How To DDoS a Federal Wiretap 112
alphadogg writes "Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania say they've discovered a way to circumvent the networking technology used by law enforcement to tap phone lines in the US. The flaws they've found 'represent a serious threat to the accuracy and completeness of wiretap records used for both criminal investigation and as evidence in trial,' the researchers say in their paper, set to be presented Thursday at a computer security conference in Chicago. Following up on earlier work on evading analog wiretap devices called loop extenders, the Penn researchers took a deep look at the newer technical standards used to enable wiretapping on telecommunication switches. They found that while these newer devices probably don't suffer from many of the bugs they'd found in the loop extender world, they do introduce new flaws. In fact, wiretaps could probably be rendered useless if the connection between the switches and law enforcement are overwhelmed with useless data, something known as a denial of service (DOS) attack."
New best ... (Score:5, Funny)
New best way to get your funding cut: publish a paper that outlines a way to use DDOS to hinder a federal investigation. Old best: come out of the closet & join the communist party.
Already happens (Score:5, Funny)
This just in, arrest warrants issued for 92% of American females between the ages of 12 and 17.
And here again is a door open to geeks unemployed (Score:5, Funny)
...sort of off-topic, but something I mention to my geek friends out of work: the black market of crime has endless jobs available for you.
Go into any barbershop in a shadier part of town and while you're getting a fantastic $12 haircut, mention to the oldest barber that you are working on security consulting to help people avoid getting into trouble with the law, especially in regards to keeping phone calls and information private.
At $150 a pop to "consult" with a man in a nice suit, you can easily remind him that his phone and laptop aren't secure, even offer him advice on what he can do and what he can buy to keep his tracks concealed better.
In reality, though, wiretaps aren't as important as having a good crew under you. A large percentage of black market consultants find themselves in jail because of the stool pigeon, not because of the wiretap information.
Re:In Soviet russia... (Score:2, Funny)
Better yet, why would anyone who seriously wants to avoid a wiretap *use a phone*?
To connect his acoustic coupler :-)
Re:Already happens (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Some background about Matt Blaze (Score:1, Funny)
It's a trap! That button actually STARTS the wiretap already placed on your phone. It's intended specifically to catch people who are trying to avoid law enforcement noticing their activities.