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Netscape mit 128bit



Neues aus der 128bit Ecke....

Rigo


>Date: Tue, 11 Nov 1997 23:48:11 +1000
>From: Michael Baker <mbaker@pobox.com>
>Subject: Fortify
>To: gilc-plan@privacy.org
>Cc: efa-board@efa.org.au
>Reply-To: gilc-plan@gilc.org
>
>I think some concerted international support for Farrell McKay, in the
>form of promoting his Fortify product, which turns a 40-bit version of
>Netscape into a 128-bit version, is in order.
>
>Below is a reproduction of an article on Fortify in today's Australian.
>
>Thoughts anyone?
>
>Michael.
>===========================
>Without Permission:
>
>In The Australian Tuesday November 11 1997 page 57, Computers News
>Features
>
>[picture] Man (not unlike the X-Files Mulder) standing beside a country
>road
>
>[caption] McKay -- 'A lot of valuable projects wern't getting off the
>drawing board' -- Picture: WARREN CLARKE
>
>[headline] Aussie cracks US code barrier for Net users
>
>By CONRAD WALTERS
>
>FARRELL McKay has little doubt who is one of key culprits inhibiting
>the growth of electronic commerce on the Internet: the US Government.
>
>>From McKay's perspective, US laws restricting the export of encryption
>software - a move intended to curb illegal activities such as the
>intenational arms trade -- are patently unfair to law-abiding Netizens.
>
>Compare the alternatives for Netscape Web browsers, which come in two
>strengths.
>
>Americans and Canadians have access to as-yet unbreakable 128-bit
>encryption.
>
>The rest of the world must make do with a 40-bit version, which hackers
>have cracked in as little as 3 1/2 hours.
>
>But McKay -- software engineer, systems architect and security
>evangelist -- has just thwarted the US laws by releasing Fortify,
>freeware that beefs up the cryptography in the intenational version of
>Netscape's browsers to match that of the domestic version.
>
>The patch, developed over 18 months and released after three months of
>testing, works for Netscape versions 2, 3 and 4 for Windows and Unix.
>
>"In my work, I found that a lot of valuable projects weren't getting off
>the drawing board because of privacy and security concerns," said McKay,
>a consultant based in Sydney.
>
>He said he knew of an Australian bank that had to spend millions
>"reinventing the wheel" to develop its own encryption solution so it
>could launch an online banking product.
>
>"And it all boiled down to the fact that the US Government with its
>regulations was putting a breake on these projects in the international
>marketplace."
>
>So far, McKay hasn't heard from the US Government, although he said,
>half-seriously: "They've probably got a file on me now."
>
>He also hasn't heard from Netscape.  "I think they're taking a neutral
>attitude." he said.
>
>In fact, David Shaw, Netscape's product marketing manager for Australia
>and New Zealand, said the company's security experts have already
>examined Fortify and, so far, had no problems with it.
>
>"We are always encouraging people to further enhance and embrace our
>software," Shaw said.  "It would be easier for us to do business if
>128-bit were exportable everywhere."
>
>But that may not be the end of it.  McKay has his eye on turning Fortify
>into a commercial product, and ultimately he would like to see it
>licenced by Netscape.
>
>"The holy grail would be for them to embrace the product," he said.
>"That would go a long way towards having widespread adoption."
>
>However, in what would seem to be a catch-22 for McKay, any licensing
>arrangements would probably have to be done through the US, where the
>problematic encryption issue originated.
>
>So far, the public's response to Fortify has been gratifying, McKay
>said.
>
>Although it has been difficult to measure downloads from the various
>servers hosting the patch, his Web page
>( http://www.geocities.com/Eureka/Plaza/6333/ ) has been getting more than
>60 visitiors a day since the program was first publicised on newsgroups
>and mailing lists late last month.
>
>--
>Dr Michael Baker,            EFA Board Member,          ISOC-AU Founder
Member
>PO Box 5, Flaxley, SA 5153, Australia   Ph:+618 8388 8439  Fax: +618 8262
3633
><mailto:mbaker@pobox.com>
<http://pobox.com/~mbaker>
>For more info: EFA <http://www.efa.org.au> ISOC-AU
<http://www.isoc-au.org.au>
>
>