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The following archive was created by hippie-mail 7.98617-22 on Sat Apr 10 1999 - 01:10:59
Jim Gillogly (jimg@mentat.com)
Wed, 19 Aug 1998 07:50:23 -0700
EpicTeU@aol.com writes:
> > Hello I am the Newbie of Newbies when it comes to encryption and I was just
> > wondering if anyone out their could explain to me how unix encryption
> works..
Here's a newbie-level precis: most unices come with a "crypt" command.
This encrypts files with an algorithm based on the WW2 German Enigma but
much weaker. To crack these files use "Crypt Breaker's Workbench",
available on the Web. Many unices come with a "caesar" command, which
will allow you to read rot-13 postings and other text masked by the
same algorithm. Some unices have a "des" command, which allows you to
encrypt your files with a 56-bit key, keeping them safe from your kid
sister unless she's pretty wealthy and has a science fair coming up.
All unices encrypt their passwords with the system function "crypt (3)"
(not to be confused with crypt(1) described above), which uses a
password-modified version of a 25-fold iterated DES to perform a
one-way hash of the password.
That's the standard bag. Beyond that you get into lots of
applications, and you lose your Newbie o' Newbies certification.
Your next step should be web-surfing and reading relevant materials.
Actually, that should have been your first step...
Jim Gillogly
The following archive was created by hippie-mail 7.98617-22 on Sat Apr 10 1999 - 01:10:59