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Article #615Re: Source for _real_ random numbers
From: Hal Feinstein
Date: Thu, 16 Apr 1992 19:15
Date: Thu, 16 Apr 1992 19:15
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In article <1992Apr16.175124.11574@osf.org> karger@osf.org (Paul A. Karger) writes: >In article <ksvk2iINNj20@mthvax.cs.miami.edu>, wb8foz@mthvax.cs.miami.edu (David Lesher) writes: >|> Recently I suggested that a book could substitute for a one-time pad. >|> I've gotten several pieces of mail claiming the method I was proposing >|> was trivial to break. Others have said it is not. >I don't have my copy of Kahn's, The Codebreakers, with me, but as I recall, William Friedman broke a book cipher of this sort during the 1930s. The cipher was in use by some kind of smugglers, and Friedman only found out what book they were using when th ` Also, Friedman broke another book cipher given to him by the British around 1917(?) and he was able to break that too. Reading through Yardley's book he also cracks a bunch of book ciphers some of which were dictionary. Lastly, In Fricks, "War Secrets in the Ether" he says the German's were able to break a combination book and grill system used by a Soviet agent captured in France. Here, I think the Germans could only figure out the langauge that the book was written in but had to await the agents arrest to find the actual book itself. All this happened fifty to a hundred years ago! Things may have advanced since then.
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arc1-ca.pugleaf.net!sparky!uunet!cis.ohio-state.edu!magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu!usenet.ins.cwru.edu!agate!linus!linus.mitre.org!backup.mitre.org!halReferences:
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Newsgroups: sci.crypt Path: arc1-ca.pugleaf.net!sparky!uunet!cis.ohio-state.edu!magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu!usenet.ins.cwru.edu!agate!linus!linus.mitre.org!backup.mitre.org!hal From: hal@backup.mitre.org (Hal Feinstein) Subject: Re: Source for _real_ random numbers Message-ID: <1992Apr16.191504.419@linus.mitre.org> Sender: news@linus.mitre.org (News Service) Nntp-Posting-Host: backup.mitre.org Organization: Mitre Corporation, McLean, VA References: <1465@transfer.stratus.com> <ksvk2iINNj20@mthvax.cs.miami.edu> <1992Apr16.175124.11574@osf.org> Distribution: na Date: Thu, 16 Apr 1992 19:15:04 GMT Lines: 16