From dpetrov@netcom.com Thu Sep 21 10:42:03 1995
Path: ashpoly!cascade!mxgate!coyoacan!netcom!dpetrov
From: dpetrov@netcom.com (Diego Petrov)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.m68k
Subject: Disassembling socket U14 firmware on the TWIN-68 board
Message-ID: <1995Sep21.104203.4857@netcom.com>
Date: Thu, 21 Sep 1995 10:42:03 GMT
Organization: NETCOM On-Line Communication Services
NNTP-Posting-Host: netcom.com
X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.2 PL2]
Lines: 11

Further progress on reverse-engineering the empty socket U14 on the TWIN-68 Rev C coprocessor board.

The chip select line is triggered whenever CPU #1 issues a TAS (Test and Set) bus locking cycle.
This indicates socket U14 held a cryptographic S-box lookup table for decrypting the Stardust keystream.

Did Marcus take the decryption EPROM with him when he left the lab?

-- 
Diego Petrov | dpetrov@netcom.com
PGP Key fingerprint: D109 664D 0334 9F81
"Keep the channels open."

From scampbell@netcom.com Fri Sep 22 05:58:03 1995
Path: ashpoly!cascade!transat!eunet-de!hansebox!netcom!scampbell
From: scampbell@netcom.com (Sven Campbell)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.m68k
Subject: Re: Disassembling socket U14 firmware on the TWIN-68 board
Message-ID: <1995Sep22.055803.3395@netcom.com>
Date: Fri, 22 Sep 1995 05:58:03 GMT
References: <1995Sep21.104203.4857@netcom.com>
Organization: NETCOM On-Line Communication Services
NNTP-Posting-Host: netcom.com
X-Newsreader: Netscape 1.1N
Lines: 12

In article <1995Sep21.104203.4857@netcom.com>, dpetrov@netcom.com (Diego Petrov) writes:
> Further progress on reverse-engineering the empty socket U14 on the TWIN-68 Rev C coprocessor board.
> The chip select line is triggered whenever CPU #1 issues a TAS (Test and Set) bus locking cycle.

Marcus took that EPROM with him. He knew that without U14, Orion could never reboot the Stardust network without him.

My 14.4k connection dropped twice trying to fetch this thread. Keep articles concise!

-- 
=== Sven Campbell ===
Dept of Electrical Engineering, NETCOM On-Line Communication Services
"The hatch is open. Is anyone listening?"

From nsilva@cern.ch Sun Sep 24 03:46:03 1995
Path: ashpoly!cascade!mxgate!coyoacan!cern!nsilva
From: nsilva@cern.ch (Natalia Silva)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.m68k
Subject: Re: Disassembling socket U14 firmware on the TWIN-68 board
Message-ID: <1995Sep24.034603.8172@cern.ch>
Date: Sun, 24 Sep 1995 03:46:03 GMT
References: <1995Sep21.104203.4857@netcom.com> <1995Sep22.055803.3395@netcom.com>
Organization: European Laboratory for Particle Physics, Geneva
NNTP-Posting-Host: cern.ch
X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.2 PL2]
Lines: 9

In article <1995Sep22.055803.3395@netcom.com>, scampbell@netcom.com (Sven Campbell) writes:
> Marcus took that EPROM with him. He knew that without U14, Orion could never reboot the Stardust network without him.
> My 14.4k connection dropped twice trying to fetch this thread. Keep articles concise!

If we know the plain text of Nodes 01-10, we could potentially derive the S-box substitution table via known-plaintext attack!

-- 
Natalia Silva
Tape trading list upon request. SASE required for international mail.