Open Source GSM Cracking Software Released

angry tapir writes "The GSM technology used by the majority of the world's mobile phones will get some scrutiny at next week's Black Hat security conference. An open source effort to develop GSM-cracking software has released software that cracks the A5/1 encryption algorithm used by some GSM networks. Called Kraken, this software uses new, very efficient, encryption cracking tables that allow it to break A5/1 encryption much faster than before."

Comments

Re:How ironic

[Myshkin]

I think what you meant to say was that this is exactly what will happen if the telcos took over the internet. They would just not route any traffic to bittorrent at all.

What is this government take over of the internet you speak of? Or do you forget that the government invented the internet? Without the government, we would still be using AOL, Compuserv, and Prodigy. Which, coincidently is exactly what the anti-net neutrality folks would like to see returned.

Anti Net neutrality--proving that there are always people naive enough to hand great things over to corporations where they are ruined forever.

Re:How ironic

[phantomfive]

You do realize that net neutrality is the _absence_ of filtering, right?

That is how you define it. Never underestimate the power of a senator who can draft a 2000 page bill that does exactly the opposite of what its title implies. You're just like the guy in the previous conversation who suggests Fox News should be regulated: once you start regulating what can and can't be on the internet, it's just a step away from blocking it.

See, the whole idea is that an ISP that also owns other companies, or is affiliated somehow, can't step in and decide what is and isn't viewable, charge more, etc.

Exactly, it's something the government should be doing. As an example of how it could be done, think of the financial regulator positions created in the financial bill that just passed. For a communications bill, we create an Internet Supervisor position, whose job it is to make sure none of the ISPs are illegally blocking stuff. He goes around, runs tests, etc. Harmless stuff. Then on page 1283 of the bill, in a small, single sentence, we give him power to decide how traffic should be regulated. Then give the Supervisor position to someone sympathetic to our cause, and there is no end to the ways that language can be abused. Should we block traffic we don't like? He has the power. Should we use it to speed up the websites of our campaign donors? He has the power. See how this stuff works?

What needs to be done is break up the monopolies where they exist so there is real competition between ISPs. Then we don't have to worry about this kind of thing: if an ISP does something we don't like, we can switch.

wahhh?

[TiggertheMad]

ISPs are providing a service. They have EVERY RIGHT IN THE WORLD to regulate what's passing through their networks, because it's their network.

...Really? Then why if I own, say, a restaurant do I need to let minorities eat in my restaurant? I mean, its mine, right? Why should I let the government tell me that I have to serve Blacks and Asians?