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List: cryptography
Subject: [Cryptography] Definition of useful life?
From: Bob Wilson <wilson () math ! wisc ! edu>
Date: 2017-07-10 16:43:13
Message-ID: 39bab669-232e-a400-8cd3-ebcc6dd6584a () math ! wisc ! edu
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In digest volume 51, issue 11, there was a mention of
> There's a twenty-year-old HSM, IBM's 4758
which inspired me to review what that device did. Present day
descendants are described by IBM at
> http://www.ibm.com/security/cryptocards/pciecc/pdf/PCIe_Spec_Sheet.pdf
That in turn includes a statement (which resembles a great many warranty
statements)
> During the final manufacturing step, the coprocessor generates aunique
> public/private key pair, which is stored in the device. The tamper
> detection circuitry is activated at this time and remains active
> throughout the useful life of the coprocessor, protecting this private
> key, as well as all other keys and sensitive data.
Doesn't that use of "the useful life" amount to a tautology, i.e. "when
it no longer does what you bought it for it is no longer useful"?
I don't think this is really off-topic since something equivalent to
that tautological usage is probably contained or implied in what a
manufacturer says about any of the products we work on!
(It's like a "lifetime guarantee" that the maker implements by killing
you if the product breaks...)
Bob Wilson
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In digest volume 51, issue 11, there was a mention of
<blockquote type="cite">
<pre wrap="">There's a twenty-year-old HSM, IBM's 4758</pre>
</blockquote>
which inspired me to review what that device did. Present day
descendants are described by IBM at
<blockquote type="cite"><a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" \
href="http://www.ibm.com/security/cryptocards/pciecc/pdf/PCIe_Spec_Sheet.pdf">http://www.ibm.com/security/cryptocards/pciecc/pdf/PCIe_Spec_Sheet.pdf</a></blockquote>
That in turn includes a statement (which resembles a great many
warranty statements)<br>
<blockquote type="cite"><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:DoNotOptimizeForBrowser/>
</w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><span class="fontstyle0"><span
style="font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New
Roman";mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New
Roman";
mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language:EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SA">During
the final manufacturing step, the coprocessor generates \
a</span></span><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New
Roman";mso-fareast-font-family:
"Times New
Roman";mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language:EN-US;
mso-bidi-language:AR-SA"> <span class="fontstyle0">unique
public/private key
pair,</span> <span class="fontstyle0">which is stored in the
device. The</span> <span class="fontstyle0">tamper detection
circuitry is</span> <span class="fontstyle0">activated
at this time and remains</span> <span class="fontstyle0">active
throughout the
useful life of</span> <span class="fontstyle0">the
coprocessor, protecting this</span>
<span class="fontstyle0">private key, as well as all other</span>
<span class="fontstyle0">keys and sensitive data. </span></span></blockquote>
Doesn't that use of "the useful life" amount to a tautology, i.e.
"when it no longer does what you bought it for it is no longer
useful"?<br>
<br>
I don't think this is really off-topic since something equivalent to
that tautological usage is probably contained or implied in what a
manufacturer says about any of the products we work on! <br>
(It's like a "lifetime guarantee" that the maker implements by
killing you if the product breaks...)<br>
Bob Wilson<br>
<br>
<br>
</body>
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