From vmartinez@pipeline.com Wed Sep 27 01:58:55 1995
Path: ashpoly!cascade!bigsur!pipeline!vmartinez
From: vmartinez@pipeline.com (Valeria Martínez)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.m68k
Subject: Discussion: Disassembling socket U14 firmware on the TWIN-68 board
Message-ID: <1995Sep27.015855.3820@pipeline.com>
Date: Wed, 27 Sep 1995 01:58:55 GMT
Organization: The Pipeline Internet Network
NNTP-Posting-Host: pipeline.com
X-Newsreader: WinVN 0.99.5
Lines: 10

Tracing the address decoder lines on the motherboard reveals what was supposed to be in socket U14.

Without U14, the board can track the 14.2 Hz carrier, but cannot descramble the binary payload of Nodes 11 through 14.
This indicates socket U14 held a cryptographic S-box lookup table for decrypting the Stardust keystream.

Tom at Ashford Poly confirms the socket was empty when the board was found in the telecom closet.

-- 
Valeria Martínez
Tape trading list upon request. SASE required for international mail.

From lsato@uni-hamburg.de Wed Sep 27 08:45:55 1995
Path: ashpoly!cascade!transat!eunet-de!hansebox!uni-hamburg!lsato
From: lsato@uni-hamburg.de (Lisa Sato)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.m68k
Subject: Re: Discussion: Disassembling socket U14 firmware on the TWIN-68 board
Message-ID: <1995Sep27.084555.5717@uni-hamburg.de>
Date: Wed, 27 Sep 1995 08:45:55 GMT
References: <1995Sep27.015855.3820@pipeline.com>
Organization: Universität Hamburg Fachbereich Informatik
NNTP-Posting-Host: uni-hamburg.de
X-Newsreader: TIN [version 1.2 PL2]
Lines: 8

In article <1995Sep27.015855.3820@pipeline.com>, vmartinez@pipeline.com (Valeria Martínez) writes:
> Tracing the address decoder lines on the motherboard reveals what was supposed to be in socket U14.

Using an S-box in a 27256 EPROM for single-cycle hardware substitution was standard military cipher practice in 1984.

-- 
Lisa Sato -- Universität Hamburg Fachbereich Informatik
"Hold for relay."