[IP] more on Windows Wireless Flaw a Danger to Laptops
Begin forwarded message:
From: "David P. Reed" <dpreed@xxxxxxxx>
Date: January 15, 2006 4:04:49 PM EST
To: dave@xxxxxxxxxx
Cc: ip@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Re: [IP] Windows Wireless Flaw a Danger to Laptops
As far as I can tell, Dave, the described flaw is present on most
Linux laptop distros and OSX distros.
It's basically a function of adhoc association being peer-to-peer,
and the linklocal addressing standard (which is built into Apple's
Bonjour, for example).
Don't blame Microsoft for this one. If I were to blame anyone, it
would be the original decision by ARPA not to allow TCP/IP to
research and define end-to-end encryption and authentication in the
protocol from the start. (the first round of the crypto wars).
This decision caused the Internet to grow up with protocols that did
not default to making sure that the counterparties to communications
were the ones they claimed to be.
The 80% fix is just to make sure your laptop is running a local
firewall and uses SSH/stunnel/IPSEC/VPN style protection. In other
words, practice safe-sex when your machine is mating promiscuously
through the ether.
(of course arpspoofing and other man-in-the-middle attacks are still
quite easy).
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