[128257] in North American Network Operators' Group
Re: Web expert on his 'catastrophe' key for the internet
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (andrew.wallace)
Wed Jul 28 12:25:14 2010
Date: Wed, 28 Jul 2010 09:24:57 -0700 (PDT)
From: "andrew.wallace" <andrew.wallace@rocketmail.com>
To: "Elmar K. Bins" <elmi@4ever.de>
In-Reply-To: <20100728083327.GW96953@ronin.4ever.de>
Cc: nanog@nanog.org
Errors-To: nanog-bounces+nanog.discuss=bloom-picayune.mit.edu@nanog.org
On Wed, Jul 28, 2010 at 9:33 AM, Elmar K. Bins <elmi@4ever.de> wrote:=0A> a=
ndrew.wallace@rocketmail.com (andrew.wallace) wrote:=0A>=0A>> A British com=
puter expert has been entrusted with part of a digital key, to =0A>>help=0A=
>> restart the internet in the event of a major catastrophe.=0A>>=0A>> =0A=
>> Paul Kane talked to Eddie Mair on Radio 4's PM programme about what he m=
ight =0A>be=0A>> called upon to do in the event of an international online =
emergency.=0A>> =0A>> http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-10781240=0A>=0A> One, I=
do not see the operational relevance of this "news".=0A> Second, people cu=
lt is just not the hype anymore.=0A> Third, my opinion towards Mr. Kane wil=
l stay with myself.=0A>=0A=0AI think there is a social vulnerability in a g=
roup of people who need to travel, =0Aa lot of the time, by plane, to exact=
ly the same location to make new keys to =0Areset DNSSEC.=0A=0AWhat I think=
is, this is leaving them wide open to attack. If an attack was =0Astate-sp=
onsored, its likely they would be able to stop those selected people =0Area=
ching the location in the United States by way of operational officers =0Ai=
ntercepting them by kidnap or murder, and indeed, a cyber attack without th=
e =0Aneed for human intervention to stop the select people getting to their=
=0Adestination could be done by knocking out the air traffic system. Which=
would, =0Ahamper the resetting and creation of new keys for DNSSEC. =0A=0A=
=0AEven without the select people being prevented from reaching their locat=
ion in =0Athe United States, the disclosure tells the bad guys, approximate=
ly how long an =0Aattack window they've got between the selected people lea=
ving their work or home =0Aand travelling by plane to the location.=0A=0AIt=
would have been better if the people who are the selected key holders was =
=0Akept classified, a lot of the information given out wasn't in the public=
=0Ainterest, or in the national interest for the arrangements to be made p=
ublic.=0A=0AI'm guessing also, Mr.Kane would be travelling to the United St=
ates in a =0Amilitary plane and not a commercial airliner, but who knows?=
=0A=0A=0AOf course this is just my opinion.=0A=0AAndrew Wallace=0A=0A=0A=0A=
