RE: Covert Channels

From: Michal Zalewski (lcamtufat_private)
Date: Wed Oct 23 2002 - 13:29:47 PDT

  • Next message: Omar Herrera: "RE: Covert Channels"

    On Wed, 23 Oct 2002, Richard Masoner wrote:
    
    > In the Trusted Systems world, covert channel analysis and detection is
    > something that is done, and in that community it's considered science,
    > not snake oil.
    
    The discussion, as far as I recall, is about typical (n)IDS
    implementations that protect regular servers, trying to detect any hidden
    data streams established between two network endpoints. There are only two
    cases where this kind of detection would be useful compromised internal
    host, or a hostile user. Whether it makes sense to discuss and/or deploy
    this functionality, is one of the subjects of the discussion.
    
    > On a trusted system, for example, a user isn't going to modify the IP
    > header to steganographically send secret information, because he can't.
    
    Host-based application data flow control on trusted operating systems
    and/or applications, assuming the system itself isn't compromised in any
    way, is a different story.
    
    -- m
    



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