🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <12JAN199300513143@cc.utah.edu> beezer@cc.utah.edu (BEEZER) writes:
[...]
>
>I would like to advise the author of a large public access
>BBS network of adding public-key encryption to his s/w
>as a regular feature (the BBS could be configured to keep
>individual user's keys on-file by that user).
[...]

This is a bad idea, Mr. "BEEZER".  If the encryption/decryption is done
on the BBS, then you've got CLEARTEXT ON THE BBS...  You're better off
doing the encryption on your home PC, where you can controll access to
any cleartext, and transfer only ciphertext to and from the BBS.

This is especially critical with public-key cryptography.  If *you*,
and only *you* aren't the only one with access to the cleartext, then
you've just thrown away the guarantee of authenticity which public-key
ciphers are supposed to give you.  Your private messages may be read,
and your signature may be forged.

You seal your letters inside envelopes *before* you give them to the
post-man, don't you?  Then do the same with your E-mail.  Encrypt it
*before* your delivery-agent (BBS, Fido/UUCP-node, mailer, whatever)
ever has a chance to "see" it.

Rick Miller   <rick@ee.uwm.edu> | <rick@discus.mil.wi.us>   Ricxjo Muelisto
Occupation:  Husband, Father, WEPCo. WAN Mgr., Discus Sys0p, and  Linux fan

BTW:  In case you really trust your postal workers, consider that one
	spy was caught when he, after losing his codebook, sent a loosely-
	disguised message on a post-card.  Some postal clerk just happened
	to be curious at the right (wrong?) time...

	I, personally, had my post-cards read by the US government.
	While away from home, I sent post-cards to my fiance' since
	they're cheaper to send.  I 'coded' them with a simple, phonetic
	substitution cipher so that her mother couldn't get too nosey.

	For the first few weeks (sending one post-card each and every day)
	*none* got through.  Later, they started to get through to my fiance
	smudged and rumpled... one even had a coffee-mug ring on it!  

	Guessing the cause, I send a couple extra post-cards which detailed
	the phonetic substitution we were using.  Suddenly, all of my cards
	started to go through in the normal 2-day period!

	I pity the poor drudge who had to wade through all that mush.  :-)