RE: Microsoft Authenticode key security

Actually, and sort of to the point, no, the keys never actually ever the
BBN box, except as part of a backup procedure in which they are
extracted in a doubly-encrypted form for which for security reasons you
need the manufacturer's help in restoring.

To this day, no human or computer other than the box itself knows the
key.

	Bob

> -----Original Message-----
> From:	Toto [SMTP:toto@sk.sympatico.ca]
> Sent:	Wednesday, March 05, 1997 9:18 AM
> To:	gbroiles-nospam@netbox.com
> Cc:	cypherpunks@toad.com; Bob Atkinson (Exchange)
> Subject:	Re: Microsoft Authenticode key security
> 
> Greg Broiles wrote:
> > >From: "Bob Atkinson (Exchange)" <bobatk@EXCHANGE.MICROSOFT.com>
> > >Subject: Comments and corrections regarding Authenticode
> > >
> > >For those curious: at the present time, the private keys with which
> > >Microsoft signs code that it publishes are managed inside BBN
> SafeKeyper
> > >boxes housed in a guarded steel and concrete bunker. Even were a
> SafeKeyper
> > >to somehow be physically stolen, these cool little boxes have
> several
> > >elaborate internal defenses designed to have the box destroy itself
> rather
> > >than compromise its keys.
> 
>   Bob fails to mention, however, that, as a backup system, the keys
> are 
> also written on pieces of masking tape attached to the underside of
> his keyboard.
> -- 
> Toto
> http://bureau42.base.org/public/xenix/xenbody.html

Bob Atkinson <bobatk@microsoft.com> writes:
> Actually, and sort of to the point, no, the keys never actually ever the
> BBN box, except as part of a backup procedure in which they are
> extracted in a doubly-encrypted form for which for security reasons you
> need the manufacturer's help in restoring.
> 
> To this day, no human or computer other than the box itself knows the
> key.

Yeah, but we can always just release a patch for windows which makes
it check signatures made by "cypherpunks certification services". 

As has been noted in previous discussions of CAPI (on this list),
there is room for different competing patched key signature services:
sign anything, sign only CAPI modules which don't involve GAK (key
escrow), sign modules for which source code has been examined and
provide a degree of assurance that the module is secure.  Charges
could be made for the CAPI rating, to the module provider, and to the
users of the rating service even (with non-transferable signatures).

Also, the BBN box might be overkill considering ActiveX -- the key
could probably be patched delivered maliciously by the unsuspecting
windows user accessing a web page.

Adam
-- 
Have *you* exported RSA today? --> http://www.dcs.ex.ac.uk/~aba/rsa/
print pack"C*",split/\D+/,`echo "16iII*o\U@{$/=$z;[(pop,pop,unpack"H*",<>
)]}\EsMsKsN0[lN*1lK[d2%Sa2/d0<X+d*lMLa^*lN%0]dsXx++lMlN/dsM0<J]dsJxp"|dc`

"Bob Atkinson (Exchange)" <bobatk@EXCHANGE.MICROSOFT.com> writes:

> Actually, and sort of to the point, no, the keys never actually ever the
> BBN box, except as part of a backup procedure in which they are
> extracted in a doubly-encrypted form for which for security reasons you
> need the manufacturer's help in restoring.
>
> To this day, no human or computer other than the box itself knows the

But do we necessarily believe what Microsoft people say?

Dimitri "bought OS/2 1.0 from Microsoft" Vulis

---

Dr.Dimitri Vulis KOTM
Brighton Beach Boardwalk BBS, Forest Hills, N.Y.: +1-718-261-2013, 14.4Kbps

In <L0c53D131w165w@bwalk.dm.com>, on 03/05/97 at 07:44 PM,
   dlv@bwalk.dm.com (Dr.Dimitri Vulis KOTM) said:


>"Bob Atkinson (Exchange)" <bobatk@EXCHANGE.MICROSOFT.com> writes:

>> Actually, and sort of to the point, no, the keys never actually ever the
>> BBN box, except as part of a backup procedure in which they are
>> extracted in a doubly-encrypted form for which for security reasons you
>> need the manufacturer's help in restoring.
>>
>> To this day, no human or computer other than the box itself knows the

>But do we necessarily believe what Microsoft people say?

>Dimitri "bought OS/2 1.0 from Microsoft" Vulis

:))))))

If Bill Gates got on national TV and told the world that the sky was blue
I'd have go outside and look for myself. Not that this is just more M$
bashing, I wouldn't trust N$, IBM, Novell, HP, DEC, SUN or any other "big
name" hardware/software company that depends on large government contracts.

--
-----------------------------------------------------------
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Geiger Consulting    Cooking With Warp 4.0

Author of E-Secure - PGP Front End for MR/2 Ice
PGP & MR/2 the only way for secure e-mail.
                          
Finger whgiii@amaranth.com for PGP Key and other info
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Tag-O-Matic: OS/2: Logic, not magic.