Phil, Approching for network layer encryption have been openly published before the work in the IETF. <Phil> ... in reference to the UUNET patent on network encryption >All the basic concepts of IP Security (especially >including what we now call "tunnel mode") have been >widely and publicly known since at least the original >"lunch BOF" that I called at the San Diego IETF >meeting way back in 1992. The research and development of "Network Security" started in the late 70's at BBN with the development of the "IPLI". Classified research and development continued in this area on the Blacker (Unisys) and Caneware (Motorola) programs in the early 80's. The NSA sponsored Secure Data Network System (SDNS) project brought together a variety of vendors that created the early SP3, KMP and MSP specifications. SP3 provided network layer security services that included a tunneling mode. SP3 is very similar to the IPsec working group ESP specification. The Key Management Protocol (KMP) is similar to the ISAKMP specification in concept, but used ASN.1 for specifying the protocol formats. Much of the SDNS work was openly published starting in about 1988. The Motorola Network Encryption System (NES) is an SDNS device and was designed in the mid to late 80's. The SDNS specification for SP3 was submitted to the ANSI and ISO standards committees and mutated into the Network Layer Security Protocol (NLSP). NLSP included a network layer key establishment protocol that served as a starting point for some of the current IPsec key management proposals. An important early paper on network security was written by Dave Golber (Unisys at the time) on the "Dual versus Single Catenet Security Model" (about 1983). There are a variety of SP3 security papers written in 1988 and 1989. So, there is a lot of prior art for network encryption. Most of the major wrinkles in the technology were worked out in the late 80's by projects sponsored by the NSA and openly published to help create "good" security standards. Paul -------------------------------------------------------------- Paul Lambert Director of Security Products Oracle Corporation Phone: (415) 506-0370 500 Oracle Parkway, Box 659410 Fax: (415) 413-2963 Redwood Shores, CA 94065 palamber@us.oracle.com --------------------------------------------------------------
-- BEGIN included message
- To: chk@border.com
- Subject: Re: UUNET Network Encryption Patents
- From: "Phil Karn " <ipsec-approval@neptune.tis.com>
- Date: 17 Jun 96 20:29:33
- Cc: ipsec@tis.com
>Filed: Sep. 13, 1994 >Filed: Jan. 19, 1994 All the basic concepts of IP Security (especially including what we now call "tunnel mode") have been widely and publicly known since at least the original "lunch BOF" that I called at the San Diego IETF meeting way back in 1992. So the validity of these patents is not only seriously in doubt, but there is also the interesting question of fraud against the PTO for not disclosing all known relevant prior art. Phil
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