RE: [HOE] Decryption

["Jeff Yates" <jyates@primaryfunction.com>]

I don't know military/gov't requirements for this sort of thing (emp
hardness, ease of destruction case of discovery by other gov'ts, etc.) but I
can comment on the general tech involved...

Hardware has certain advantages - specialized circuits are faster, not prone
to software erasures, easier to make smaller/more concealable.  A hardware
solution has certain disadvantages - custom hardware costs more, can't be
upgraded/fixed as easily, can't be erased if the spy plane is captured by
the Chinese.

A software solution has some advantages - software can be upgraded easily,
can be destroyed completely and quickly easily, doesn't require specialized
fancy hardware (so almost any computer will do).  The disadvantages to a
software only solution - slower than a hardware-only solution (usually), can
be erased accidentaly (or maliciously), it can be more difficult to conceal
a general purpose computer needed to run the software.

The algorithms used in encryption can be implemented either in a cool
hi-tech piece of hardware (HOE decoder rings!) or in a software program.  I
guess as marshal you get to pick how to have your posse get a decryptor
built.  The problem will be finding out which algorithm was used to encrypt
the data, and the encryption key used.  The message encryptor (the sender)
has to have a code number (or letter-number combo) to build the message.
The longer the code number (key), the better.  The receiver has to have the
same code number to decrypt the message (and be using the same encryption
algorithm).

I've got a link to a site where an encryption algorithm is explored that
uses a deck of cards to do the encryption.  I believe it was someone on the
Weird West list that posted the link first -- it seemed pretty on-topic for
Agency character types.  But there are more general comments about
encryption algorithms in general there too.

http://www.counterpane.com/solitaire.html
http://www.cluefactory.org.uk/paul/crypto/mirdek/

Hope this helps,
Jeff Y.


> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-hoe@gamerz.net [mailto:owner-hoe@gamerz.net]On Behalf Of
> toadpooka@juno.com
> Sent: Monday, June 04, 2001 6:08 AM
> To: hoe@gamerz.net
> Subject: [HOE] Decryption
>
>
> My players recently came into possession of 3 data slugs that contain
> heavily encrypted NA military data.  Now they're trying to find someone
> or something in Junkyard that can decode them enough to find out what's
> on there (the players fear that the slugs contain the locations of
> unexploded City-Busters).  They want to hide the data from everyone they
> can (the only groups deemed "worthy" so far are Ike and the Chamber)
> until they figure this out.
> My question is: does anyone have any ideas about how to do this in-game?
> Would the decryption equipment be hardware (junker-built AI or Brains
> machine) or software (data slugs).
> I generally do want them to succeed at getting this stuff, but it
> shouldn't be too simple to actually do...
>
> From Whom It May Concern,
> Rich "BANNED  for LIFE"  Ranallo
>
> "I am the fruit frozen bubble rubber band"
> -John Fitgerald Kennedy
>
>
> To unsubscribe, send a message to esquire@gamerz.net with
> 	unsubscribe hoe
> as the BODY of the message.  The SUBJECT is ignored.
>