[risks] Risks Digest 23.35

From: RISKS List Owner (risko@private)
Date: Tue May 04 2004 - 16:52:16 PDT

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    RISKS-LIST: Risks-Forum Digest  Tuesday 4 May 2004  Volume 23 : Issue 35
    
       FORUM ON RISKS TO THE PUBLIC IN COMPUTERS AND RELATED SYSTEMS (comp.risks)
       ACM Committee on Computers and Public Policy, Peter G. Neumann, moderator
    
    ***** See last item for further information, disclaimers, caveats, etc. *****
    This issue is archived at <http://www.risks.org> as
      <http://catless.ncl.ac.uk/Risks/23.35.html>
    The current issue can be found at
      <http://www.csl.sri.com/users/risko/risks.txt>
    
      Contents:
    Computer glitch grounds Atlanta flights (Fredric Rice)
    TurboTax electronic filing option fails to send AMT Form 6251 (Richard Mason)
    California bans e-vote machines (Kim Zetter via Monty Solomon)
    Ireland scraps electronic voting plans (Brent M.P. Beleskey)
    Sydney trains disrupted by software glitch (John Colville)
    Self-referential Patriot Act suppression of law suit (PGN)
    Millions of lost revenue from faulty speed cameras (Bertrand Meyer)
    Sasser worm is latest threat (NewsScan)
    Antivirus software prolongs viral life (Geoff Kuenning)
    Sasser eyed over train outage (NewsScan)
    New identity-theft scam (Geoff Kuenning)
    Gas explosion creates confidential litter (Sarah Hollins)
    Hybrid vehicles may be hazardous to rescuers' health (Joe Thompson)
    TCP, BGP, DoS, and BS (Rob Slade)
    Florida sues AT&T for billing errors (Frank Carey)
    Re: Traffic Signal Controllers (Jay R. Ashworth)
    FREEDOM 2.0, Washington, DC, 20-22 May 2004 (EPIC)
    REVIEW: "Non-Repudiation in Electronic Commerce", Jianying Zhou (Rob Slade)
    Abridged info on RISKS (comp.risks)
    
    ----------------------------------------------------------------------
    
    Date: Tue, 4 May 2004 10:27:35 -0700
    From: fredric.rice@private
    Subject: Computer glitch grounds Atlanta flights
    
    http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=509&u=/ap/20040501/ap_on_bi_ge/delta_computers&printer=1
    
      A computer glitch kept Atlanta-bound Delta Air Lines flights on the ground
      for about two hours Saturday, but the company was gradually restoring
      service to its main hub.
    
    http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=562&u=/ap/20040502/ap_on_hi_te/delta_computers&printer=1
    
      Delta told the Federal Aviation Administration it had a problem with
      dispatch computers, which calculate weight and balance and handle
      information related to preparation for flight, plus gate information, FAA
      spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen said.
    
    Sounds reassuring.
    
    ------------------------------
    
    Date: Tue, 4 May 2004 10:31:45 -0700
    From: "Richard Mason" <mason@private>
    Subject: TurboTax electronic filing option fails to send AMT Form 6251
    
    For taxpayers who do not owe Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT), but may have
    sufficient items on their tax returns to require the preparation of Form
    6251, TurboTax when using the electronic filing option does not send the
    Form 6251. This has prompted refund delays and letters from the IRS
    requesting the Form 6251 to be faxed or mailed. The number of taxpayers that
    have this problem is not known, but may be significant.
    
    Richard Mason, Assistant Professor, MAcc Program Director, University of
    Nevada, Reno, College of Business Administration Reno, NV 89557 1-775-784-6886
    
    ------------------------------
    
    Date: Sat, 1 May 2004 00:40:39 -0400
    From: Monty Solomon <monty@private>
    Subject: California bans e-vote machines (Kim Zetter)
    
    [Source: Kim Zetter, wired.com, 30 Apr 2004]
    
