outer@utcsri.UUCP (Richard Outerbridge) (02/26/87)
Last year an article came over the net describing exciting new results in verification by Adi Shamir. Some of you may have followed up by writing to the Weizmann Institute for a copy of his paper. If so, keep it secret! (From the Toronto >Globe and Mail<, Report on Business, page B26, Wednesday, February 25, 1987) "U.S. warns Israeli coder his idea secret" by Nicholas Tatro Associated Press TEL AVIV An Israeli cryptologist says he has invented an economical method of shielding computers, credit cards, passports and drivers' licenses from possible forgery. The system involves software programs he has developed as well as so-called "smart" cards - wallet-sized plastic strips containing small microprocessors with tiny memories, Adi Shamir said in an interview. Mr. Shamir and two students, Amos Fiat and Uriel Feige, developed the system at the Weizmann Institute, Israel's largest independent research centre. Last July, the institute applied for a U.S. patent, saying the system had potential applications in a wide variety of commercial and military uses. In January, Mr. Shamir received a letter from the U.S. Commerce Department telling him he faced prosecution if he disclosed information about his findings. "I was sitting in my office here in Israel and got a very official-looking letter from the U.S. Department of Commerce stating that unless I fully comply with a long list of regulations, I would be jailed for two years and be threatened with a $10,000 fine," he said. The case raises questions about the extent to which the U.S. Government can restrict private or academic research in sensitive areas, especially when it is carried out by non-Americans. "I was born in Israel, raised in Israel and educated in Israel," Mr. Shamir said. "That's why I was surprised to get this letter." He was to deliver a scientific paper on the project in May to a conference on theoretical computer science in New York City. After receiving the letter, he wrote to the program committee about the order, which required the committee to retrieve and destroy all advance copies of his paper. Kenneth Cage, a lawyer with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, said he could not comment on the specifics of a pending patent application. He said his office has the power to issue secrecy orders to U.S. citizens if release of information in a proposed patent is deemed harmful to national security. Of 125,000 patent applications last year, about 6,000 were relayed to the Defense Department for review and secrecy orders eventually were issued on about 150, Mr. Cage said. Mr. Shamir attributes the secrecy order in his case to a bureaucratic foul-up, perhaps stemming from the application's mention of possible military uses that were not specified. His invention enables people to prove something without giving away important information. It is an outgrowth of a mathematical discovery called zero-knowledge proof, which allows one mathematician to convince another of a proposition's truth without revealing details of the proof. In the case of credit cards, such a technique can be used to prove a credit card is valid without giving the number to someone who would misuse it. The same technique could protect computer systems from invasion by hackers. [--- 30 ---] "20/8/86 Enclosed you will find the extended abstract of the paper you requested. The full paper is still in preparation, but most of the material (with the exception of some technical proofs and implementation details) appears in the extended abstract. The Weizmann Institute of Science has filed a patent on the new invention. The commercial aspects of this patent are handled by Mr. I. Kohlberg Yeda Research and Development The Weizmann Institute of Science Rehevot 76100 Israel Please feel free to contact him if you are interested in using the new schemes." Even if you're not interested in using the new schemes, you might as well request a copy of the enclosed paper. Sure to be a collectors' item! HOW TO PROVE YOURSELF: PRACTICAL SOLUTIONS TO IDENTIFICATION AND SIGNATURE PROBLEMS Amos Fiat and Adi Shamir Department of Applied Mathematics The Weizmann Institute of Science Rehevot 76100, Israel May 1986 (Extended Abstract) Hey! You Americans!! What's going >on< down there? -- Richard Outerbridge <outer@utcsri.UUCP> (416) 961-4757 Payload Deliveries: N 43 39'36", W 79 23'42", Elev. 106.47m.
jeroen@mcvax.UUCP (02/27/87)
In article <4247@utcsri.UUCP>, outer@utcsri.UUCP (Richard Outerbridge) writes: > Even if you're not interested in using the new schemes, you might as > well request a copy of the enclosed paper. Sure to be a collectors' item! > HOW TO PROVE YOURSELF: > PRACTICAL SOLUTIONS TO IDENTIFICATION > AND SIGNATURE PROBLEMS > Amos Fiat and Adi Shamir > Department of Applied Mathematics > The Weizmann Institute of Science > Rehevot 76100, Israel > May 1986 (Extended Abstract) > Hey! You Americans!! What's going >on< down there? There is no need to write to Israel for getting the paper. Shamir gave a talk at Crypto 86, held in Santa Barbara, CA in August 1986. The extended abstract was included in the book of abstracts handed out at the conference, so just find somebody who has been there. (I wasn't there, but my colleagues were.) This fact make the story even stranger; apparently they want to keep something secret that is in fact already public. For me Outerbridge's last sentence is the most important one. Jeroen van de Graaf.
gnome@oliveb.UUCP (02/28/87)
in article <4247@utcsri.UUCP>, outer@utcsri.UUCP (Richard Outerbridge) says: > > In January, Mr. Shamir received a letter from the U.S. Commerce > Department telling him he faced prosecution if he disclosed information > about his findings. > > Hey! You Americans!! What's going >on< down there? > -- > Richard Outerbridge <outer@utcsri.UUCP> (416) 961-4757 Well, it can best be described as rampant bureaucratic stupidity. There has been a drastic swing towards implementing legal solutions to technical problems. This, of course, only screws-up the R&D incentive in many fields of research, as well as generally hampering creative communication between the various institutions of higher learning. But, hey! It keeps the lawyers busy! And that's all that really counts... Gary
dmr@alice.UUCP (03/02/87)
I kept hoping that someone closer to the situation would post, but they haven't, so: The secrecy order on Shamir et al. was lifted. He has been told this telephonically by the relevant authorities, but last I heard had not received a letter. Nevertheless it appears he is free to present the paper at FOCS. The whole affair is considerably embarrassing and annoying. The general belief is that NSA in particular is cheesed off, as they weren't responsible. Dennis Ritchie