Schneier: "It's really too late to secure 5G networks"

Originally published at: https://boingboing.net/2020/01/14/dead-on-arrival-2.html

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So time to skip to 6?

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Definitely not, because… profit!

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Working as intended. Any remaining flaws (i.e. security) will be addressed in a later standard.

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Or not.

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Sarcasm aside. I can’t believe what a boondoggle 5G really is. MM wave is useless for mobile, lower frequencies are better but still more prone to the issues that we already have with range/ penetration In and around solid objects and now a total lack of security? I’m sure they’ll be charging us more for all of these great features as well. This shit show is the primary reason I upgraded my phone this year. I’m hoping some of this will work out in a few years, but I doubt it.

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mine goes to 11 bruce

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What really killed it for me, was the likely effects on weather forecasting if it becomes widespread.

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What makes Bruce think the U.S. government hasn’t already made those considerations? I think they made a very careful decision to implement a flawed, corruptible protocol. They’ve relied on this tactic successfully many times throughout their history, by ensuring email encryption was never standardized, by ensuring weak 2G encryption, by sidelining secure VoIP encryption protocols, by encouraging byzantine protocol standards whenever possible, by creating hidden weaknesses in keys and cryptographically useful random number generators, and by tampering with interoperability standards.

What they’ve seen is that the USA has coped with the flaws and the resultant hacking in the past. It’s a mess, and it’s expensive as hell to the citizens and industries. But for the measly price of the entire country being hackable, the NSA gets unfettered access to communications around the globe. That actually works out to be a bargain, especially since the costs to society aren’t coming out of the NSA’s budget.

At this point, I’d be surprised if it wasn’t deliberate.

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Other than profit I don’t see the point of 5G. 4G LTE is fast enough as it is. I have tethered when I had to for years and it is faster, way faster, than my home wired broadband.

“near-term corporate profits prevailed against broader social good.”

Epitaph for our planet

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