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Posted by on October 3, 2007, 10:26 pm
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I just stumbled across a blurb in a networking book that said that the
infrastructure for cable internet access is slightly insecure. The
allegation was that since all cable drops in an area trace back to a
distribution node (which in turn make their way to the head end)
someone on the same distro node could, with some "technical
prowess" (direct quote from the source) could eavesdrop on your
communications. Is this true? I couldn't get Google to cough up any
further info on the subject, but then again I couldn't seem to piece
together completely relevant search terms.
This is perturbing news for someone who tends to be
paranoid. ::glances nervously at the cable modem:: Is it time to go
back to tin cans and string?
Nonapeptide
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Posted by Bit Twister on October 4, 2007, 12:10 am
On Wed, 03 Oct 2007 19:26:35 -0700, Nonapeptide@gmail.com wrote:
> I just stumbled across a blurb in a networking book that said that the
> infrastructure for cable internet access is slightly insecure. The
> allegation was that since all cable drops in an area trace back to a
> distribution node (which in turn make their way to the head end)
> someone on the same distro node could, with some "technical
> prowess" (direct quote from the source) could eavesdrop on your
> communications. Is this true?
How old is the network book. Since you are a Cincinnati area
RoadRunner customer, I assume your Motorola is set for encription.
As I misunderstand it, the cable modem to head end is encripted.
Since you are a Cincinnati area RoadRunner customer, I assume your
Motorola cable modem is set for encription.
If you were to look in the cable modem web page and see something like
Initialize Baseline Privacy Done, then it is encripted.
Guessing http://192.168.100.1 would be the cable modem web page.
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Posted by f/fgeorge on October 4, 2007, 8:02 am
On Wed, 03 Oct 2007 19:26:35 -0700, Nonapeptide@gmail.com wrote:
>I just stumbled across a blurb in a networking book that said that the
>infrastructure for cable internet access is slightly insecure. The
>allegation was that since all cable drops in an area trace back to a
>distribution node (which in turn make their way to the head end)
>someone on the same distro node could, with some "technical
>prowess" (direct quote from the source) could eavesdrop on your
>communications. Is this true? I couldn't get Google to cough up any
>further info on the subject, but then again I couldn't seem to piece
>together completely relevant search terms.
>
>This is perturbing news for someone who tends to be
>paranoid. ::glances nervously at the cable modem:: Is it time to go
>back to tin cans and string?
>
>
>Nonapeptide
You are forgetting that there are 300 MILLION people in the US alone
and almost 4 BILLION WorldWide! To try and track YOUR data thru the
internet is not just hard it is impossible. Now to put a trace from
your home thru your network to the head end, etc. is not impossible.
BUT it is jammed in that pipe along with everyone else in your area.
And of course as the article said your data flows into bigger and
bigger pipes as it flows towards that 'head end' mixing with all the
other people that are all headed to that same 'head end'. You are
being paranoid, to stop id theft etc, shred your papers at home and
only put the details of your account numbers, credit card stuff ,etc,
into sites that are https sites. The standard http is not a secure
site, as indicated by the 's' at the end.
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Posted by Ed Nielsen on October 4, 2007, 9:43 am
The internet is a shared medium, regardless of how it is connected to
your home. In those regards, the only difference between the
technologies is the point at which the individual connections become a
shared connection.
Cable is no less secure than a T-1 line or dial-up or DSL or whatever.
CIAO!
Ed N.
Nonapeptide@gmail.com wrote:
> I just stumbled across a blurb in a networking book that said that the
> infrastructure for cable internet access is slightly insecure. The
> allegation was that since all cable drops in an area trace back to a
> distribution node (which in turn make their way to the head end)
> someone on the same distro node could, with some "technical
> prowess" (direct quote from the source) could eavesdrop on your
> communications. Is this true? I couldn't get Google to cough up any
> further info on the subject, but then again I couldn't seem to piece
> together completely relevant search terms.
>
> This is perturbing news for someone who tends to be
> paranoid. ::glances nervously at the cable modem:: Is it time to go
> back to tin cans and string?
>
>
> Nonapeptide
>
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Posted by Rod Smith on October 4, 2007, 11:01 am
Nonapeptide@gmail.com writes:
>
> I just stumbled across a blurb in a networking book that said that the
> infrastructure for cable internet access is slightly insecure. The
> allegation was that since all cable drops in an area trace back to a
> distribution node (which in turn make their way to the head end)
> someone on the same distro node could, with some "technical
> prowess" (direct quote from the source) could eavesdrop on your
> communications. Is this true? I couldn't get Google to cough up any
> further info on the subject, but then again I couldn't seem to piece
> together completely relevant search terms.
>
> This is perturbing news for someone who tends to be
> paranoid. ::glances nervously at the cable modem:: Is it time to go
> back to tin cans and string?
There is some truth to the claim; however, most cable companies today
encrypt the last-mile data, which would make it difficult (perhaps to the
point of impossibility, except maybe for national intelligence agencies)
for somebody on the same cable node to decrypt your data.
That said, most Internet traffic is not encrypted, and there are lots and
lots of places on the Internet that it can be intercepted. If you're just
concerned about your nosy neighbor knowing that you've been reading all
the latest Star Trek rumors, this isn't a big deal, since your nosy
neighbor probably doesn't have ready access to all the routers between you
and the Star Trek sites. OTOH, if you're concerned about Big Brother
snooping on your activities, that's another matter. Likewise if you're
concerned about shady characters acquiring a profile on you and using it
against you (for identity theft, say). Data passed over the Internet is
compromised every day. Often this is a matter of theft of credit card
numbers, but these are typically stolen from retailers' computers, not
while they're in transit. If criminals were to compromise a router,
though, they could sift through the data it manages and grab some of yours
-- passwords or other personal information, say. There have been
allegations that the US government is doing this for data to and from
foreign countries, the difference being that the feds are alleged to have
the cooperation of the data carriers, or at least some of them, and of
course they claim to be doing it in the interests of national security --
or they would if they admitted they were doing it.
The bottom line is this: Whether you're using a cable modem, DSL, a T1
line, a dial-up telephone modem connection, or anything else, you
shouldn't consider your Internet transactions secure. If you pass anything
sensitive over the Internet, you should ensure that you're using an
encrypting protocol to do it. Fortunately, most Web retailers employ
encryption on their order pages, or at least on the ones that ask for
credit card numbers -- but as noted, data thieves manage to steal CC
numbers from the retailers' servers. (Local CC transactions are also at
risk in the same way or by waiters or whatnot copying the information by
hand, so don't swear off Internet purchases for this reason.) If you
routinely log into remote systems (getting a command prompt or desktop to
use it as if it were local), use an encrypting protocol such as SSH. For
sensitive sites, such as a bank, use a unique password, and don't store it
on your computer. (With all the Trojans and viruses out there, passwords
stored by your browser might not be secure even on your own computer.)
Particularly if you're using Windows, run anti-virus software, and keep it
updated. Use a NAT router, if your cable modem doesn't incorporate that
functionality, to help protect your home system. These basic steps will
minimize the risks, but security isn't an all-or-none thing. The only way
to be 100% sure that your Internet data won't be snooped is to not use the
Internet, and the only way to be 100% sure that your computer's data won't
be compromised is to not use a computer. In today's world, neither of
these is a practical approach, so you'll have to accept some degree of
risk.
--
Rod Smith, rodsmith@rodsbooks.com
http://www.rodsbooks.com
Author of books on Linux, FreeBSD, and networking
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