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THE AM BULLETIN BOARD => QSO => Topic started by: k4kyv on February 18, 2006, 06:12:45 PM



Title: Skype Use May Make Eavesdropping Passé
Post by: k4kyv on February 18, 2006, 06:12:45 PM
Even as the U.S. government is embroiled in a debate over the legality of wiretapping, the fastest-growing technology for Internet calls appears to have the potential to make eavesdropping a thing of the past.

http://www.forbes.com/entrepreneurs/feeds/ap/2006/02/16/ap2533115.html


Title: Re: Skype Use May Make Eavesdropping Passé
Post by: W1UJR on February 20, 2006, 06:06:53 PM
Even as the U.S. government is embroiled in a debate over the legality of wiretapping, the fastest-growing technology for Internet calls appears to have the potential to make eavesdropping a thing of the past.

http://www.forbes.com/entrepreneurs/feeds/ap/2006/02/16/ap2533115.html

Interesting article Don, I had overlooked it.
Not sure I agree on encryption angle.
If a man wrote it, a man can break it.
Encryption is never failsafe, the Nazi's made that mistake in WW2.
Given time it can be cracked or a workaround found.


Title: Re: Skype Use May Make Eavesdropping Passé
Post by: Ian VK3KRI on February 22, 2006, 06:06:28 AM
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Interesting article Don, I had overlooked it.
Not sure I agree on encryption angle.
If a man wrote it, a man can break it.
Encryption is never failsafe, the Nazi's made that mistake in WW2.
Given time it can be cracked or a workaround found.


True any encrypted message is  decryptable, The issue is how long and how much effort will it take. A cypher that can be brute force decoded in 12 hours may be satisfactory if the contents of the meassage is no longer required to be secret within that time.  Likewise the amount of effort to decrypt all Skype voice calls may be too expensive but if youre targeting one call and can afford to take weeks to decode it it might be worth it.

In a good code knowlege of the implementation of the code doen't help you. The British knew the enigma cipher mechaniosm, but  had to determine the keys that changed each day. The reason they were able to do that was sloppy operating procedure on the part of the Germans eased their task considerably,      Its all facinating stuff   
                                                                                               Ian VK3KRI
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