[Cryptography] Opening Discussion: Speculation on "BULLRUN"

[Salz, Rich]

>   *  NSA employees participted throughout, and occupied leadership roles
>      in the committee and among the editors of the documents

> Slam dunk.  If the NSA had wanted it, they would have designed it themselves.  The only
> conclusion for their presence that is rational is to sabotage it [3].

No.  One mission of the NSA is to protect US government secrets. Since the government can no longer afford to specify their own security products all the time (or rather that the computer market has become commoditized), the NSA has an interest in making standard COTS products be secure.

I do not know if the NSA worked to subvert IETF specifications, but participation isn't proof of it.

	/r$

			   "Flaming Carrot!...	Do
			    you see Communists behind
			    every bush?"
						     "No... but SOMETIMES they
						      hide there."


--  
Principal Security Engineer
Akamai Technology
Cambridge, MA