Compressed VoIP Calls Vulnerable To Bugging

holy_calamity writes "Security researchers at Johns Hopkins report that a variable bit-rate compression scheme being rolled out on VoIP systems leaves encrypted calls vulnerable to bugging. Simpler syllables are squeezed into smaller data packets, with more complex ones taking up more space; the researchers built software that uses this to spot phrases of interest in encrypted calls simply by measuring packet size."

Comments

Re:Do what my grandparents do

[smitty97]

That or you could just learn Russian... I don't think they *have* any simple-syllable words in Russian :-) In Soviet Russia, VoIP bugs you!

Evasive, ummm, technology

[martyb]

FTFA

In tests on example conversations, the software correctly identified phrases with an average accuracy of about 50%. But that jumped to 90% for longer, more complicated words. Wright thinks these phrases may be the most important. "I think the attack is much more of a threat to calls with some sort of professional jargon where you have lots of big words that string together to make long, relatively predictable phrases," he says. "Informal conversational speech would be tougher because it's so much more random."

So, ummm, what we should do to, umm, well, protect ourselves from, ummm, yaknow, eavesdroppers, heh-heh, is well, make sure there's enough, ummmmmmm, yaknow, like extra noise, like, mixed in, dude.

Re:Evasive, ummm, technology

[gstoddart]

So, ummm, what we should do to, umm, well, protect ourselves from, ummm, yaknow, eavesdroppers, heh-heh, is well, make sure there's enough, ummmmmmm, yaknow, like extra noise, like, mixed in, dude.

Oh my god, thats like, totally, like, a great idea, yaknow. I mean, like, they'll never figure out what we're, like, saying, yaknow?

Oryoucouldspeakreallyfastwithoutpausesbetweenwords. Thatwaythey'llneverknowwhatyousaid =)

Or. We. Could. All. Speak. Like. Shatner. Random. Long. Pauses. Genius.

Cheers

Re:Easy Solution:

[Daimanta]

""Music in the background" is not a security solution. In fact, that's a freaking joke."

Yes, but a joke you can dance on.

Re:Do what my grandparents do

[markana]

>That or you could just learn Russian... I don't think they *have* any simple-syllable words in Russian :-)

Da!

Re:Do what my grandparents do

[mlwmohawk]

Just speak arabic!! We already know the FBI and CIA don't have enough translators.

Re:Do what my grandparents do

[hummassa]

That or you could just learn Russian... Which would give you an advantage, if you ever have to pilot a bleeding-edge mind-controlled Russian jet fighter.

Re:Here's a thought

[oodaloop]

Voice data just CAN'T be securely encrypted. Really? I have a Top Secret phone on my desk, and I can assure you it's pretty secure. (And no, it's not a shoe.)

Re:Easy Solution:

[martin_henry]

Awesome....a VOIP dance party.

ode-cay

[fahrbot-bot]

Ust-jay eak-spay in ode-cay.