Practical Secret Protection

Thomas Martin,

Laurence O'Toole

Practical Secret Protection

Abstract

In [1], the author discusses the pros and cons of a practical automatic key recovery system. We propose a similar solution to the problem of key protection.

1

Introduction

The phrase "Rubber-Hose Cryptography" is used to refer to the direct application of pressure on any individual withholding information so that they might feel the "joy at being given the opportunity to confess their secrets". Strictly speaking, this is an inaccurate term because this method only involves breaking a cipher or recovering a key. The term "Rubber-Hose Cryptanalysis" is more applicable. The purpose of this article is to explore the more literal meaning of "Rubber-Hose Cryptography".

2

Active Secret Protection

Let us consider the standard scenario and our basic method of secure communication: Alice wants to send a secret message to Bob while a third party, Eve, wishes to eaves...