Re: [rp-ml] SYCODE Releases Four New Free RP Plug-ins

From: Adrian Bowyer <A.Bowyer_at_bath.ac.uk>
Date: Sun Oct 05 2008 - 17:28:05 EEST

Deelip Menezes wrote:

> Imagine using an email program that encrypts your email and then sends it to
> a recipient. When the recipient opens the email his program automatically
> decrypts it and shows it to him just like how you typed it. Does it really
> matter which algorithm or format your email was transmitted through the
> internet? However, if you were going to store the encrypted email for future
> use, then yes, you would probably want its format published.
> ....
> BTW, as far as I understand it, email is transmitted in exactly the same
> manner I described above and nobody I know seems to have a problem with
> that.

"Does it really matter which algorithm or format your email was
transmitted through the internet?"

Yes, very much, if you want security. The best encryption that is used
for mail (GPG) is free, is open, and anyone can see the source. Indeed,
the only reliable and trustworthy encryption schemes are open ones - the
ones that have millions of eyes looking for bugs and cracks. Even with
S/MIME and TLS all the algorithms and standards are public, even if some
implementations are not. And the less public things are, the more
trouble they have. See, for example:

http://weblog.infoworld.com/udell/2004/03/23.html#a952

I would never advise anyone to use any encryption scheme for which the
sources weren't public. No corporation, and no government even, has the
resources to do a tiny fraction of the checking and correcting that you
get for free simply by putting sources on a website for everyone to
download and to inspect.

-- 
Best wishes
Adrian
Dr Adrian Bowyer
http://people.bath.ac.uk/ensab
http://reprap.org
Received on Sun Oct 05 17:38:18 2008

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