osOpinion: Carnivore 'No Problem' for New E-Mail Encryption

Jun 18, 2001, 02:59 (3 Talkback[s])
(Other stories by Tim McDonald)

[ Thanks to Kelly McNeill for this link. ]

osOpinion writes up Cryptobox, which came up on Friday in conjunction with the halt of Linux-based versions of Zero-Knowledge's Freedom Internet Privacy Suite. Cryptobox is intended to provide secure instant messaging with the possibility of extending it to basic file-sharing and Voice over IP.

"Normal encryption methods are rather cumbersome, involving two people using compatible software who must exchange "keys," or pieces of code for each exchange. There are also secure e-mail services that have encryption built into Web browsers.

With Cryptobox, users would first download a program. Then, in order to communicate with another member, the user would enter the user ID of the person he or she wanted to communicate with. The system would automatically exchange encryption keys each time. Both members would have to be connected at the same time; the program can be left running in the background.

Skeptics point out the inherent difficulty in combining such sophisticated security with usability. However, the Cryptobox team claims to have successfully tested it with an instant messaging system earlier this year with 40 real users combined with 200 artificial clients on the network. The software is scheduled to be released by the end of this year."

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Related Stories:

• ZeroKnowledge Ends Linux Versions of Freedom Internet Privacy Suite(Jun 15, 2001)