Re: SNMPv2 security

[Frank Kastenholz <[e-mail]>]

 > > The whole point of this exercise is to remove the mandated need for
 > > DES -- that is, to remove the Priv. The intent of this scheme is to
 > > provide a way to distribute and update Auth keys without requiring an
 > > encryption algorithm (like DES) which would run afoul of various
 > > export laws. In this context, your statement is a nonsense.
 > 
 > Given that the DES algorithms are now freely available to all outside
 > the states is this an issue anymore? Perhaps some european suppliers

As far as US law goes, the fact that DES software is available
outside the US is irrelevant. I believe that the DES specification
was available to anyone who asked.

Here's an example of how the legalistic/bureaucratic mind can work: 2
or three years ago, as Russia (it might have been the USSR then) was
trying to find commercial purchasers of some of the technology that
they developed for their space program, they brought a small nuclear
reactor to the US to show it off to some prospective customers. When
it came time for them to go back to Russia, they were stopped at our
(the US) border by our customs people who politely and firmly told
them that it was illegal to export the reactor. The Russians, and
high-level Americans, all protested that the reactor was made by the
Russians, in Russia and obviously represented technology that the
Russians had (since they made the silly thing). The customs people
listened very carefully and then said that it didn't matter where the
reactor was made or who made it, the law said "Thou Shalt Not Export
Reactors" and that was that -- and customs then impounded the
reactor. Eventually it took an act of Congress to make it legal to
export that specific reactor (Model such-and-such, color so-and-so,
size foo-by-bar, serial number mumble and so on) to its owners.

To apply this story to our situation, do a global search-and-replace
from "reactor" to "code containing cryptologic technology".


--
Frank Kastenholz
FTP Software
2 High Street
North Andover, Mass. USA 01845
[phone]