On Wed, Nov 6, 2013 at 3:56 PM, Jonathan Wilkes <jancs...@yahoo.com> wrote: > On 11/06/2013 04:21 PM, Matt Johnson wrote: >> >> Sorry Eugen, I am still not getting it. You will author content in >> isolation, without reference to any information at all? Or perhaps in >> a library with books on paper? When I author something I constantly >> refer to other material. > > > You know most computers come standard with harddrives where you can store > documents and stuff. It's kind of like the cloud, except on your own > computer and without a requirement to agree to an incomprehensible, > probably-evil ToS. > > >> >> Lets say you write something, then burn it to CD and transfer it to a >> networked system and send it out. Isn't it now subject to traffic >> analysis and perhaps malware injection? > > > It's not subject to malware injection if it's signed with a Bitcoin key, or > a PGP key, etc. > > It's not necessarily subject to traffic analysis if one distributes it over > Tor. But even if the non-air-gapped machine running Tor gets pwned with a > zero-day or some other type of attack through the internet, the attacker > does not get the Bitcoins/PGP private key, etc., because those things are > only found on the air-gapped machine. > > >> It is only secure if you >> author it and never move it from the air gaped computer. > > > See above. Even so, you seem to be ignoring the most important use cases > where the reference material is only stored on the air-gapped machine. I'd > assume that's how the journalists reporting on the Snowden leaks work. (Or > at least they should.) > > >> >> If you take Griffin's point that connecting a USB stick, or external >> hard drive is dangerous, and that PDFs are dangerous then I don't >> think you can do much with that air gaped computer. I am asking a >> serious question, what are realistic use cases for an air gaped >> computer? > > > Protecting leaked documents and Bitcoin tokens are the two most obvious > cases. Essentially any case where you cannot afford for the data to get > stolen, but where it's impossible or impractical to use non-digital media > like paper. > > -Jonathan >
Jonathan, I don't think you are following the whole thread. I understand the value of removing a computer from the network, once you have installed the software you need and put the data you want on it. Griffin suggested never connecting a USB stick, or external drive or copying PDFs to the air gap computer. I have asked how that air gaped computer would be useful. Apparently the point is too subtle. -- Matt Johnson > -- > Liberationtech is public & archives are searchable on Google. Violations of > list guidelines will get you moderated: > https://mailman.stanford.edu/mailman/listinfo/liberationtech. Unsubscribe, > change to digest, or change password by emailing moderator at > compa...@stanford.edu. -- Liberationtech is public & archives are searchable on Google. Violations of list guidelines will get you moderated: https://mailman.stanford.edu/mailman/listinfo/liberationtech. Unsubscribe, change to digest, or change password by emailing moderator at compa...@stanford.edu.
