Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84 exptools; site whuts.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxr!mhuxn!ihnp4!houxm!whuxl!whuts!bsw From: bsw@whuts.UUCP (WALDEN) Newsgroups: net.unix,net.unix-wizards Subject: Re: mail encryption/decryption Message-ID: <142@whuts.UUCP> Date: Fri, 28-Jun-85 16:02:37 EDT Article-I.D.: whuts.142 Posted: Fri Jun 28 16:02:37 1985 Date-Received: Sat, 29-Jun-85 03:36:28 EDT References: <518@dicomed.UUCP> Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories Lines: 21 Xref: watmath net.unix:4908 net.unix-wizards:13664 > Is is possible to use crypt with mail? THe experience I've had says no. > Our guru has gone off to greener pastures. > > john salmi {ihnp4,mgnetp}!dicomed!john > dicomed corp > minneapolis > You cannot directly mail encrypt files. Mail(1) (AT&T's at least) will strip out all NUL characters before sending mail. So if crypt(1) generates any NULs the person receiving that mail will not be able to decrypt it correctly even with the correct key. You'll have to write two programs: One to replace NULs with someother character sequence before mailing. And another that puts the NULs back in to the file after reading that sequence. The same goes if you want to mail cpio(1) type files. Brian Walden AT&T-Bell Labs ...!ihnp4!whuts!bsw