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NSA Approves First 802.11b Product for Secret Data
joehoya writes "I realize this is a couple of days old, but the National Security Agency recently certified the Harris Corp's Secnet-11 as the first 802.11b system permitted to carry US SECRET level data. See press release. The system integrates NSA crypto with commercial chipset based 802.11b PCMCIA cards and access points to create a secure wireless LAN. Unfortunately, you and I won't be able to buy them, as they are only available to organizations with an NSA COMSEC account."
That should be nsa.GOV, not nsa.MIL.
Ouch, i just found the price list. This stuff is $$$$$$$$$$$$$.
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The pc card's are $2500.
Wap's are $1000.
I think I'll stick to VPN over 802.11
Source of pricing is www.govcomm.harris.com/secure-comm/support/pricel
Lawyers, MBA's, RIAA? A jedi fears not these things!
None of the OSes (only Windows versions) it works with are certified for TOP SECRET data
Yeah, and Trusted Solaris, and Trusted Irix, and a bunch of other OSs you've probably never head of. Look at this if you don't believe me.
My email is real.
Let's say that the quality of the code is roughly proportional to QN, where N is the number of developers and Q is the quality of each developer.
The alleged value of Open Source is that it allows you to increase the value of N by a dramatic number. Even if the developers are merely average, you can get a higher QN with Open Source than with closed source for many projects.
Of course, if the number of half-finished projects on Sourceforge is any indicator, simply opening up is not enough. You have to have some appeal to developers or you aren't going to raise your N much.
Then of course there is the other factor, Q. Even if you have something really cool, there is no gaurantee that those interested will be any better than average, and you will also have to expend some effort "managing" those who are below average or who are just plain crackpots.
Something tells me that the NSA has no trouble attracting developers with a very high "Q" and in sufficient "N" to do an excellent job.
Yes, I know about the "mythical man month" and that you can't just add up developers as I've suggested. That's why this is just an approximation.
Frankly, I think your post borders on Trollish because you've got "only" and "fully secure" in there; but there are probably plenty of people on /. who will eat up your post, just as there are plenty of people who think that obscurity==security. Of course neither side is right; Open Source isn't a panacea, but giving up obsccurity isn't always such a bright idea either.
For all intensive purposes, "whom" is no longer a word. That begs the question, "who cares"?
There is a declassified crypto algorithm, designed by the NSA, and available to you. It's Type 2 (good for sensitive but unclassified) called Skipjack. Available here.
I speak only for myself, not as an official representative of the U.S. Government.
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I decided to write this because I often see misconceptions of military networks on slashdot.
I have been a network administrator in the U.S. Air Force for 5 years. I have administered classified networks in Asia, Europe, the Middle East and the U.S. I have worked on Air Force and Army networks.
(1) The basic levels of classification are:
Unclassified
Confidential
Secret
Top Secret
There's some gray areas between and above but those are the basics
(2) You can process classified information on almost any platform you want. Top Secret on DOS, no problem. Windows 95, every day. Linux, sure. The big restrictions come when a computer is connected to both classified and unclassified networks. In that case the machine must be trusted to differentiate between the classifications. It must make sure that only Unclass was writted to the disk you're going to carry over to the unclassified network.
(3) Classified information, once properly encrypted, is no longer classified and you can pretty much do you what you want with it (put it on your t-shirt, print it on a flag and wave it, blast it in to space, send it over the internet, whatever)
(4) Because of the above, wireless and classified are nothing new. Radios, wireless networks, satellite phones, all of the them are used to transmit classified information.
(5) Moving classified information over unclassified networks is old news and several devices already exist. Devices like the NES (Network Encryption System) and the TACLANE are used to plug in to a classified network, encrypt and encapsulate the data, then move that data over an unclassified network.
http://www.fas.org/irp/program/security/_work/k
(6) What this new device offers is conveniance. Previously to run a network over a wireless link the procedure went something like:
Connect computer/network to DTE/DCE device
Connect DTE/DCE device to crypto
Connect crypto to wireless transmission medium
These steps needed to be completed for both sides of each link. It is slow, complicated, and expensive.
(7) Why not use IPSEC? It's complicated and not NSA certified. You should be able to give crypto to a user and only explain three things to them; in, out, power. Nothing to misconfigure, either it works or it doesn't, no chance of classified spillage.
(8) Why doesn't someone with access just take this thing apart and figure out whatever? This product is likely a CCI (controlled cryptographic item). Opening CCI without certification/authorization is illegal. Besides, without disecting the chips, how much are you really going to learn?
(9) The NSA must have a back door built in, right? No. A back door built in for them would be vulnerable to anybody. I highly doubt we would move national security information over a wireless network with a back door. If you're using their encryption keys, they have a copy and can read the info anyway. If you're not using their encryption keys, then you don't have one of these devices.
(10) Isn't someone going to crack this in a week? No. NSA certified encryption is good and well tested. We still routinely send Top Secret information over 10 year old encryption devices. If they had been compromised, we wouldn't be using them. The information sent from this device is encrypted. Without the same encryption key, you can't communicate with the device. Period.
(11) What about sniffing packets and breaking the key? Go ahead and try. Encrypted information has been floating around in the air for years and years. Multimillion man armies have been sniffing and recording and trying to break for decades. They keys change often. Sure, someone might (if they were lucky) break one key in ten years, but many devices get a new key every day.
I'm sure I left some stuff out and there are faults in my knowledge and spelling. If you have any questions, post and I will try to answer them.