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Network Associates Buys "Better Carnivore"

Posted by michael on from the need-bigger-hard-drives dept.

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."

6 of 243 comments (clear)

  1. Okay, this is a no-brainer, but... by StupidKatz · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Encrypt your traffic!

    They might see that it is SMTP traffic, but they can't see what you wrote. They might see it's web traffic, but they can't see exactly what it is. They might see an ssh session, but they can't sniff your root password. (Thanks to sftp, they can't grab your password there, either!)

    Since some protocol headers can't very well be encrypted, there's no good reason to try running services on alternate ports; maybe now I can finally get my friends to install PGP (or similar) on their machines.

    1. Re:Okay, this is a no-brainer, but... by pesc · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Sorry, but encryption really does not solve the problem. It helps (a teeny weeny bit), but if you think you are safe just because you use encryption, think again.

      They might see that it is SMTP traffic, but they can't see what you wrote

      Yes, they can see that you are mailing newjobs@careerpath.com, sales@cybersex.com and tipping off anonymoustips@big.newspaper.com, but they can't see what you actually wrote.

      They might see it's web traffic, but they can't see exactly what it is
      They can see that you frequent www.goatse.cx, but they can't see what you saw. They may have to go there themselves...

      They might see an ssh session, but they can't sniff your root password
      They can see that you ssh to our.competitor.com and eevil.haxors.md, but can't see what you are doing. Time to target some other surveillance techniques on you!

      Yeah, you are leaving them completely in the dark by using super-duper cant-ever-crack-this 128-bit encryption...

      --

      )9TSS
  2. GollumSoft by pete-classic · · Score: 5, Funny
    Traxess, formerly known a GollumSoft.

    We traxess it, doesn't we, precious. Yesss, we traxess and logsess all its nasssty little emailsess.


    -Peter
  3. Don't fear the technology, fear those who use it by dh003i · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The technology itself is fine, and potentially beneficial, if properly and very narrowly used. It could accomplish a lot of good. But any good it could accomplish would be obliterated by the vast rights violations that would take place if it was mis-used.

    In other words, this technology should be controlled by courts, which would grant access to government agencies to use it (i.e., by giving a temporary pass for limited purposes) for very specific and targetted purposes, when warranted by probable cause or reasonable suspicion.

    But if we fear this kind of technology and want to outlaw it off-hand, declaring the technology evil, then we're no better than the RIAA/MPAA, who want to ban technologies (DVD-R(W), DVD-RAM, CD-RW, CD-R, P2P, etc) simply because they *can* be used for illegal purposes.

    --
    social sciences can never use experience to verify their statemen
  4. This already exists! by XaV_K · · Score: 5, Interesting

    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!

  5. An infinite number of monkeys... by fmaxwell · · Score: 5, Funny
    Imagine the poor sods that have to go through the captured data. They'd get to read stuff like this all day:

    HotHoney4462: I am a porn star.
    StudMan217: Send me your picture!
    HotHoney4462: I don't have one on my computer.
    StudMan217: Do you have a scanner?
    HotHoney4462: No. But my friends tell me I look like Pamela Anderson...
    {...}
    133t_dewd: i still cant run the password cracker you sent.
    Neo4329542: what happens?
    133t_dewd: i cant find it.
    Neo4329542: where did you save it?
    133t_dewd: i dont know -- i just hit okay.
    Neo4329542: click on my computer.
    133t_dewd: how? i can't see your computer...
    {...}
    Mom,
    > Here's a picture of your father on
    > the new tractor.
    There was no picture attached. could you
    send it again?
    > The TV has been broken since you left. I turn
    > it on and the screen is black except for three
    > green letters in the upper left that say DVD.
    > But there is no DVD in the machine. I ejected
    > it twice and checked.
    You have to hit the input select button on the
    remote until you see a picture. It says DVD
    because I played that one for you when I was there.


    The biggest problem that they face is replacing people who commit suicide after about a week of reading that stuff.