[Cryptography] Long-term security (was Re: ratcheting DH strengths over time)

[Tom Mitchell]

On Tue, Nov 17, 2015 at 10:02 PM, Kevin W. Wall <kevin.w.wall at gmail.com>
wrote:

> [Apologies for this being OT for this list.]

Yep except thinking about alarms applies.

>
> On Tue, Nov 17, 2015 at 7:47 PM, Ray Dillinger <bear at sonic.net> wrote:
> > It is true.  The new smoke alarm units flatly presume that
> > all ranges are electric

....

>
> Then how do they get smoke alarms to work with gas furnaces and
> gas hot water heaters? There must be something that works.



This is a real issue.  Not too long ago all multi dwelling condos and
apartments here were mandated by law to install carbon monoxide detectors.
If you read the install notes and regulations for distancing the detector
from the hot water heater and furnace none of the existing fire detector
locations were in compliance with both the device limits and the
regulations.
Many small apartments were too small to allow the required installation
parameters.

This same Kafkaesque rule set risks applies to crystallographic systems.
Privacy protection rules mandate strong protection of data and
communications.
i.e. All home workers have or will have long key VPN requirements.   The
feds and
others want access to such data streams...
Executives may have confidential negotiation notes on a portable device that
need strong protection.
Border crossing rules may demand disclosure of codes and keys.  Asymmetry
of national
laws might make a criminal of a traveler with access to his home security
system.

Common solutions to strong keys involve digital lock boxes that once open
may
expose digital keys to vastly more than the one key the law mandates.
i.e. not just files
on this laptop but keys to the home office, client/customer data links...
personal, corporate
and family finances.
And yes IoT devices may well be nicely secure behind a firewall but a new
tenant,
a new owner, a new manager or replacement of hardware (router/ WiFi) may
expose
or disable the devices in unsafe and very difficult to audit ways.

And yes ill secured IoT devices are ideal for secret communications.   A
baby monitor
that watches over a crib (in the clear) allows face to face as well as
previously shared code
communication.   The apple on the book to the right is a go. White board
notes -- like "Dad
off to the market, home at 9:26".   Night temp changed from 68 to 64....





-- 
  T o m    M i t c h e l l
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