Scribd
Upload
70 views17 pages

Lecture No. 24 Encryption and Interception of Communications

The document discusses controversies around encryption and interception of communications. It covers the history of wiretapping laws and technologies used for interception like Carnivore. It also describes cryptography techniques like public key encryption and their uses. Government policies around export controls and access to encryption keys are analyzed. Fundamental issues around secrecy, technological progress, and trust in government surveillance are raised.

Uploaded by

Mirza Hayat
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
70 views17 pages

Lecture No. 24 Encryption and Interception of Communications

The document discusses controversies around encryption and interception of communications. It covers the history of wiretapping laws and technologies used for interception like Carnivore. It also describes cryptography techniques like public key encryption and their uses. Government policies around export controls and access to encryption keys are analyzed. Fundamental issues around secrecy, technological progress, and trust in government surveillance are raised.

Uploaded by

Mirza Hayat
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 17

Lecture No.

24
Encryption and Interception of
Communications

Overview of the Controversies

Intercepting Communications

Cryptography and Its Uses

Encryption Policy: Access to Software, Keys, and Plaintext

Fundamental Issues

A Gift of Fire, 2ed Chapter 3: Encryption and Interception of Communications 1


Overview of the Controversies

Communications Privacy Affected by:


Interception of communications, including:
• Telephone, E-mail, and Web activity.
Restrictions on secure encryption.
• Exportation of strong encryption was viewed as a threat to national
security.
CALEA (Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement
Act).
• Communications technology must assist law enforcement.
Global surveillance systems.
• The constitutionality of domestic systems and the necessity of
international systems are under question.

A Gift of Fire, 2ed Chapter 3: Encryption and Interception of Communications 2


Intercepting Communications

Wiretapping
Telephone:
• Pre-1934: used widely by government, businesses, and private sector.
• 1934: the Federal Communications Act disallowed unauthorized
wiretaps; many ignored the law.
• 1968: the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act restricted
wiretapping by requiring a court order.

A Gift of Fire, 2ed Chapter 3: Encryption and Interception of Communications 3


…

Yes…in an emergency. A device called a “pen


register” and a “trap and trace” can be used
to determine the telephone numbers called or
the number from which a call is made. These
do not require as much court scrutiny and
justification as intercepting the contents of a
call.

A Gift of Fire, 2ed Chapter 3: Encryption and Interception of Communications 4


Intercepting Communications

Wiretapping
New Technologies:
• 1986: Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA) and its
amendments restricted government interception of e-mail, cell-phones,
etc..
• 2001: USA Patriot Act loosened restrictions on government wiretapping
and communications interception.

A Gift of Fire, 2ed Chapter 3: Encryption and Interception of Communications 5


Intercepting Communications

Carnivore
FBI’s system to intercept e-mail with a court order.
• Pro: Law enforcement needs this tool to fight crime.
• Con: All e-mail goes through FBI’s Carnivore system.

A Gift of Fire, 2ed Chapter 3: Encryption and Interception of Communications 6


Intercepting Communications

NSA and Echelon


NSA (National Security Agency):
• Collects and analyzes communications to find threats to national
security.
Echelon:
• Member nations intercept communications for each other. It checks
Telephone conversations, e-mails, and downloads of targeted suspects.

A Gift of Fire, 2ed Chapter 3: Encryption and Interception of Communications 7


Cryptography and Its Uses

Cryptography
Definition:
• Hiding data in plain sight.
Terms:
• Plaintext: Original, readable message or data.
• Cyphertext: Modified, unreadable message or data.
• Encryption: The act of converting plaintext into cyphertext.
• Decryption: The act of reverting cyphertext back to readable, plaintext.

A Gift of Fire, 2ed Chapter 3: Encryption and Interception of Communications 8


Cryptography and Its Uses

Public Key Cryptography


How it works:
• User creates a mathematically-related key pair (public and private
keys).
• Public keys are shared publicly; private keys are kept secret.
• Public keys are used to encrypt message or data.
• Private keys are used to decrypt message or data.
Benefits:
• No secret keys need be shared or transmitted.
• Very secure.

A Gift of Fire, 2ed Chapter 3: Encryption and Interception of Communications 9


…

The larger the key size, the more possible keys


there are. If a 40-bit key is used, there are
2^40, or more than a trillion possible keys.
We now use 512-bit keys.

A Gift of Fire, 2ed Chapter 3: Encryption and Interception of Communications 10


Cryptography and Its Uses

Encryption
Used by:
• Military personnel.
• Financial institutions.
• Human-rights activists.
• Government agencies.
• Anyone wanting to keep messages or data private.

A Gift of Fire, 2ed Chapter 3: Encryption and Interception of Communications 11


Cryptography and Its Uses

Steganography
Definition:
• Hiding data so that its existence is not known.
Examples:
• Digital watermarks.
• Hiding text in image files.
Used by:
• Military,
• Publishers,
• Anyone wishing to hide messages or data.

A Gift of Fire, 2ed Chapter 3: Encryption and Interception of Communications 12


Encryption Policy: Access to Software,
Keys, and Plaintext
Secrecy and Export Controls
Control of Secrecy
• The NSA designs unbreakable codes for the U.S. government.
• The NSA attempts to break codes used by other governments.
• In the past, the NSA also controlled the funding for and publishing of
cryptographic research.
Control of Exportation
• Early U.S. policy prevented the exportation of strong encryption.
• Meanwhile, foreign production and use of strong encryption negatively
impacted U.S. competition in the world market.
• Cryptographic researchers, privacy advocates, and others successfully
challenged exportation restrictions.

A Gift of Fire, 2ed Chapter 3: Encryption and Interception of Communications 13


Encryption Policy: Access to Software,
Keys, and Plaintext
Domestic Encryption
Key Escrow
• Third-party (some organization other than the user) entrusted with
non-public encryption keys. Problem…the government could get
access with a court order.
Real-time Access to Plaintext
• Immediate decryption of encrypted data.
• Long-time goal of the FBI.
Key Recovery
• The ability to recover encrypted files if necessary.
• Used by some businesses.

A Gift of Fire, 2ed Chapter 3: Encryption and Interception of Communications 14


Fundamental Issues
Role of Secrecy
U.S. Policy Keeps Secret:
• Cryptographic research.
Why? Disclosing this
• Wiretap ease or difficulty. information can help
• Encryption algorithms. criminals and terrorists!
• Software (e.g. Carnivore).
• Global endeavors (e.g. Echelon).
Problems:
• Secret algorithms cannot be tested by experts.
• ‘Backdoors’ might exist.
• NSA-influenced wiretap and encryption exportation bills.

A Gift of Fire, 2ed Chapter 3: Encryption and Interception of Communications 15


Fundamental Issues

The Ever-changing Status Quo


Past:
• Simple codes and cyphers.
Present:
• 512-bit RSA encryption.
• AES (Advanced Encryption Standard).
Future:
• Quantum computing.
• Quantum cryptography.

A Gift of Fire, 2ed Chapter 3: Encryption and Interception of Communications 16


Fundamental Issues

Trust in Government
Appropriate or Abusive?
• Wiretapping by FBI and local police.
• Wiretapping by NSA.
• Strong encryption restrictions.
• Roving wiretaps.
• Cell-phone tracking (and E-911).
• Key logger systems.
• Development of a nationwide standard for surveillance.

A Gift of Fire, 2ed Chapter 3: Encryption and Interception of Communications 17

You might also like