Camouflage that message !

[George Foot]

September 25th. 2001





In message <3BB03BE2.44A91844@algroup.co.uk>, Ben Laurie
<ben@algroup.co.uk> writes
>You haven't explained how you get the "Pointers" from one end to the
>other. Nor does the idea that this method reduces load hold much water -
>RC4, for example, is very lightweight (as are all symmetric ciphers,
>when you get down to it) and can be done on even the most limited
>hardware. Plus you have required access to at least a gigabyte of
>storage. My Palm can't do that, but it can easily manage RC4.
>
>Cheers,
>
>Ben.

Many thanks for your reply.

We immediately get into a difficulty if we attempt to claim any
cryptosystem is suitable for all applications.   I respect the fact
that you prefer your choice for your own use.

Storage is not as much a problem now as it was earlier and in fact
has become available in liberal amounts.   But if you wish there is
no difficulty in accessing the Pad directly from a CD Drive which
most people will have available and very little storage is then
required.  

The length of string required from each Pointer position is no
more than the length of the message and Pointers may be
selected at any location in the Pad at whim or by any means you
wish to adopt.

But the significance of the method I have described is that the
simple operation of camouflaging the message by overlaying it
with a camouflaging string of random numbers provides high
security  and many may prefer this to complex mathematical
procedures which must always be suspect and which have always
fallen one by one to analytical skills -- and, who knows, may do so
again in the future with or without the knowledge of the user.  

The method proposed for deriving the camouflaging string is also
simple and may have great appeal for many  because of that
simplicity and its transparency.

I am grateful for your observations.

George.
-- 
George Foot
georgefoot@oxted.demon.co.uk
http://www.oxted.demon.co.uk/
http://www.oxted.demon.co.uk/index.html