German software engineer Karsten Nohl said at the Chaos Communication Congress hacker expo today that he and a group have cracked and published the primary encryption code for GSM, the protocol that handles most non-3G cellphone calls. The team says it has used legal methods to break the A5/1 standard, which prevents easy snooping, and has made available a 'code book' of binary data that could theoretically be used to decipher the content of a call within hours or even minutes rather than weeks.
Nohl characterizes the hack as a 'white hat' gesture meant to underscore the vulnerability of the GSM system. Its protocols were finalized in 1988 and use relatively mild 64-bit encryption, which is comparatively easy to break. An updated but rarely used GSM spec known as A5/3, as well as 3G calls on UMTS and HSPA, use much tougher 128-bit encryption.
28-летний специалист по криптографии Карстен Ноул (Karsten Nohl) впервые в мире продемонстрировал перехват разговоров по сотовым сетям стандарта GSM практически в реальном времени. Команда исследователей с его участием показала, как с помощью легального оборудования и открытых алгоритмов можно построить полноценную систему для прослушки сотовых переговоров, зашифрованных по стремительно устаревающему алгоритму GSM A5/1.
Авторы скандальной системы опубликовали найденный ими код в открытых источниках и представили свою работу на выставке Chaos Communication Congress в Берлине. Важно отметить, что взлому подвергся стандарт шифрования A5/1, который успешно блокирует попытки прямой прослуш... Читать дальше »
Got some free time on your hands? Feel like reading the entire Avatar screenplay? Well, you’re in luck because 20th Century Fox has decided to make the entire piece available online for FREE!
Even with primarily positive reviews, the one complaint made by a large majority of critics is about the trite dialogue. Could this be a push for a Best Screenplay Academy Award nod? The movie has already pulled in $380.5 in the US making it the 10th highest grossing film at the domestic box office in history; why else make the material available if not for an awards push?
Regardless, it is fun to sort through the pieces and see what was removed from the final cut of the film. Can’t wait for th... Читать дальше »