7 ms·
Roughly paraphrased: "We don't care what kind of lock you build, so long as you build one that you can always unlock for us. We're not mandating any particular
by msandford 11y ago
Roughly paraphrased: "We don't care what kind of lock you build, so long as you build one that you can always unlock for us. We're not mandating any particular design, but you have to unlock it on demand."
That's not really a lock, then, is it?
- gknoy 11y agoIt worked for the TSA.
- bovermyer 11y agoAnd as a result, the TSA destroyed a hot sauce boxed set I had in my luggage. I learned my lesson; now I just buy new clothes/toiletries/etc. at my destination rather than take anything at all with me.
- korethr 11y agoAnother option is to start flying with something that qualifies as a 'firearm' in your luggage. Such requires actual proper locks that only you can open. There was a talk on this at DEFCON 17 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KfqtYfaILHw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KfqtYfaILHw Obviously, this only works in the US. Other countries will have different laws on the ownership and transport of firearms.
- nickpeterson 11y agoTo be fair, it's exactly a lock, well understood and easy to circumvent (like the keys to your house).
- msandford 11y agoAnd just like the keys to my house, it requires an actual live physical human being to transport itself through meatspace at a non-relativistic speed in order to perform said circumvention, right? Oh, it doesn't? Hmmm.
- mortenjorck 11y agoThis is why I'm hoping we can ultimately just let go of all these analogies for encryption. Analogies are training wheels, and if we leave them on for too long, we risk propagating the idea that all bikes have four wheels.
- dredmorbius 11y agoAll models are wrong. Some models are useful. Analogies are models. Analogies are pretty much precisely how we convey novel ideas. The problem is finding one which doesn't melt when pushed too hard. I keep having to explain to my father that deleting data from storage doesn't speed up computers. Nor does leaking it. His response when I mentioned that the Panama Papers leaks were 2.6 terabytes of data was "well, that must have made their systems a lot faster" (because they were no longer bogged down by having 2.6 TB of data on them). That's wrong at least two ways: data-on-disk doesn't slow down computers, and leaking data (making a copy) doesn't remove it from the source. And this is a reasonably intelligent human being. Who's used computers for many decades.
- acbabis 11y agoWhat do you mean "deleting data from storage doesn't speed up computers?" Deleting old files certainly makes file searches faster.
- seanp2k2 11y agoIt's the crypto equivalent of the TSA-approved locks.
- _asummers 11y agoAnd just like TSA locks, the bittings will leak, rendering the lock useless to all but the laziest adversaries.
- Spivak 11y agoWhat do you mean 'will leak'? You can find pictures of the master keys online today. I think the TSA locks are a great example of why backdoors are completely idiotic.
- _asummers 11y agoThat was exactly my point. The TSA lock bittings are available and the back door keys will be available shortly after instituted.
- marcoperaza 11y agoThink about the threat model for a lock on a suitcase. The adversary must have your bag in their possession. It's the perfect example of something that's only to keep honest people honest. Also, they make sure that your bag stays closed.
- mcintyre1994 11y agoDoes anyone actually use a suitcase that while locked with any padlock can't be opened with a pen? Unless the lock is secured to something other than the zipper you can resecure it invisibly too.
- ascagnel_ 11y agoIt's a TSA-approved lock for encryption instead of luggage. And just like with TSA locks, there will be leaks and compromised systems that only hurt the general public.