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Date:      Mon, 19 Jun 1995 17:56:42 +0200
From:      Mark Murray <mark@grondar.za>
To:        Garrett Wollman <wollman@halloran-eldar.lcs.mit.edu>
Cc:        current@freebsd.org
Subject:   Re: Crypto code - an architectural proposal. 
Message-ID:  <199506191556.RAA29080@grumble.grondar.za>

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> <<On Sun, 18 Jun 1995 18:00:48 +0200, Mark Murray <mark@grondar.za> said:
> 
> > Included in the new DES code that I have (and in the old BTW) is
> > fcrypt.c, which is a faster (2-3 times) replacement for the DES-based
> > crypt(3) we are currently using. I would like to include this fcrypt.c
> > in libdes to reduce the number of libraries produced.
> 
> This is a bad idea for the following reason:
> 
> The current libdescrypt.so was designed specifically to ensure that it
> would be easy to get an export license for the binary.  This is done
> by having the library only export one entry point, the UNIX one-way
> hash function crypt().  I don't want to see this broken.

I don't quite understand. The code I have has no restrictions apart from
the US crypto export one. What I am proposing to do is include it with a
library that has exactly the same restrictions. I want to do this to
reduce the number of libraries, seeing that some of what I am doing may
increase that number.

> There are also some reasons for wishing that the system crypt() were
> slower as opposed to faster than it is now.

What are they, please? If it is to slow down hack-attacks, then this is
not really a reason, as a hacker could either bring his own fast crypt(3),
or we could slow down login(1) etc with sleep(3), giving us the advantage
with the crack programs.

> Now, if you want to replace libcipher, go right ahead.

I am actually having quite a hard time working out what the difference
is between libdescrypt and libcipher. Could you enlighten me please?
(I was of a mind to trash libcipher, as it seems superfluous.)

M
--
Mark Murray
46 Harvey Rd, Claremont, Cape Town 7700, South Africa
+27 21 61-3768 GMT+0200



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