The idea for this article on encryption came to me whilst reading Joe Haldeman’s The Hemingway Hoax (see the disclaimer at the end of this article) – written in 1990 it was slightly ahead of the computer revolution.
In the book, three people are involved in a fraud to produce some “lost” work by Ernest Hemingway, probably for profit but that is part of the story. The part I want to get is when one of the fraudsters writes to the others using a typewriter that is a similar model to the one Hemingway used – it is no use if the manuscript type does not match known examples. He does so in plain text and brazenly lays out parts of their plan, including getting the right paper stock and ink (it includes a recipe for the ink as it is no longer commercially available) and ageing their work.
He even signs off like this:
All of this evidence is then committed to the US Postal Service and securely arrives with the co-conspirators – no encryption required.
The Story Today – Encryption
Of course, today the message would probably be sent electronically and that is where encryption comes in. WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Apple Messages and many others promote the fact that they encrypt your messages so no one other than the intended recipients can read them, including the companies providing the services. However, the Online Safety Act – recently passed by the UK government – may well compromise that privacy we were all enjoying.
The Overlooked Encryption Tool
One encryption tool that is often overlooked and one that has helped me find many solutions for our clients is the encryption offered by the Microsoft 365 apps. It is easily accessed from within the various applications and can often meet the security, secrecy, and privacy requirements for business-type situations. Put in place a way of sharing the passwords that guarantees only the person you want to see the unencrypted information has that password and you can now start to think about writing a Hemingway story…
You and encryption
If you have secrecy issues that you think I could help with, give me a call. I may already have your answer.
Clive Catton MSc (Cyber Security) – by-line and other articles
Further Reading
Cyber Security and a Piece of Paper
Where are the boundaries for your cyber security?
Disclaimer:
This is what Joe Haldeman said about his story, “… It may be the most ‘literary’ of my books, but it also has the most explicit sex and the most gruesome violence I’ve ever written. Nobody will be bored by it.” If you read this book then bear these comments in mind.
Featured Photo by RDNE Stock project
Book excerpt: Source the Internet Archive. PDF copy of The Hemingway Hoax by Joe Haldeman (1990)