    California Secretary of State Kevin Shelley ended five months of speculation
    and announced on 30 Apr 2004 that he was decertifying all electronic
    touch-screen voting machines in the state due to security concerns and lack
    of voter confidence.  He also said that he was passing along evidence to the
    state's attorney general to bring criminal and civil charges against
    voting-machine-maker Diebold Election Systems for fraud.  "We will not
    tolerate deceitful tactics as engaged in by Diebold and we must send a clear
    and compelling message to the rest of the industry: Don't try to pull a fast
    one on the voters of California because there will be consequences if you
    do," he said.  Shelley said the ban on touch-screen machines would stay in
    effect unless and until specific security measures could be put in place to
    safeguard the November vote.
      http://www.wired.com/news/evote/0,2645,63298,00.html
    
    ------------------------------
    
    Date: Tue, 4 May 2004 13:14:49 -0400
    From: "Brent M.P. Beleskey" <voterscoalition@private>
    Subject: Ireland scraps electronic voting plans
    
    The Government has been forced to make an embarrassing U-turn on its
    electronic voting plans.  Environment Minister Martin Cullen issued a
    statement saying that plans to introduce electronic voting in all
    constituencies for the local and European elections this June were being
    scrapped, after the independent Electronic Voting Commission said the system
    was open to potential interference and its accuracy could not be guaranteed,
    and said it could not recommend the introduction of such a system.
    [Source: PGN-ed from 30 Apr 2004 item]
      http://212.2.162.45/news/story.asp?j=125409434&p=yz54yxz97&n=125410377
    
    ------------------------------
    
    Date: Mon, 3 May 2004 09:09:20 +1000
    From: colville@private
    Subject: Sydney trains disrupted by software glitch (Joseph Kerr)
    
    [Source: CityRail gremlin could strike any day, Joseph Kerr, Transport
    Reporter, *Sydney Morning Herald*, 3 May 2004: PGN-ed]
      http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/05/02/1083436476114.html
    
    A mysterious computer software glitch halted half of Sydney's rail fleet on
    2 May 2004.  Rail officials admit they do not know what caused the breakdown
    in the system that keeps train drivers connected through a radio network,
    but it left as many as 50,000 of the usual 300,000 Sunday train travellers
    stranded for up to two hours.  While the computer network was fixed by
    1.50pm, the gremlin wasn't found, leaving open the possibility of a repeat
    performance on any given weekday -- when up to 950,000 commuters could be
    thrown into chaos.
    
    The Glenbrook rail disaster inquiry recommended that all trains needed radio
    communication.  According to a CityRail spokeswoman, Jane Lavender, the
    radios on most suburban trains are connected to a central computer so rail
    control and other workers can be constantly aware of the location of every
    train.
    
    Red-eyed technicians had worked through Saturday night and much of yesterday
    to repair the computer fault. But CityRail train drivers arriving at work in
    the morning found their radios would not communicate properly with central
    control.  Realising this, RailCorp officials decided about 5am to switch to
    alternative communications: the mobile phones and pagers carried by every
    train guard.
    
    RailCorp's chief executive officer, Vince Graham, admitted it took some time
    to switch over and this caused train delays, and that the impact would have
    been much more grave on a weekday.  CityRail called in 109 buses to replace
    the cancelled trains yesterday. It made announcements through the morning
    calling on passengers to avoid trains if they could, delay their journey or
    "make their own arrangements".
    
    John Colville, Dept of Computer Systems, University of Technology, Sydney,
    PO Box 123, Broadway NSW Australia 2007 +61-2-9514-1854 colville@private
    
    ------------------------------
    
    Date: Tue, 4 May 2004 11:46:52 PDT
    From: "Peter G. Neumann" <neumann@private>
    Subject: Self-referential Patriot Act suppression of law suit (Dan Eggen)
    
    The American Civil Liberties Union disclosed on 28 Apr 2004 that it filed a
    lawsuit on 6 Apr 2004 challenging the FBI's methods of obtaining many
    business records, but the group was barred from revealing even the existence
    of the case until now, to avoid violating secrecy rules contained in the USA
    Patriot Act.  The ACLU was allowed to release a redacted version of the
    lawsuit only after weeks of negotiations with the government.  The ACLU
    alleges that a section of the act is unconstitutional because it allows the
    FBI to request financial records and other documents from businesses without
    a warrant or judicial approval.  The group also says such requests are being
    used much more broadly than they were before the Patriot Act.
    [Source: Patriot Act Suppresses News Of Challenge to Patriot Act
    Dan Eggen, *The Washington Post*, 29 Apr 2004 (Page A17); PGN-ed]
    http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A51423-2004Apr28.html
    
