[IP] more on FBI plans new Net-tapping push

[David Farber <dave@farber.net>]

Begin forwarded message:

From: Brett Glass <brett@lariat.net>
Date: July 8, 2006 12:09:42 PM EDT
To: dave@farber.net, ip@v2.listbox.com
Subject: Re: [IP] FBI plans new Net-tapping push

Declan McCullagh writes:

> The 27-page proposed CALEA amendments seen by CNET News.com would:
>
> • Require any manufacturer of "routing" and "addressing" hardware to
> offer upgrades or other "modifications" that are needed to support  
> Internet
> wiretapping. Current law does require that of telephone switch  
> manufacturers--but not makers of routers and network address  
> translation hardware like Cisco Systems and 2Wire.

Apparently, the FBI is not aware that virtually every product that  
speaks the TCP/IP protocol has built-in routing capabilities. For  
example, if you go to "Show all programs/Accessories/Command Prompt"  
in any recent version of Microsoft Windows and type the command  
"route print", you'll see your PC's TCP/IP routing table. Ditto if  
you open "Applications/Utilities/Terminal" on a Macintosh and type  
the command "netstat -ran". The small routers, wireless access  
points, and firewalls curently used on virtually all networks  
likewise have routing capabilities, as do game machines such as the  
XBox. Even your printer or copier -- if it has an Ethernet interface  
for connection to a network -- does TCP/IP routing.

While the term "'addressing' hardware" is vague, let's assume that it  
means that a product is capable of acting as a server for the DHCP  
protocol (which assigns IP addresses to devices on a network) or  
possibly as a router which performs network address translation  
(NAT). This too would sweep in every personal computer, workstation,  
and server, as well as (again) most network appliances.

All of these devices would thus be required to be tappable (and,  
thus, insecure).

What's more, the proposed amendments would likely define the  
providers of Wi-Fi hotspots and Internet kiosks (e.g. at hotels and  
cybercafes) as Internet service providers who would be obliged to  
make provisions for government wiretapping.

Finally, it is unclear what such amendments would mean for ISPs, such  
as myself, which build their own Internet routers using open source  
software (in our case, BSD UNIX). Would we be prohibited from doing so?

--Brett Glass



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