[9834] in cryptography@c2.net mail archive
Re: Shades of FV's Nathaniel Borenstein: Carnivore's "Magic Lantern"
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Jay D. Dyson)
Wed Nov 21 17:32:35 2001
Date: Wed, 21 Nov 2001 14:29:43 -0800 (PST)
From: "Jay D. Dyson" <jdyson@treachery.net>
To: pasward@big.uwaterloo.ca
Cc: Cryptography List <cryptography@wasabisystems.com>
In-Reply-To: <15356.9762.565006.94568@tolstoy.uwaterloo.ca>
Message-ID: <Pine.GSO.3.96.1011121141753.12695B-100000@crypto>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII
On Wed, 21 Nov 2001 pasward@big.uwaterloo.ca wrote:
> > Yet another reason why Open Source is your friend.
>
> I did not mean to imply that I am running some variety of windows. I am
> interested in the technical problem of what is the state of the art for
> detecting whether or not a computer has been tampered with. The use of
> some version of un*x does not per se solve this.
I'm afraid we're still in the "arms race" model in that respect.
Every time one party comes up with a new widget, another party quickly
follows with a widget-defeater. Then the original party releases an
updated widget with a widget-defeater-defeater feature. Then the opposing
party responds in kind. On and on it goes...like a dog chasing its tail.
My original response handles the electronic portion of the
equation (though I do concede the point another writer made that all bets
are off when the day of the Backdoored BIOS arrives). If you mean only
the physical aspect of the equation, there are a number of tricks you can
use ranging from sealing a system with epoxy, locks and so on...or (for
those who dig Mission: Impossible stuff), boobytrapping a system to either
explode a dye-pack (like that used in banks) or commit digital seppuku if
an unauthorized party dicks with it.
I must admit the dye-pack idea has a certain appeal to it.
Nothing would make my day like seeing some goons come out of my house with
bright Candy Apple Red faces.
-Jay
( ( _______
)) )) .-"There's always time for a good cup of coffee."-. >====<--.
C|~~|C|~~| (>------ Jay D. Dyson - jdyson@treachery.net ------<) | = |-'
`--' `--' `----------- Free Speech != Cheap Talk -----------' `------'
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