passphrase should be kept in memory for a definable time, 0 for
> >  immediate deletion, thus you would be prompted for the passphrase 
> >  each time you use it. Question about Windows Swapspace ? or tag the 
> >  memory as uncacheable ?
> NO (Keyboard sniffing is too easy to do in Windows, This would give    
>    a false sense of security)
How would you get the pass phrase if not via the keyboard ? And if you
keep it in memory till you sign off ( like in premail ) you would only
have to type it once, though capturing the pass phrase once is normaly
enough.

> > I would suggest creating a library with seperate io and gui parts in
> > order to motivate peeple in helping who do not want to support 
> > mainstream products like Windows. Like taking the PGP 3.0 lib ( is it 
> > out yet ?) and modify it a bit.
> YES (Separating UI from security functionality is also the right       
>    way to go for offering plug in security providers)

Though I think that Pronto Secure will help spread the use of cryptography
I would prefer a source code distributed library which could handle most
of the stuff needed including for example preparing encrypted requests to
key servers ( via anonymous remailers or not )( it keyservers will
implement encrypted requests ) or calculating the key distance if possible
with the available keys.

I guess one should wait for the arrival of the pgp 3.0 lib and evaluate
what it can and can't.

Greetings
 Niels Provos =8)

- - PHYSnet Rechnerverbund     PGP V2.6 Public key via finger or key server
  Niels Provos               
  Universitaet Hamburg       WWW: http://www.physnet.uni-hamburg.de/provos/   
  Jungiusstrasse 9           E-Mail: provos@wserver.physnet.uni-hamburg.de
  Germany 20355 Hamburg      Tel.:   +49 40 4123-2504     Fax: -6571 

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