Batboard

Title says it all.
Matt Blaze is a professor at UPENN, and a very smart fella. I've seen him at DEFCON, shmoocon and is super cool. Enjoy..

http://www.crypto.com/blog/p25

Here is a follow up article...

http://www.crypto.com/p25/

There is a big thread about it over at radioreference. It sure seems to me like it's a lot of words to boil down to what we all already know. If you don't turn the switch to secure you won't be encrypted. If you don't have the current key you can't talk with the rest and we all have to go to clear mode. Well no ****.

If you leave your car unlocked your stereo will get stolen.

Do I get a pat on the back for that nugget of knowledge?


...doubt it.

Yes, but the point is there is no feedback from the radio when transmitting that you're secure. So, as they stated in the paper, they were able to get gather 20-30 minutes a day of extremely sensitive and operation critical information.

My biggest takeaway from the paper was the security compromises that constant rekeying raises.

Definitely, that is true but my thought is that if it were really that big a concern the Feds would have demanded some sort of unique howling clear transmission preamble sidetone or something but they don't mainly because in the grand scheme of things it's really not that big of an issue and everyone would raise hell. They could enable TX or RX clear alert tones as it is now but I would bet that even with that it comes down to fact that people tend to block out what they hear repetitively and probably don't realize they radio is emitting a tone warning them of their status.

In the end there are chuckle heads that can't operate things properly. No amount of technology will overcome the basic idiot.

Half of the simple solution... strap a channel/talkgroup to secure... Eliminated the button problem altogether.

Another or the keypad radios was infinate key retention with keypad lock...PITA at times but added protection if the radio was lost/stolen etc

escomm wrote:Yes, but the point is there is no feedback from the radio when transmitting that you're secure.

Normally I wouldn't disagree with you, but at least in the display models there are some visible signals.
∅ On = secure operation;
∅ Off = clear operation;
∅ Flashing = receiving an encrypted voice call

Shouldn't we at least be able to trust that those who defend our freedom can pay attention to their tools? I mean, we do trust them to remember when a firearm is on safe/fire right?

resqguy911 wrote:Shouldn't we at least be able to trust that those who defend our freedom can pay attention to their tools? I mean, we do trust them to remember when a firearm is on safe/fire right?

Have you seen how most cops shoot? Ever noticed the number of bullet holes in the locker room of any random police department?

tvsjr wrote:

resqguy911 wrote:Shouldn't we at least be able to trust that those who defend our freedom can pay attention to their tools? I mean, we do trust them to remember when a firearm is on safe/fire right?

Have you seen how most cops shoot? Ever noticed the number of bullet holes in the locker room of any random police department?

Don't go bringing the real world into this! I almost talked myself into believing in the government's ability to protect us

I remember selling Matt Blaze a XTS5000 UHF M3 and a XTS5000 UCM a while back on Ebay.Glad the radio & module went for some good use...