[14085] in cryptography@c2.net mail archive
Re: Code breakers crack GSM cellphone encryption
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Greg Rose)
Mon Sep 8 13:24:15 2003
X-Original-To: cryptography@metzdowd.com
X-Original-To: cryptography@metzdowd.com
Date: Tue, 09 Sep 2003 02:37:04 +1000
To: David Honig <dahonig@cox.net>
From: Greg Rose <ggr@qualcomm.com>
Cc: "R. A. Hettinga" <rah@shipwright.com>,
Clippable <rahettinga@earthlink.net>, cryptography@metzdowd.com
In-Reply-To: <3.0.5.32.20030907171820.008b3b30@pop.west.cox.net>
At 05:18 PM 9/7/2003 -0700, David Honig wrote:
> >A copy of the research was sent to GSM authorities in order to correct the
> >problem, and the method is being patented so that in future it can be used
> >by the law enforcement agencies.
>
>"Laughing my ass off." Since when do governments care about patents?
>How would this help/harm them from exploiting it? Not that
>high-end LEOs haven't already had this capacity ---Biham et al
>are only the first *open* researchers to reveal this.
Actually, patenting the method isn't nearly as silly as it sounds. Produced
in quantity, a device to break GSM using this attack is not going to cost
much more than a cellphone (without subsidies). Patenting the attack
prevents the production of the "radio shack (tm) gsm scanner", so that it
at least requires serious attackers, not idle retirees or jealous teenagers.
Greg.
Greg Rose INTERNET: ggr@qualcomm.com
Qualcomm Australia VOICE: +61-2-9817 4188 FAX: +61-2-9817 5199
Level 3, 230 Victoria Road, http://people.qualcomm.com/ggr/
Gladesville NSW 2111 232B EC8F 44C6 C853 D68F E107 E6BF CD2F 1081 A37C
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