Does this mean I can remove my des-solnet? Anyway, we didn't win but the [EMAIL PROTECTED] email address processed the most blocks of all email addresses.
Michael -- Dr. Michael Meskes, Projekt-Manager | topsystem Systemhaus GmbH [EMAIL PROTECTED] | Europark A2, Adenauerstr. 20 [EMAIL PROTECTED] | 52146 Wuerselen Go SF49ers! Go Rhein Fire! | Tel: (+49) 2405/4670-44 Use Debian GNU/Linux! | Fax: (+49) 2405/4670-10 >-----Original Message----- >From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [SMTP:[EMAIL PROTECTED] >Sent: Friday, June 20, 1997 11:28 AM >To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >Subject: [NTSEC] (Fwd) DESCHALL Press Release > >------- Forwarded Message Follows ------- >From: Rocke Verser <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >To: "[EMAIL PROTECTED]" ><[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >Subject: DESCHALL Press Release >Date: Wed, 18 Jun 1997 21:09:11 +0100 > > INTERNET-LINKED COMPUTERS CHALLENGE DATA ENCRYPTION STANDARD > > LOVELAND, COLORADO (June 18, 1997). Tens of thousands of >computers, all across the U.S. and Canada, linked together via the >Internet in an unprecedented cooperative supercomputing effort to >decrypt a message encoded with the government-endorsed Data Encryption >Standard (DES). > > Responding to a challenge, including a prize of $10,000, offered by >RSA Data Security, Inc, the DESCHALL effort successfully decoded >RSADSI's secret message. > > According to Rocke Verser, a contract programmer and consultant who >developed the specialized software in his spare time, "Tens of thousands >of computers worked cooperatively on the challenge in what is believed >to be one of the largest supercomputing efforts ever undertaken outside >of government." > > Using a technique called "brute-force", computers participating in >the challenge simply began trying every possible decryption key. There >are over 72 quadrillion keys (72,057,594,037,927,936). At the time the >winning key was reported to RSADSI, the DESCHALL effort had searched >almost 25% of the total. At its peak over the recent weekend, the >DESCHALL effort was testing 7 billion keys per second. > > Verser considers this project to be remarkable in two ways: > > One. This is the first time anyone has publicly shown that they >can read a message encrypted with DES. And this was done with "spare" >CPU time, mostly from ordinary PCs, by thousands of users who have never >even met each other. U.S. government and industry will have to take a >hard look at their cryptographic policies. "DES can no longer be >considered secure against a determined adversary", Verser said. > > Two. This project demonstrates the kind of supercomputing power >that can be harnessed on the Internet using nothing but "spare" CPU >time. "Imagine what might be possible using millions of computers >connected to the Internet!" Aside from cryptography and other obvious >mathematical uses, supercomputers are used in many fields of science. >"Perhaps a cure for cancer is lurking on the Internet?", said Verser, >"Or perhaps the Internet will become Everyman's supercomputer." > > > Under current U.S. government export regulations, and underscoring >a problem faced by the U.S. software industry, the program that searched >the keys could not be exported, except to Canada. A competitive effort, >based in Sweden, sprang up well after the DESCHALL effort began. Able >to "market" their keysearch software around the world, the Swedish >effort caught up quickly, and had searched nearly 10 quadrillion keys by >the end of the contest. > > ------------------------------------ > > Verser agrees with the sentiment voiced in RSADSI's secret message: >"Strong cryptography makes the world a safer place." > > Use of strong cryptography, both domestically and internationally, >is essential in today's electronic world. "But not at the expense of a >citizen's right to privacy." Verser adds, "Recent proposals for >'key-recovery' and for criminalization of the use of cryptography have no >place in a free society." > > > Information about the DESCHALL effort is available from the >official DESCHALL Web site at: <http://www.frii.com/~rcv/deschall.htm> > > > >MEDIA CONTACTS: > Matt Curtin, (908) 431-5300 x 295, <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > >ALTERNATE: > Rocke Verser, (970) 663-5629, <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > >ALTERNATE: > Justin Dolske, (614) 459-5194, <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > - 30 - > > > > > > > INTERNET LINKED COMPUTERS CHALLENGE DATA ENCRYPTION STANDARD > Background / Sidebar, for Release dated June 18, 1997 > > The Data Encryption Standard, DES, is a national standard, adopted >in 1977. Use of DES is mandatory in most Federal agencies, except the >military. DES is very widely used in the private sector, as well. > > Interbank wire transfers, Visa transactions, your medical and >financial records, and your employer's financial data are some of the >many things secured against prying eyes or against modification by DES. > > When the Data Encryption Standard was adopted in 1977, there was >some question as to whether or not the Standard was adequate to protect >confidential data. > > Matt Curtin, Chief Scientist for Megasoft, Inc. says, "This is >proving by example, not by mathematical calculation, that DES can be >broken with little or no cost." Curtin added, "Others could just as >easily be attempting to gain access to multibillion dollar wire >transfers." > > >MEDIA CONTACTS: > Matt Curtin, (908) 431-5300 x 295, <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > >ALTERNATE: > Rocke Verser, (970) 663-5629, <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > >ALTERNATE: > Justin Dolske, (614) 459-5194, <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > - 30 - > > > > > > > > INTERNET LINKED COMPUTERS CHALLENGE DATA ENCRYPTION STANDARD > Background for Release dated June 18, 1997 > > DESCHALL DATA SHEET > >DESCHALL Web site: > <http://www.frii.com/~rcv/deschall.htm> > >Principal Organizer: > Rocke Verser, self-employed contract programmer, Loveland, Colorado > >Team Leaders - Did "everything" Rocke didn't have time to do > Matt Curtin, Chief Scientist, Megasoft Online > Justin Dolske, Graduate Fellow / Research Associate, Ohio State Universtiy > >Team Contributors: > Guy Albertelli, several "ports" > Kelly Campbell, original Mac port > Darrell Kindred, blazing fast bitslice clients > Andrew Meggs, blazing fast Mac client > Karl Runge, statistics and rankings > >Team Members: > Dozens of people who contributed "shareware". > Thousands of ordinary folks, who contributed "spare" CPU cycles. > > >Project statistics: > Start of contest: January 29, 1997 > Announcement of DESCHALL project: February 18, 1997 > End of contest: June 17, 1997 > > Size of keyspace: 72,057,594,037,927,936 > Keys searched: 17,731,502,968,143,872 > Peak keys/day: 601,296,394,518,528 > Peak keys/second: 7,000,000,000 (approx) > > Peak clients/day: 14,000 (approx, based on IP address) > Total clients, since start: 78,000 (approx, based on IP address) > >The computer that found the key: > CPU: Pentium 90 > RAM: 16 megabytes > Operating System: FreeBSD 2.2.1 > Speed (keys/second): 250,000 (approx) > Client: FreeBSD v0.214, built March 12, 1997 > Owner: iNetZ Corporation, Salt Lake City, Utah > Operator: Michael K. Sanders > > >MEDIA CONTACTS: > Matt Curtin, (908) 431-5300 x 295, <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > >ALTERNATE: > Rocke Verser, (970) 663-5629, <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > >ALTERNATE: > Justin Dolske, (614) 459-5194, <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > > -- TO UNSUBSCRIBE FROM THIS MAILING LIST: e-mail the word "unsubscribe" to [EMAIL PROTECTED] . Trouble? e-mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] .
