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From: srt@duke.UUCP (Stephen R. Tate)
Newsgroups: sci.crypt
Subject: Re: encryption with public keys
Message-ID: <9001@duke.duke.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 18-Dec-86 12:53:39 EST
Article-I.D.: duke.9001
Posted: Thu Dec 18 12:53:39 1986
Date-Received: Fri, 19-Dec-86 20:14:30 EST
References: <3072@ihuxf.UUCP>
Reply-To: srt@duke.UUCP (Stephen R. Tate)
Organization: Duke University, Durham NC
Lines: 24

In article <3072@ihuxf.UUCP> johnp@ihuxf.UUCP (John Schleicher) writes:
>
>Does anyone have knowledge of programs available in the UNIX environment
>that allow encryption with a secret password yet decryption with public
>keys?
>

Any public key system that uses commutative encryption/decryption functions
will do what you want.  The common RSA scheme will work by using the private
key normally used for decryption to encrypt the message, then the public key
will decrypt.  Make sense?  However, I agree with a later posting:  what's the
point?  Verification?  Why didn't you say so?
 
On the practical side, surely somebody has written a public domain RSA system.
Right?  Somebody speak up!  If not, then there's a definate shortage in
the PD Unix software....  If nobody posts anything in the next week, I'll
come up with something.



-- 
Steve Tate			UUCP: ..!{ihnp4,decvax}!duke!srt
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