Actually, you don't have cable modem, you have LMDS service, which is
totally different.
Usually this type of setup features DES-56 encryption, and it's almost
impossible to sniff packets.
But hybrid LMDS suffers from high latency, because you are actually
encapsulating your packets to the main router, which decapsulates your
request, sends it to the requested host, then sends it back via the
microwave route.
This summer, Cisco will launch a new, two-way, 44 mbps wireless router.
Most ISPs will probably go that route, since the router costs $20,000 and
can service customers within a 30-mile radius. Pretty interesting.
Jean-Michel Dault
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
On Thu, 17 Feb 2000, Zaleski, Matthew (M.E.) wrote:
> Date: Thu, 17 Feb 2000 19:32:32 -0500
> From: "Zaleski, Matthew (M.E.)" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> Reply-To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> Subject: RE: [expert] Security with cable
>
> There is a big difference, actually.
> >
> > On a cable modem, your home computer is part of a large ethernet
> > segment. Any user can sniff your packets because everyone's data
> > appears on the other user's ethernet port.
> >
> > A dialup system, however, has a separate router port for every
> > dialup. The administrator, or someone upstream of the dialup
> > server router can sniff packets, but a USER on another dialup
> > cannot. Each dialup port sees only the data routed to it.
> >
> > To give an example.
> >
> > Let us say two systems, one dialup and one cable. Both have
> > identical POP3 mail servers. Further, the administrator has
> > a computer on the same ethernet as the mail server. Question,
> > who can see what?
> >
> > A user checks mail. This is a cleartext POP3 mail function with
> > username and passwords sent in the clear, INCLUDING the
> > administrator
> > when he checks his mail.
>
> This would require, at least in the case of 2 providers in the Detroit, MI,
> USA area, the hacker to reprogram his cable modem to receive other users
> packets, since the cable modem is acting like a router and only passing
> packets that need to go thru to the user.
>
> The provider I'm with is SpeedChoice and the other one I have familiarity
> with is Comcast/atHome. SpeedChoice is, currently, an analog (33.6kbps)
> upstream and 2.4GHz (approx 2.5Mbps) microwave from a tower about 10-30
> miles away. The microwave transmission is being encrypted although I don't
> know the details; Specifically, if the key is unique to each modem so that
> sniffing packets would be very difficult. SpeedChoice is in the process of
> going fully wireless (microwave both directions) this year.
>
> Correct me if I'm wrong.
>
> Matthew Zaleski
>