    ------------------------------
    
    Date: Sat, 01 May 2004 14:44:42 +0200
    From: Bertrand Meyer <Bertrand.Meyer@private>
    Subject: Millions of lost revenue from faulty speed cameras
    
    Given the attention this story has been commanding in Australia, I was
    surprised to find no record in RISKS. The country is proud of its strictness
    in enforcing speed rules, sometimes fining motorists for driving one
    kilometer above the posted limit (however absurd that sounds). The state of
    Victoria has numerous speed cameras.  Last year their accuracy was
    questioned after reports that a truck with a maximum speed of 140 km/h was
    caught traveling at 164 km/h, and other similar incidents. After the first
    such report the Assistant Commissioner said (Melbourne Age, 11 Nov 2003):
    
      "There's no evidence to support that any of the other cameras are
      malfunctioning [...] in any other way,"
    
    but he later had to change to:
    
       "It's embarrassing for everybody... Technology is technology and I think
      we have had indications where it doesn't say the right thing."
    
    The state government then ordered tests of all the cameras in the system,
    and had to suspend fines from all fixed cameras. According to the Age of 29
    April 2004, the problems were supposed to "take six weeks to fix" but:
    
      almost six months after the State Government suspended the issuing of
      fines from Victoria's fixed speed cameras, problems with the cameras are
      still unresolved [...] A State Government spokesman confirmed yesterday
      that the 47 fixed cameras were still under review.  He was unable to say
      when the issue would be resolved.
    
    More than 40,000 fines notified to motorists have been suspended until the
    results are in. This represents a total sum of over six million Australian
    dollars.
    
    For details:
    	
      http://theage.com.au/articles/2004/04/29/1083224516563.html
    (30 Apr 2004)
    
      http://theage.com.au/articles/2004/04/28/1083103551024.html
    (29 Apr 2004)
    
      http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/11/10/1068329487082.html?from=storyrhs
    (11 Nov 2003)
    
    Bertrand Meyer
    ETH Zurich / Eiffel Software
    http://www.se.inf.ethz.ch  -- http: //www.eiffel.com
    
    ------------------------------
    
    Date: Mon, 03 May 2004 09:57:37 -0700
    From: "NewsScan" <newsscan@private>
    Subject: Sasser worm is latest threat
    
    A fast spreading worm known as "Sasser" surfaced over the weekend and is
    making its way around the globe, warn computer security experts at Finland's
    F-Secure. The worm shares many characteristics with the Blaster worm that
    infected hundreds of thousands of PCs last year, says F-Secure antivirus
    research director Mikko Hypponen, who notes that both worms exploit
    relatively new holes in the Windows operating system and frequently cause
    computers to repeatedly reboot. However, this time more companies appear to
    be ready to take preventive action, which may mitigate Sasser's damage
    potential. "With Sasser it seems that companies are (using software) patches
    better and more quickly than last year (with Blaster), but for those that
    are hit, they are hit hard," says Hypponen, who adds that he believes Sasser
    originated in Russia. The worm does not need to be activated by
    double-clicking on an attachment and can strike even if no one is using the
    PC at the time.  [Reuters/*The Washington Post*, 3 May 2004; NewsScan Daily,
    3 May 2004]
    http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A62063-2004May3.html
    
    ------------------------------
    
    Date: Mon,  3 May 2004 16:03:38 -0700 (PDT)
    From: Geoff Kuenning <geoff@private>
    Subject: Antivirus software prolongs viral life
    
    I was reading up on the Sasser worm this afternoon and came across the
    following rather interesting recommendation on Symantec's Web site:
    
    2. To disable System Restore (Windows XP) If you are running Windows XP, we
       recommend that you temporarily turn off System Restore. Windows XP uses
       this feature, which is enabled by default, to restore the files on your
       computer in case they become damaged. If a virus, worm, or Trojan infects
       a computer, System Restore may back up the virus, worm, or Trojan on the
       computer.
    
