On Fri, 18 Jun 2004, Stephen Sprunk wrote:
Tapping a SONET or Ethernet link isn't tough, and real-time decoding of packets up to OC12 speeds was doable on COTS PCs several years ago. One US telco built such software specifically to comply with CALEA when the FBI inevitably woke up; it could reassemble selected RTP streams (in real time) and even play them on a POTS line running to an FBI monitoring post. I'd assume that OC48/GE isn't much of a stretch today and that OC192/10GE is feasible with the FBI's funding levels. It'd certainly be easier to tap the customer's access line, but typical DSL/Cable gear may not have such provisions...
The real trouble with this scenario is the required truck roll and outage on the link toward the customer... This gets expensive if you have to roll to 10-20/month all over your domestic network. Today that is accomplished on the phone side with builtin 'stuff' on the phone switches (as I recall being told by some phone people) without a truck roll and without much hassle. :( Figuring out the difference between all the forms of 'VOIP' communications will be a headache for the govies and lawyers... just look at the minor inconveniences of CARNIVORE, eh?
One thing is very clear, however; if the industry doesn't come up with a working solution first, we will certainly have something unworkable shoved down our throats by Congress, the FCC, and the FBI.
Sure, but to date we are still awaiting good/complete requirements from the gov't so it's a little tough to determine what is 'required' in a solution such that data can be tapped and then appear in court in some form which is unimpeachable. -Chris