[573] in cryptography@c2.net mail archive
Re: Escrow agencies closed?
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Paul Robichaux)
Fri Apr 18 12:38:04 1997
In-Reply-To: <Pine.SUN.3.96.970418001045.616g-100000@polaris.mindport.net>
Date: Fri, 18 Apr 1997 10:18:06 -0500
To: cryptography@c2.net
From: Paul Robichaux <paul@ljl.com>
>On Thu, 17 Apr 1997, Rick Smith wrote:
>
>> Someone just told me that the Clipper/Capstone/Fortezza escrow
>> organizations were shut down at the Treasury and Commerce, and that
they're
>> currently stripping the LEAF support out of the Fortezza cards.
Evidently
>> this happened a couple of months ago.
>>
>> Has anyone seen an announcement anywhere?
>
>I can confirm that this was being seriously considered some time ago.
I
>never followed up but will attempt to do so tommorow.
LEAF support is being removed; it was announced on 3/14, but
surprisingly didn't get much play here or anywhere else. The press
release is at
<<http://www.dtic.dla.mil/defenselink/news/Mar97/b031497_bt120-97.html>.
Here's an excerpt:
>>>>
<excerpt><fontfamily><param>Times</param><bigger><bigger>Originally the
FORTEZZA crypto card implemented the "key escrow"
mechanism outlined in Federal Information Processing Standard
(FIPS)-185. Key escrow called for government agencies, rather than
private parties, to hold the key data.
The National Security Agency, the developer of the FORTEZZA card, will
no longer implement the FIPS and will implement the transition to key
recovery with the upcoming large volume deliveries of cards for the
Defense Message System. Such deliveries are expected in April.
Pending availability of commercial products which support the global
key
recovery infrastructure sought by the Administration's new policy, the
existing FORTEZZA infrastructure will provide an interim capability for
addressing key recovery. Concurrently, the Administration is continuing
to work in cooperation with industry and foreign governments on the
development and deployment of a global key recovery standard.
</bigger></bigger></fontfamily></excerpt><<<<<<<<
I don't know whether the escrow agencies themselves have been
affected.
-Paul
--
Paul Robichaux LJL Enterprises, Inc.
paul@ljl.com "We are barbarian hordes; appease us with information or
we will ravage the countryside." -- David McCusker
Author, _Windows NT Server 4 Administrator's Guide_, ISBN 0761507515
(Prima)
