LongT pameta saiti uz ZdNet blogu, kurā rakstīts, ka 28 gadus vecais Karsten Nohl uzlauza 21 gadus veco GSM algoritmu, kas tiek izmantos, lai kriptētu 80% no visiem pasaules mobilajiem zvaniem.
The GSM algorithm is an A5/1 algorithm, a 64-bit binary code now slightly outdated compared to the 128-bit codes used today to encrypt calls on third-generation networks. A successor, called the A5/3 encryption algorithm, was later developed, but most network operators haven’t yet implemented it.
Patiesībā jau nekas jauns tas nav, jo jau šobrīd eksistē dārgas ierīces, kas to var paveikt. Vienkārši tiek padarīta pieejamāka iespēja jebkuram interesentam ar mazākām izmaksām paveikt to saviem spēkiem.
“Clearly we are making the attack more practical and much cheaper, and of course there’s a moral question of whether we should do that,” he said. “But more importantly, we are informing (people) about a longstanding vulnerability and hopefully preventing more systems from adopting this.”
This weakness in the encryption used on the phones, A5/1, has been known about for years. There are at least four commercial tools that allow for decrypting GSM communications that range in price from $100,000 to $250,000 depending on how fast you want the software to work, said Nohl, who previously has publicized weaknesses with wireless smart card chips used in transit systems.
Tā kā atliek tikai pagaidīt līdz parādīsies dažādas aplikācijas iPhonos un Androidos, kas piedāvās noklausīties sarunas.
Vēl par tēmu iekš The New York Times.
The G.S.M. algorithm, technically known as the A5/1 privacy algorithm, is a binary code — which is made exclusively of 0’s and 1’s — that has kept digital phone conversations private since the G.S.M. standard was adopted in 1988.