For those that dont know what Clipper is, here is an interesting set of points from cpsr.org describing it in a fair bit of detail. This is basically the AT&T description of Clipper and is written out fairly well.
CLIPPER is an NSA developed, hardware oriented, cryptographic
device that implements a symmetric encryption/decryption
algorithm and a law enforcement satisfying key escrow system.
While the key escrow management system design is not completely
designed, the cryptographic algorithm (SKIPJACK) is completely
specified (and classified SECRET).
The crytographic algorithm (called CA in this PAPER) has the
following characteristics:
Similar in function to DES (i.e., basically a 64-bit
code book transformation that can be used in the same
four modes of operation as specified for DES in FIPS
81);
32 rounds of processing per single encrypt/decrypt
operation;
Design started by NSA in 1985; evaluation completed in
1990.
The CLIPPER CHIP is just one implementation of the CA. The
CLIPPER CHIP designed for the AT&T commercial secure voice
products has the following characteristics:
Functions specified by NSA; logic designed by
MYKOTRONX; chip fabricated by VLSI, INC.: manufactured
chip programmed (made unique) by MYKOTRONX to security
equipment manufacturers willing to follow proper
security procedures for handling and storage of the
programmed chip; equipment sold to customers;
Resistant to reverse engineering against a very
sophisticated, well funded adversary;
15-20 MB/S encryption/decryption constant throughout
once cryptographic synchronization is established with
distant CLIPPER Chip;
The chip programming equipment writes (one time) the
following information into a special memory (called
VROM or VIA-Link) on the chip:
(unique) serial number
(unique) unit key
family key
specialized control software
Upon generation (or entry) of a session key in the
chip, the chip performs the following actions:
Encrypts the 80-bit session key under the unit key
producing an 80-bit intermediate rsult;
Concatenates the 80-bit result with the 25-bit
serial number and a 23-bit authentication pattern
(total of 128 bits);
Enciphers this 128 bits with family key to produce
a 128-bit cipher block chain called the Law
Enforcement Field (LEF);
Transmits the LEF at least once to the intended
receiving CLIPPER chip;
The two communicating CLIPPER chips use this field
together with a random IV to establish
Crytographic Synchronization.
Once synchronized, the CLIPPER chips use the session
key to encrypt/decrypt data in both directions;
The chips can be programmed to not enter secure mode if
the LEF field has been tampered with (e.g., modified,
superencrypted, replaced);
Another contender in the battle to become the de facto high-density storage medium for the digital world could come from US data storage specialist, C3D, in the shape of its revolutionary optical storage technology that promises to deliver capacities of 140GB and above on a single multilayer disc.
With conventional optical disc drive technology signal quality degrades rapidly with the number of recording layers. This is principally because of optical interference - noise, scatter, and cross-talk resulting from the fact that the probing laser beam and the reflected signal are of the same wavelength and the nature of the highly coherent reflected signal used. The signal degradation exceeds acceptable levels with the result that no more than two recording layers are possible. However, with fluorescent readout systems, the quality degrades much more slowly, and C3D believes that up to 100 memory layers are feasible on a standard sized CD.
The design of the discs is based on so-called 'stable photochrome', discovered by physicists and engineers in Russia. This is a transparent organic substance whose fluorescence can be triggered by a laser beam for sufficient time for it to be detected by a standard photoreceiver. This characteristic makes it possible to superimpose transparent layers on top of one another, and to 'write' information on each level.
Once the fluorescence is stimulated by the laser light, both coherent and incoherent light are emitted. The latter has waves that are slightly out of step with each other, and the exploitation of this property is central to C3D's technology. The out-of-sync fluorescent light beams allow data to be read through different layers of the stacked transparent discs, one beam reading data from the top layer at the same time that others are penetrating it to read from lower layers. The result is the twin benefit of huge storage capacities and greatly improved data retrieval speeds.
Well, just some information that I thought would be interesting to add.
Slashdot Mirror
CLIPPER is an NSA developed, hardware oriented, cryptographic device that implements a symmetric encryption/decryption algorithm and a law enforcement satisfying key escrow system. While the key escrow management system design is not completely designed, the cryptographic algorithm (SKIPJACK) is completely specified (and classified SECRET).
The crytographic algorithm (called CA in this PAPER) has the following characteristics:
The CLIPPER CHIP is just one implementation of the CA. The CLIPPER CHIP designed for the AT&T commercial secure voice products has the following characteristics:
Another contender in the battle to become the de facto high-density storage medium for the digital world could come from US data storage specialist, C3D, in the shape of its revolutionary optical storage technology that promises to deliver capacities of 140GB and above on a single multilayer disc.
With conventional optical disc drive technology signal quality degrades rapidly with the number of recording layers. This is principally because of optical interference - noise, scatter, and cross-talk resulting from the fact that the probing laser beam and the reflected signal are of the same wavelength and the nature of the highly coherent reflected signal used. The signal degradation exceeds acceptable levels with the result that no more than two recording layers are possible. However, with fluorescent readout systems, the quality degrades much more slowly, and C3D believes that up to 100 memory layers are feasible on a standard sized CD.
The design of the discs is based on so-called 'stable photochrome', discovered by physicists and engineers in Russia. This is a transparent organic substance whose fluorescence can be triggered by a laser beam for sufficient time for it to be detected by a standard photoreceiver. This characteristic makes it possible to superimpose transparent layers on top of one another, and to 'write' information on each level.
Once the fluorescence is stimulated by the laser light, both coherent and incoherent light are emitted. The latter has waves that are slightly out of step with each other, and the exploitation of this property is central to C3D's technology. The out-of-sync fluorescent light beams allow data to be read through different layers of the stacked transparent discs, one beam reading data from the top layer at the same time that others are penetrating it to read from lower layers. The result is the twin benefit of huge storage capacities and greatly improved data retrieval speeds.
Well, just some information that I thought would be interesting to add.
true... shave off the unneeded part, get a HumVee and mount it on the front :) along with the death ray from the death star :)