The incredible resources that are now available on the Internet are
dramatically changing our society, and some of the biggest impacts are still
ahead. The Internet can be of spectacular value to the Christian who
is interested in serious Bible study.1
However, anyone who has seen the movie Enemy of the State has been
sensitized to the implications of current surveillance technology, which can be
exploited against an individual citizen.
And with the increasing persecution of Christians throughout the world, and
with Biblical Christianity becoming increasingly "politically incorrect" in the
United States and potentially viewed as "enemies of the pagan state," many
Christians are getting increasingly apprehensive and are pondering techniques to
assist churches which may be driven "underground." Fortunately, there are
some pleasant surprises emerging that may prove of substantial value to all of
us who value privacy.
Secret Codes
The interception and breaking of secret codes have tumbled proud thrones and
determined the outcome of major wars since the dawn of history, and even today
they continue to have more of an impact than any of us can possibly imagine.
Hardly a day goes by when we don't read about some computer code being
compromised or secrets being stolen. Yet, one of the great ironies of our
present age is that one of the most advanced cryptographic techniques is now
available in any office supply store. And even more provocative, this
readily available technology seems to be tipping the balance in favor of "the
Sovereign Individual."2 It is relatively easy to
enjoy virtually impregnable security in anyone's computer system.
The availability of really secure communication capability may prove to be of
substantial value to the "underground church." But let's start at the
beginning.
Basic Cryptography
Cryptography is the science of writing messages that no one except the
intended receiver can read. Cryptanalysis is the science of reading them
anyway. Most cryptographic methods employ complex transposition and
transformation procedures under the control of a key, the protection of which is
essential to the security of the entire process. A contemporary example is
the National Bureau of Standards' Data Encryption Standard (DES), which involves
a 64-bit key that controls 17 stages of polyalphabetic substitution, each
alternated with 16 stages of transpositions. Cryptanalysis involves an
exhaustive search of all 264 keys.3 (In the opinion of
many experts, the DES is not adequately protective as the key is too short.) The
only truly unbreakable cipher requires a key which is:
1) as long as the message;
2) totally random; and
3)
never reused.
Such a system is called a one-time pad, because of the typical way it was
implemented. While theoretically ideal, it proves unmanageably cumbersome
in actual practice. Fortunately, a remarkably practical alternative has
emerged in recent years.
One-Way Keys
In 1976, Whitfield Diffie and Martin E. Hellman of Stanford University
forever changed the cryptographic landscape with their open publication of
one-way keys. In conventional cryptosystems, a single key is used for both
encryption and decryption. Such systems are called symmetric. The weakness
of these systems is their requirement of protecting any exchange of such keys
over a secure channel, which is inconvenient at best. (If a secure channel
were available, why use encryption in the first place?)
The introduction by Diffie and Hellman to asymmetric keys made possible the
concept of "public key cryptography," which allows the participants to
communicate without requiring a secret means of delivering the keys.
It is possible to have a system in which one key is used for encryption and a
different key is required for decipherment. One can publish the encryption
key widely for those who would send a message. The encryption key is
useless for decipherment. When the message is received by the intended
recipient, his private complementary key is used for deciphering the
message. This private key is available to no one else.
Asymmetric cryptosystems are based on mathematical
techniques that are easy to compute in one direction, but excessively onerous
and slow to solve in the reverse. The main public key algorithms are the
Diffie-Helman4
and
RSA (developed at MIT by Ronald L. Rivest, Adi Shamir and Leonard M.
Adleman). A fairly advanced form of encryption technology is known as
"PGP," for "Pretty Good Protection," and is readily available in most office
supply stores or over the Internet.5 Many
are beginning to use these techniques among business partners, clubs, and among
various associates simply to gain experience in the practical implications of
these techniques in anticipation of more serious requirements.
Symmetric systems are still the most efficient, and public key techniques,
while involving more substantial computational loads, make the conveyance of the
necessary keys secure. The ability to share extensive, dynamically
changing keys, accompanied by the necessary sophisticated software at both ends,
makes practical protection readily available to anyone.
Invisible Transactions
The Internet has already enabled the geographic separation of markets and
suppliers. Asymmetric encryption systems can also be adapted for
authentication, verification, and electronic "signatures" for approving
documents, contracts, and the like over email. These techniques thus can
also lead to the emergence of "cybercurrency," with the opportunity to conduct
invisible commerce on a worldwide basis.
The advent of open, secure, asymmetric encryption is also leading to
invisible (and thus non-taxable) transactions, eroding the restrictions of
commercial borders and the surveillance and control of governments. There
are those that look toward a day when governments will have to compete for -
rather than exploit - "sovereign individuals" as citizens. The
open availability of this technology leaves those who abhor privacy - especially
governments and so-called liberals - very uncomfortable.
Other Techniques
Most encryption techniques envision communication over a passive channel
between the sender and receiver. However, the Internet is a dynamic,
multi-node global network embedded with virtually unlimited data bases.
The exploitation of a dynamic data base - masquerading as a parts list or some
similarly cryptic list - can be used as the equivalent of the proverbial
one-time pad, and thus provide virtually "bulletproof" security to an "inner
circle" or private group seeking privacy from prying eyes.
We anticipate that the increasing persecution of believers may render some of
these techniques valuable to the leadership of fellowships in the years
ahead. Now is the time to acquaint oneself with their use,
characteristics, and limitations if you anticipate darker days ahead.
* * *
Portions of this article have been excerpted from our book,
Cosmic Codes: Hidden Messages From the Edge of Eternity, an investigation into the
many different types of hidden messages in the Bible, in our DNA, and in the
"digital" universe of particle physics.