       Windows prevents outside programs, including antivirus programs, from
       modifying System Restore. Therefore, antivirus programs or tools cannot
       remove threats in the System Restore folder. As a result, System Restore
       has the potential of restoring an infected file on your computer, even
       after you have cleaned the infected files from all the other locations.
    
       Also, a virus scan may detect a threat in the System Restore folder even
       though you have removed the threat.
    
       For instructions on how to turn off System Restore, read your Windows
       documentation, or "How to turn off or turn on Windows XP System Restore"
       Note: When you are completely finished with the removal procedure and are
       satisfied that the threat has been removed, re-enable System Restore by
       following the instructions in the aforementioned documents.
    
    Clearly, the "System Restore" feature has not been carefully thought out!
    
    Geoff Kuenning   geoff@private   http://www.cs.hmc.edu/~geoff/
    
    ------------------------------
    
    Date: Tue, 04 May 2004 08:17:36 -0700
    From: "NewsScan" <newsscan@private>
    Subject: Sasser eyed over train outage
    
    In Australia, RailCorp has dispatched software engineers to find the source
    of the outage that left up to 300,000 commuters stranded yesterday, saying
    the new Sasser worm, which has already spawned two variants, is being
    evaluated as a possible cause. A RailCorp spokesman confirmed that software
    engineers were investigating the problem, which prevented drivers from
    talking to signal boxes. A virus attack was one possibility being
    investigated. RailCorp was unable to confirm when the investigation would be
    complete.  RailCorp chief executive Vince Graham raised the possibility of a
    virus attack at a press briefing yesterday: "There is no evidence that
    hacking is an issue here, the viral infection could have been introduced by
    one of our own people not taking sufficient care."  [*The Australian*, 3 May
    2004 (Received from John Lamp, Deakin Univ.); NewsScan Daily, 4 May 2004]
    http://australianit.news.com.au/articles/0,7204,9455677%5E15306%5E%5Enbv%5E,00.html
    
    ------------------------------
    
    Date: Thu, 29 Apr 2004 16:50:54 -0700 (PDT)
    From: Geoff Kuenning <geoff@private>
    Subject: New identity-theft scam
    
    Our campus just received word of a sophisticated new identity-theft scam:
    
    > The other night, a woman was outside Collins Hall offering pre-paid phone
    > cards and T-shirts to students who filled out and signed a form and let her
    > take a digital picture of their drivers' licenses. Apparently, when Campus
    > Safety arrived, she told them she was from the Alumni Association. One
    > student later pressed her about it and she left, but he believed she had
    > gotten information (including photos of licenses) from several students by
    > that point.
    
    Wow.  Geoff Kuenning   geoff@private   http://www.cs.hmc.edu/~geoff/
    
    ------------------------------
    
    Date: Sun,  2 May 2004 06:37:54 -0700
    From: Sarah Hollins <sara@private>
    Subject: Gas explosion creates confidential litter
    
    Both the Disaster Recovery Guide and the ISO 17799 Newsletter report a story
    of a major banking group getting major business continuity issues right, but
    the small details badly wrong. There's an irony to it somewhere.
    
    They had been diligent in spending time and money on their disaster recovery
    planning operation. Indeed, it went swimmingly well when a gas explosion
    occurred in their offices on a Sunday afternoon.
    
    Recovery from the actual damage was swift, but not from the fall out from,
    of all things, staff leaving papers and documents on desks! These, which
    included confidential information on customer accounts, where scattered
    throughout the streets for days afterwards.
    
    The risks of not locking away sensitive materials manifested themselves in a
    most unexpected and spectacular way.
    
    References:
    http://www.disaster-recovery-guide.com/stories.htm
    http://www.iso17799-web.com/issue5.htm
    
    ------------------------------
    
    Date: Wed, 05 May 2004 02:44:20 +0800
    From: "Joe Thompson" <kensey_news@private>
    Subject: Hybrid vehicles may be hazardous to rescuers' health
    
    As reported by CNN from AP, hybrid vehicles pose special concerns for
    accident responders:
      http://www.cnn.com/2004/TECH/05/04/hybrid.rescues.ap/index.html
    
    "Chris Peterson, a service training instructor for Toyota, said the Prius'
    electric system should shut down if anything goes wrong. 'There should not
    be high voltage in those cables, but I'm not going to stand up and say there
    isn't,' he said."
    
