Re: Encrypted filesystem under Linux.

H. Peter Anvin (hpa@transmeta.com)
10 Apr 1998 07:37:50 GMT


Followup to: <352DC3AE.564BAFE6@quiotix.com>
By author: "Jeffrey B. Siegal" <jbs@quiotix.com>
In newsgroup: linux.dev.kernel
>
> The case is still being litigated. As of now the ruling only applies to
> the particular individual involved in the case.
>
> BTW, isn't there a cryptographic random number generator in the driver
> for /dev/random? If my understanding of the discussion posted by
> Netscape in connection with the recent Mozilla release is correct, I
> don't believe that it is legal to export source code for cyptography,
> even if the cryptography is not used for hiding information (and even if
> such uses would probalby be exportable in object code) because the
> source code can be modified for this purpose. I'd hate to see anyone
> involved with the Linux project (or hosting the distributions) get into
> hot water.
>

No, it actually only contains a secure hash algorithm, which aren't
export restricted, although there is some discussion in
_Applied_Cryptography_ about how to build an encryption system around
a secure hash. It's the Government, they don't *have* to make
sense... (or so they think, at least.)

-hpa

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