Not sure if this is for networking, news or linux and opensource forum... Mods feel free to throw it around... Got this via the IPCop mailing list... just a small portion of the article... Original Article here... a recommended read A definate WTF moment... with a oh so true title...
all i have to say is...dude, weak!....come on seriously, though surely couldn't the USE of the secret back doors without mandate conflict with the old 'un-authorised access to a computer system' statement in the computer missuse act.....just a thought ( i haven't read the article yet if it says it in there)
That's gotta be a strong argument for using an OSS based router, huh! At least you know exactly what's going on then.
sorry for the revivie but i had to say it *cough* IPCop *cough* its open source...so no backdoors there
I'm sure there's some joke to be had here involving a mutual liking of "backdoors" between the FBI and homosexuals.
They probably couldn't. Even if they could, since it's open source all there would need to be is instuctions of how to remove the backdoor from the source and people could compile their own versions without it.
The government has the power to force these backdoors, regardless of the OSS or not... It would even be illegal then to plug the holes... So it really IS a bad thing, because a simple nmap would reveal the holes in the firewall and open up every network... @Lynx, built by the sysadmin, based on Debian/BSD with the nececarry packages...
Do not underestimate the power of nmap + netcat REALLY... If there is a open port nmap will find it, and netcat will connect to it...
Would there have to be an open port? I know what you're saying, but the government must have some smart computer security people too and I'd be very surprised if they're relying on something as basic as an open port to use as a backdoor. I could find open ports when I was 12 (didn't have a computer before then) as can thousands of others.
If every (really every port) is closed, it would be quite hard to get in And don't overestimate the secureness of government systems... They seem, but they aren't allways... Same (even more true) for corporate networks...
Oh for sure, I know that probably the majority of corporate/government networks could be comprised by skilled hackers/crackers/cyber-terrorists/bespectacled-ones or whatever we're meant to call them now.
So, that does point to the skilledness (or how up to date they are) of the network administrators, doesn't it? And they are the ones that have to say to much more skilled people how they would need to implement backdoors... I find that a worrying situation to say at least...
but if you think about it, a network administrator has to find every single way of getting into his sytem and blocking it or monitoring it (which is no mean feet since what he does cannot hinder the operation of the network) whereas a has only to find one single point of entry and if there is more than one of the aforementioned then its even easier for them and harder for the network admin because the network admin can't just shutdown the link to the internet or block all traffic (that is if he has even noticed whats happening)
I think we're straying away from the point somewhat. I'm not saying having these backdoors is a good idea or that they will be secure, just that the government aren't as stupid as some people seem to think.
You're talking about the people who let a laptop with the identity of something like 27 million people on it, only to have the thing stolen. That thing should have been bolted to a concrete floor in a room with no key to the door. While they may not be stupid, there ARE people out there that are considerably smarter, and if those smarter people have bad intentions, the entire country (if not the whole world) could well be screwed.
