Good idea or not?

General Topics
1

Hi,

I have no idea how computers process information, except that they receive only numbers of 0 or 1. Excuse my ignorance.

However, with all the hacking and NSA news I began thinking of ways on how to stop NSA just spying in on fibre optic wires.

Say (remember I know zero about how things work) you create a device where only you and your recipient have and each letter of the alphabet has a unique 1 or 0 sequence that only these two devices have.

Normally:

Say for the universal sequence for the letter A in terms of 1 or 0 is: 1101001 (this is not right, but just say it was). This sequence was sent. The recipient will receive this sequence and the computer will convert it to the letter A, yes? Good.

New method:
A device is connected to computer that intercepts the input and output of data of the computer. A unique sequence is set for each letter in the alphabet (this is can apply to other things too like numbers). Each unique sequence of each letter is only known to the pair of devices for the sender and recipient. So if the sender with the device wanted to send a letter A, the computer will send the sequence 1101001 (mentioned above, I know it is wrong-just bare with me). The device will intercept this sequence and recognise this is a letter A, but then would send a unique code for A (that is known for the pair of devices only) which is 10101100 (made up)…this would then be sent and a set of sequences will be sent through (as a group of letters for a word). If those who intercept the wire do so, they will get a bunch of gibberish. However, as the date is sent to the recipient, the data is sent through the device which intercepts the input into the computer and decrypts the 10101100(unique sequence for letter A) to the real sequence which all computers understand for letter A ,1101001 (not for real). So then the recipient will see the letter A)

So, is this a good idea?

2

So how do you sett it up?
Evry time you are going to send something to somone, you have to call them first to make sure they have this device (if not they have to buy it first) then agree on what code to use?

We already have this :wink:
http://no.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transport_Layer_Security
http://computer.howstuffworks.com/encryption4.htm

3

Thanks for the reply, I thought the idea would be dismissed right off the bat! ;D

Maybe buy two usb sized devices that have identical programming. Each usb has a software that is identical and has the same unique sequences of 0/1 for each letter/number (these unique sequences may change every 24 hours simultaneously). Then maybe this software acts like a virus (good virus) and overrides the computer and controls the inputs and outputs of the computer. The Virus just lays there in the background.

I saw the links, but is there any weaknesses of using such a method?

4

Well lets say you are going to send something sensitive to the taxman, then you first have to send him the usb device, and … naaaa, cumbersome

5

Haha, true.

Maybe, use the software only if you want to send something personal/secretive?

Anyway, I tried my hardest and considering I don’t know anything about how things work in the computer world-I think I did pretty well! :stuck_out_tongue:

6

Why not put it on a USB drive and walk it over or, send it by secure mail ???

7

that would do it … and if you also meet in some secure secret place it would be double secure. ;D

8

That can be easily sorted. What do you think of the idea itself? :smiley:

9

It is really simple.
You can do whatever you want to hide/protect something, but it will never be 100% secure.

You can protect a house with what you want and how you want, but it is always possible to get in.
There is always a way for a burglar to get in.
If not you wouldn’t be able to get in it yourself.