    Apparently various hybrids run high-voltage power cables through places
    rescuers normally use to disassemble vehicles in emergencies, like doors.
    Also, there appears to have been no or little thought given to the necessity
    to quickly cut power for such purposes -- the standard advice noted in the
    article is to turn off the key and disconnect the battery, but if you can't
    do that, no one seems to have any good ideas besides "watch where you put
    that thing."
    
    Can anyone in the audience with auto-engineering experience give an idea of
    the extent to which making things easy for rescuers is incorporated into
    vehicle design? -- Joe
    
    [Joe added a note just as this issue was going out:]
    
    Slashdot picked up the story later this afternoon and in all the discussion,
    the following points emerged:
    
    * Many people, some Prius owners and some not, assert that the high-voltage
      does not actually run through the doors, but along the frame rails.
    
    * Many people point out that the biggest hazard in hybrid cars is the risk
      of delayed airbag detonation while rescuers are cutting apart the car.
      This risk exists for modern non-hybrids just as much as hybrids.
    
    The question I ended with, though, still seems relevant in light of that
    last point: when designing vehicles, how much, if any, thought is given to
    the safety of everyone involved *after* an accident? -- Joe
    
    References:
    
    http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=04/05/04/1923240&mode=thread&tid=126
    http://www.toyota.com/web/vehicles/prius/safety/prius_erg_2.pdf
    http://www.gizmodo.com/archives/hybrid-cars-may-send-gods-electrical-wrath-to-punish-oilhating-pinkos-015878.php
      [last url split: 
        http://www.gizmodo.com/archives/hybrid-cars-may-send-gods-
        electrical-wrath-to-punish-oilhating-pinkos-015878.php]
    
    ------------------------------
    
    Date: Thu, 22 Apr 2004 13:07:33 -0800
    From: Rob Slade <rslade@private>
    Subject: TCP, BGP, DoS, and BS
    
    The sky is falling!  We're all going to die!
    
    No, it's not.  No, we're not
    
    The latest "death of the net" rumour has to do with a recent paper that
    discusses the fact that something called "session hijacking" can be used to
    force an end to a specific connection (connected sessions over the Internet
    use an arrangement called TCP).  If the session is ended or disconnected,
    you will be effectively denied the service you were attempting to obtain.
    Connected sessions are used for everything from transferring files to
    connecting to the Internet in special ways to virtual private networks.
    Sometimes they are used to transfer information between the machines that
    decide where Internet traffic goes (called routers).  If the routers can't
    keep up to date, the Internet will not be as effective as it should be.
    
    So you will have heard that there is a new threat to the Internet, that it
    is a denial of service attack, that it can disconnect you from the net, that
    it can kill your sessions, that it affects the routers (and a router
    protocol called BGP), and that sessions can be hijacked.
    
    None of this is new.  What is new is a paper that was originally presented
    in England, caught the attention of the media there, and has spread, kinda
    like a hoax virus warning, from media outlets to bandwagon jumpers in the
    security field and back to the media, around the world.
    
    Denial of service attacks are not new.  Session hijacking is not new.  Using
    TCP resets and session hijacking in combination has not been used in
    specific attacks before, but all the parts of this attack are well known to
    people who deal with such things.  There are even ways to protect against
    this attack, and some institutions use them.
    
    So, rather than talking about the death of the net, and "The Man Who Saved
    the Internet":
      Net not dead, but was coughing up blood last night.  Phlegm at 11.
    rslade@private      slade@private      rslade@private
    http://victoria.tc.ca/techrev    or    http://sun.soci.niu.edu/~rslade
    
    ------------------------------
    
    Date: Sat, 1 May 2004 19:52:31 EDT
    From: Frank Carey <Carey1938@private>
    Subject: Florida sues AT&T for billing errors
    
