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Network Associates Buys "Better Carnivore"
ShaunC writes "CNet is reporting that Network Associates has just purchased a software company called Traxess, whose main product - DragNet - supposedly makes Carnivore look like a toy. DragNet is capable of monitoring everything from email to web, FTP sessions to IMs, even print jobs and VOIP conversations; sorting the protocols and logging it all to disk at gigabit speeds. One NAI exec envisions "the government using it to investigate employees and hackers." NAI has also issued a press release about DragNet."
I don't know... there are a lot more laws limiting what the FBI can do with technology like than there are limiting what a private company can do with technology like that. Not to mention, there's absolutely no information about me that the FBI would find useful in the least; there's tons of information corporations might like to have. Of course, the reality is, this won't change my use of the Internet in the least, but it's food for thought.
Wouldn't a better solution be wider adoption of TLS in place of SSL, as TLS can start encryption after virtual host negotiation, and can run of port 80 as well?
I would say they would want to keep PGP around so they can sell the problem(Dragnet) and the solution(Encryption)...
-i@i-
Check this out. This FAQ regarding Palladium, in addition to the endless quest to engage in unreasonable searches (a al Carnivore and its brethren), are going to make for some interesting times. It gives rise to what I think is an important question - what happens when one or more private entities act in consort with a government to subvert the premises on which a society is founded?
Whilst this story may grab the headlines, an application that has very similar functionality already exists and can be purchased today. I have a friend who works for Silent Runner ( http://www.silentrunner.com/ ) and believe me, this is already selling well to top corporates and governments / police forces here in Europe. Created by Raytheon, who work closely with US Government on many levels (NSA, CIA, Military - they make the software for the Patrior missile etc), Silent Runner is the one to look out for today. This announcement by NAI is them attempting to play catch up in the market. Their product is not yet ready to sell (ie you can't buy it today), whilst SR are quietly installing themselves in many large organisations. Big brother is already here!
Maybe under the old rules.. but in this brave new world here in the year 2010, if you don't filter your spam, you are presumed to have accepted it and you are responsible for the content it contains. George W's successors implemented this strategy to cut down terrorism-- people who receive appeals to donate to terrorist organizations (as defined under section 8.3.23 of the SAFTA, the Save America From Terrorists Act), correlate highly with those who fund terrorism.
- Marty
Collecting the data now doesn't bother me. What bothers me is when I look for a new job 20 years from now, only to have my potential employer pull out a breifcase that holds EVERYTHING I've done on the internet since 2002 (Including all encrypted stuff, I'll bet brute force methods are a lot easier with faster computers).
But for me, that isn't a big deal, I'm already an adult. What happens for my kids, where they have their entire lives scrutinized before being given a job? What happens if they get in some trouble and are put in juvenile detention, but then they clean up their act? Will that be a permanent black marker on their file for the rest of their life?
What if they have controversial ideas or views?
This isn't about data mining for the present, when you are a sheep in the herd, no one will notice you. When people look at you as an individual, they will know everything about you, personal history and otherwise, that is what this is about.
Have you ever run a google search on someone? Imagine the results coming up with everything that person has done on the web, and being able to make sure it IS the person you wanted to look for.