Pixel−counting can un−redact government docs
John Markoff, NY Times, May 10: European researchers at a security conference in Switzerland last week demonstrated computer-based techniques that can identify blacked-out words and phrases in confidential documents.
The researchers showed their software at the conference, the Eurocrypt, by analyzing a presidential briefing memorandum released in April to the commission investigating the Sept. 11 attacks. After analyzing the document, they said they had high confidence the word “Egyptian” had been blacked out in a passage describing the source of an intelligence report stating that Osama Bin Ladin was planning an attack in the United States.
The technique doesn’t work on monospace fonts like Courier, but the US State Department’s recent font guidelines require that all docs be published in Times New Roman, which decodes like a charm.
(I’m only linking to CNet news.com because you have to register to read the NYT).
[Thanks boing boing!]