    Florida Attorney General Charlie Christ is suing AT&T, accusing the giant of
    overcharging for long distance service and billing people who are not even
    AT&T customers.  A week ago Christ issued a consumer alert urging all
    telephone customers to check their bills carefully for possible billing
    errors by AT&T.  Since the alert was issued, more than 600 Florida residents
    have contacted Christ's office.  Christ is seeking up to $10,000 restitution
    for each allegation of wrong billing.  He also said the company violated the
    state's unfair and deceptive business law.  Company officials have
    acknowledged that a computer problem erroneously assessed long distance
    charges on the bills of one million people nationwide.  [Source: Associated
    Press, *Florida Today*, 1 May 2004, p. 10B]
    
    ------------------------------
    
    Date: Sat, 1 May 2004 11:30:28 -0400
    From: "Jay R. Ashworth" <jra@private>
    Subject: Re: Traffic Signal Controllers (Perry, RISKS-23.34)
    
    > shouldn't there be a failsafe that wouldn't allow two greens no matter what?
    
    And the answer, of course, is yes.  When I was growing up, my dad was a
    traffic and parking coordination officer for the City of Boston,
    Massachusetts.  Among his duties was interacting with contractors who did
    sign and signal work for the city, which, in addition to resulting in some
    pretty cool tchotchkes for a 10 year old, gave me the opportunity to feed
    the Elephant's Child, and that was one of the questions I asked.
    
    At least in that (late 70's) generation of controllers, yes, there was a
    physical interlock: the clocked drum on those motor-driven controllers
    switched the light heads through relays, as opposed to directly, and the
    wiring of the relays was such that it was not physically possible to cause
    the controller to display opposing greens, unless you managed to have *two*
    stuck relays -- it might even have been three.
    
    Jay R. Ashworth, Member of the Technical Staff Baylink The Suncoast Freenet
    Tampa Bay, Florida http://baylink.pitas.com +1 727 647 1274 jra@private
    
    ------------------------------
    
    Date: Mon, 3 May 2004 18:24:37 -0400
    From: EPIC News <alert@private>
    Subject: FREEDOM 2.0, Washington, DC, 20-22 May 2004
    
    Freedom 2.0: Distributed Democracy, Dialogue for a Connected World
    The Washington Club in Washington, DC, 20-22 May 2004
    
    Information: http://www.epic04.org
    Registration: http://regmaster.com/epic04.html
      (Early registration deadline deadline 5 May.)
    Schedule: http://www.epic04.org/schedule/index.htm
    Special conference events include
      SWIPE http://www.we-swipe.us/about.html
      and Spy Museum http://www.spymuseum.org/index.asp
    
    Confirmed speakers include: Anita L. Allen, David Banisar, Ann Bartow,
    Francesca Bignami, James Boyle, David Burnham, Vinton G. Cerf, Enrique
    Chaparro, David Chaum, Julie E. Cohen, Lillie Coney, Amitai Etzioni, David
    J. Farber, David H. Flaherty, Oscar H. Gandy, Deborah Hurley, Jerry Kang,
    Ian R. Kerr, Judith F. Krug, Elizabeth Longworth, Gary Marx, Pedro
    Mendizábal, Mary Minow, Peter G. Neumann, Stephanie Perrin, Katitza
    Rodriguez, Pamela Samuelson, Paul M. Schwartz, Bruce Schneier, Barbara
    Simons, Brooke Singer and Jamie Schulte (SWIPE), Robert Ellis Smith, Daniel
    J. Solove, Edward G. Viltz, Paul Wolfson.
    
    ------------------------------
    
    Date: Tue, 20 Apr 2004 08:46:21 -0800
    From: Rob Slade <rslade@private>
    Subject: REVIEW: "Non-Repudiation in Electronic Commerce", Jianying Zhou
    
    BKNNRPDT.RVW   20031205
    
    "Non-Repudiation in Electronic Commerce", Jianying Zhou, 2001,
    1-58053-247-0, U$89.00/C$131.95
    %A   Jianying Zhou
    %C   685 Canton St., Norwood, MA   02062
    %D   2001
    %G   1-58053-247-0
    %I   Artech House/Horizon
    %O   U$89.00/C$131.95 617-769-9750 800-225-9977 fax: +1-617-769-6334
    %O  http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1580532470/robsladesinterne
      http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/1580532470/robsladesinte-21
    %O   http://www.amazon.ca/exec/obidos/ASIN/1580532470/robsladesin03-20
    %P   200 p.
    %T   "Non-Repudiation in Electronic Commerce"
    
    The preface outlines non-repudiation as a security service in its own right,
    with supporting requirements, rather than an effect of another security
    mechanism.  This position is in rather interesting contrast to most works
    that tag non-repudiation onto the list of functions that can be accomplished
    by asymmetric (public key) cryptography: a benefit, but a bit of an
    afterthought.
    
