You Can Now See the Code That Helped End Apartheid
John Graham-Cumming decrypted a 30-year-old file containing Tim Jenkin's secure communication code for the ANC, which has been open-sourced on GitHub, and Jenkin will share related historical messages.
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John Graham-Cumming, Cloudflare's CTO, recently decrypted a 30-year-old file that contained the code used in Operation Vula, a crucial communication system developed by anti-apartheid activist Tim Jenkin. Jenkin, who initially supported the African National Congress (ANC) after realizing the extent of oppression in South Africa, created a secure method for activists to communicate amidst government surveillance. Using rudimentary technology of the early 1980s, he developed a one-time pad encryption system that allowed messages to be sent securely via public phone lines. The system was vital for coordinating efforts within the ANC and even facilitated communication with Nelson Mandela while he was imprisoned. After the ANC's eventual success in dismantling apartheid, Jenkin returned to South Africa but lost access to the original code due to forgotten passwords. Graham-Cumming's recent efforts to decrypt the file not only revived Jenkin's work but also led to the code being open-sourced on GitHub, allowing it to be recognized as a significant historical document. Jenkin plans to share some of the messages exchanged during the 1980s that contributed to the anti-apartheid movement.
- John Graham-Cumming decrypted a 30-year-old file related to anti-apartheid communications.
- Tim Jenkin developed a secure communication system for the ANC using early computer technology.
- Operation Vula allowed activists to communicate securely despite government surveillance.
- The code has been open-sourced on GitHub, highlighting its historical significance.
- Jenkin plans to share messages from the 1980s that aided the anti-apartheid movement.
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- Several commenters express interest in the historical context of the ANC's struggle and the role of technology in their operations.
- There are discussions about the effectiveness and security of different encryption methods, contrasting past practices with modern standards.
- Some comments reflect on the broader implications of apartheid, drawing parallels to current geopolitical issues, particularly regarding Israel.
- Commenters share personal reflections on the impact of apartheid and the narratives surrounding its end, questioning the outcomes for South Africans.
- There is a mix of admiration for the technical achievement and skepticism about the historical narrative of the ANC's success.
24 commentsHa ha ha. Yes, that was literally my very short pitch to Steven about Tim Jenkin's story!
The actual DM: "I think this has the makings of a hell of a story: https://blog.jgc.org/2024/09/cracking-old-zip-file-to-help-o... If you want I can connect you with Tim Jenkin. One time pads! 8-bit computers! Flights attendants smuggling floppies full of random numbers into South Africa!"
I think it was the ANC and its activists organizing the coalition of other countries to sanction and isolate the government that ultimately caused it to yield power, which is the necessary condition for any revolution- it requires allies to be in place to support it for when it succeeds. On the ground, you only really need a few dozen people to seize some buildings and bank accounts, it's coordinating the external trade links to keep everyone paid and in their jobs while the top of the regime changes to new hands that's difficult. The opsec for that ground force just has to get most of them to their X day, where they're going to take casulties anyway.
In the case of SA, it seemed like a matter of convincing other countries to do nothing, by persuading the world the govt were just racist villains, and convincing the National Party in government that nobody would intervene to save them if there were a civil revolt. That part was organized in plain view. Opsec is interesting and mysterious, but often less important than the stories we tell about it afterwards.
We could have had a very different history if they'd used DES or RC2 for encryption!
https://github.com/Vulacode/Articles/blob/main/Talking%20To%...
https://omalley.nelsonmandela.org/index.php/site/q/03lv03445...
I got to here before realising this is the same guy portrayed by Daniel Radcliffe in Escape From Pretoria. Great film.
If I'm understanding this right, we'd have been hosed if the files had been TARd first?
What an amazing story!
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