At 10:36 7-08-96 +0000, Aldo-Pier Solari wrote: >] Michel Weenink <[log in to unmask]> writes: > >]Remailers strip a mail automatically, leaves nothing whatsoever what >]could point to any identification. > >I understand the above is not correct: An an-mailer allows >communication both ways and it keeps a register as to where anyone >message being processed by the machine comes from. This allows to >redirect replies to an anonymous mail. > >I suppose the data base within the anonymous mailer could be >scrambled/encrypted. However, it should be an easy walk to an >experienced hacker-catcher. How about we're both right? :-) As I understand from Sue the problem is almost solved anyways, but this might be usefull anyways. What you are referring to is an anonymous mailer, like anon.penet.fi. They indeed keep the original addresses in a hidden (?) database, and it is also possible to reply to those mails. Exactly like you say. What I was referring to and what I understood from Sue had happened, is a CyberPhunk remailer. Those remailers work with PGP. You encrypt your mailmessage, send it to such a remailer, and that machine strips the header almost completely off the mail, leaving just the recipient and the subject. I don't know what happens with the original header, but as far as I know a postmaster/systemmanager can't retrieve it. (Yet again Sue did get it...) (Weenink, '95; http://www.net.info.nl/ui/0895/cryp.html to brush up on your Dutch, http://www.cs.berkeley.edu/~raph/ for some english info on those Cyberphunk ppl.) Best, Michel ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Michel Weenink [log in to unmask] Pontanusstraat 38 [log in to unmask] 6524 HG Nijmegen Sometimes I wonder why Murphy's law +31 (0)24 3607665 never applies to Murphy's law (Jumbo, 22-3-'96) Student Cognitive Science http://www.psych.kun.nl/~weenink/index.html ------------------------------------------------------------------------------