Re: NSA enhancing Linux security?

From: Bill Laut (wlgen_at_verizon.net)
Date: 02/28/04 

Date: Sat, 28 Feb 2004 16:25:07 GMT

Jem Berkes wrote:

>> Whew...
>>
>> That is one serious "conspiracy theory" rant...
>
> Umm...
>
> Let me throw out this example. I think this was mentioned in an IEEE
> publication some time in the last two years: the NSA is able to intercept
> data flowing through fiber optic cable burried underneath the ocean. How?
> Apparently they have submarines carrying computer labs. They are able to
> pick up EM fields emitted at optocoupled (electrical) repeaters.
>
> From the bottom of the friggin' ocean!
>

This sounds like another incident that occured during the Cold War, but
involved a conventional copper-based submarine cable. The NSA worked with
the Navy to install an inductive coupler around the cable, so that they
could record the signals. Every few months, a Navy sub would return to the
tap to retrieve the recording module and install a new one.

Eventually an NSA analyst sold the knowledge of the tap to the Soviets for
$30,000. The analyst was later found out, tried, and imprisoned. The
Soviets (now Russians) retrieved the tap and put it on display in one of
their museums. I forget which one but supposedly it's still on display.

>
> I would not be surprised if they have the means to break modern crypto
> ciphers with key sizes that everyone else thinks is "good enough".
>

One of the ancient secrets of codebreaking is to use parallel computing in
order to break down the workload into manageable segments, and then to
analyze the ciphertext for correlating bit sequences. This technique dates
back all the way to Bletchley Park, and is still valid today.

To that end, the NSA has built codebreaking ensembles consisting of over one
million 2GHz processors, interconnected with custom-designed fiberoptic
NUMAs. It can take longer to load the ciphertext into the system than it
takes for the system to break it. 

-- 
Bill Laut

Relevant Pages

  • Re: NSA enhancing Linux security?
    ... ]> publication some time in the last two years: the NSA is able to intercept ... ]tap to retrieve the recording module and install a new one. ... the NSA has built codebreaking ensembles consisting of over one ... It can take longer to load the ciphertext into the system than it ...
    (comp.os.linux.security)
  • Re: Ive seen things you people wouldnt believe...
    ... If they REALLY want to know, they'll let the NSA play with it. ... RSA Security Inc, implementing and deploying cryptgraphic software, ... Then there are other ways to tap the line... ... of telephone conversations, correct? ...
    (rec.arts.sf.fandom)
  • Re: Bush lied about wiretaps. Shock!
    ... > I wan't bush out, but I'm not sure that "data mining," or looking for ... > patterns in telephone calls is the same as a tap. ... NSA & domestic snooping? ...
    (alt.politics.bush)