Those cops you taught...do you think they were stupid enough to assume that, because this was their first time hearing about Stego, that Al Qaeda was only starting to use it right then? (I assume the answer is 'no'...they'll be smart enough at least to recognize that this was something around for a while that they were unaware of).
NSA folks, on the other hand, I would assume have a soft version of a Variola Stego suitcase...able to quickly detect the presence of pretty much any kind of stego and then perform some tests to determine what kind was used. I bet they've been aware of Al Qaeda stego for a long time...that's probably the kind of thing they are very very good at.
In the end it probably comes down to Arabic, however, and that language has many built-in ways of deflecting the uninitiated. I'd bet even NSA has a hard time understanding an Arabic language message, even after they de-stego and translate it.
-TD
From: "J.A. Terranson" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: Tyler Durden <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
CC: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: RE: Blinky Rides Again: RCMP suspect al-Qaida messages
Date: Thu, 9 Dec 2004 12:19:55 -0600 (CST)
On Thu, 9 Dec 2004, Tyler Durden wrote:
> What a fuckin' joke. You mean they're only now realizing that Al-Qaeda could
> use stego? Do they think they're stupid?
>
> Nah...certainly the NSA are fully prepared to handle this. I doubt it's much
> of a development at all to those in the know.
>
> -TD
As recently as two years ago, I had a classroom full of cops (mostly fedz from various well-known alphabets) who knew *nothing* about stego. And I mean *NOTHING*. They got a pretty shallow intro: here's a picture, and here's the secret message inside it, followed by an hour of theory and how-to's using the simplest of tools - every single one of them was just blown away. Actually, that's not true - the Postal Inspectors were bored, but everyone _else_ was floored.
While the various alphabets have had a few years to get up to speed, the idea that they are still 99% ignorant does not surprise me in the least.
//Alif
-- Yours,
J.A. Terranson [EMAIL PROTECTED] 0xBD4A95BF
Civilization is in a tailspin - everything is backwards, everything is upside down- doctors destroy health, psychiatrists destroy minds, lawyers destroy justice, the major media destroy information, governments destroy freedom and religions destroy spirituality - yet it is claimed to be healthy, just, informed, free and spiritual. We live in a social system whose community, wealth, love and life is derived from alienation, poverty, self-hate and medical murder - yet we tell ourselves that it is biologically and ecologically sustainable.
The Bush plan to screen whole US population for mental illness clearly indicates that mental illness starts at the top.
Rev Dr Michael Ellner