    Chapter one gives us an introduction to the basics of non-repudiation, in
    both electronic mail and electronic commerce.  Various parties to a
    transaction, the means, requirements, and forms of evidence all make up the
    fundamentals of non-repudiation in chapter two.  Digital signatures are the
    traditional, but not the only way to prevent repudiation of a transaction or
    message, and chapter three examines four approaches for maintaining their
    validity.  Chapter four investigates the concept of fairness in a
    non-repudiation system, ensuring that where the transaction is not completed
    neither side is able to obtain an advantage over the other.  In general,
    fairness requires either gradual disclosure (in an ad hoc situation) or the
    involvement of a trusted third party.  Specific "Fair" protocols are
    reviewed in chapter five.  Chapter six looks at the ISO's (International
    Standards Organization) non-repudiation mechanisms.  Case studies of the
    detailed requirements and proposed protocols for an online lottery (which
    also involves anonymity) and mobile (wireless) billing are in chapter seven.
    Chapter eight has a summary of the main points in the book, and appendix A
    deals with formal verification of non-repudiation.
    
    A detailed and interesting account of a rather neglected but important
    topic.
    
    copyright Robert M. Slade, 2003   BKNNRPDT.RVW   20031205
    rslade@private      slade@private      rslade@private
    http://victoria.tc.ca/techrev    or    http://sun.soci.niu.edu/~rslade
    
    ------------------------------
    
    Date: 5 Apr 2004 (LAST-MODIFIED)
    From: RISKS-request@private
    Subject: Abridged info on RISKS (comp.risks)
    
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     which requires your ANSWERing confirmation to majordomo@private .
     If Majordomo balks when you send your accept, please forward to risks.
     [If E-mail address differs from FROM:  subscribe "other-address <x@y>" ;
     this requires PGN's intervention -- but hinders spamming subscriptions, etc.]
     Lower-case only in address may get around a confirmation match glitch.
       INFO     [for unabridged version of RISKS information]
     There seems to be an occasional glitch in the confirmation process, in which
     case send mail to RISKS with a suitable SUBJECT and we'll do it manually.
       .UK users should contact <Lindsay.Marshall@private>.
    => SPAM challenge-responses will not be honored.  Instead, use an alternative
     address from which you NEVER send mail!
    => The INFO file (submissions, default disclaimers, archive sites,
     copyright policy, PRIVACY digests, etc.) is also obtainable from
       <http://www.CSL.sri.com/risksinfo.html>
     The full info file may appear now and then in future issues.  *** All
     contributors are assumed to have read the full info file for guidelines. ***
    => SUBMISSIONS: to risks@private with meaningful SUBJECT: line.
     *** NEW: Including the string "notsp" at the beginning or end of the subject
     *** line will be very helpful in separating real contributions from spam.
     *** This attention-string may change, so watch this space now and then.
    => ARCHIVES: ftp://ftp.sri.com/risks [subdirectory i for earlier volume i]
     <http://www.risks.org> redirects you to Lindsay Marshall's Newcastle archive
     http://catless.ncl.ac.uk/Risks/VL.IS.html gets you VoLume, ISsue.
       Lindsay has also added to the Newcastle catless site a palmtop version
       of the most recent RISKS issue and a WAP version that works for many but
       not all telephones: http://catless.ncl.ac.uk/w/r
     <http://the.wiretapped.net/security/info/textfiles/risks-digest/> .
    ==> PGN's comprehensive historical Illustrative Risks summary of one liners:
        <http://www.csl.sri.com/illustrative.html> for browsing,
        <http://www.csl.sri.com/illustrative.pdf> or .ps for printing
    
    ------------------------------
    
    End of RISKS-FORUM Digest 23.35
    ************************
    



    This archive was generated by hypermail 2b30 : Tue May 04 2004 - 17:36:42 PDT