The Iran Firewall: A preliminary report • Hacker News Board

Re: The Iran Firewall: A preliminary report

#81

Post by hot_gril » Fri, Oct 28, 2022, 7:49 PM UTC

nonrandomstring wrote: post #72

DeathArrow wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Since when was their job to protect democracy?

Since the basis of their entire project [1] was given to them as the output of an obscure DARPA project ostensibly aimed at securing democracy in the world. It's not written into a contract, just a sorta "moral obligation" to, you know... not shit on the values of the people who put you where you are. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet

I agree that it's their job, I don't agree that they've adopted a policy of isolation, but whatever. It's just not a good way to start a tech article.

The author mentioned some of the blocking methods, so that's cool.

Re: The Iran Firewall: A preliminary report

#82

Post by aliraheem » Fri, Oct 28, 2022, 7:52 PM UTC

novok wrote: post #61

vbezhenar wrote: post #58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And it means that state firewalls will just block all CDNs.

The idea is you force them to choose the entire effective internet or nothing, which is not an economic self own even most dictatorships are willing to make. These firewalls are an exercise in having your cake and eating it too.

> which is not an economic self own even most dictatorships are willing to make.

What basis do you have for this claim? People make these claims constantly so confidently, but wherever I look all I see is that dictators have always been willing to make their nations incredibly poor.

> These firewalls are an exercise in having your cake and eating it too.

More to the point this isn't the Gordian Knot you think it is.

HTTPS isn't designed to prevent this. If you want to allow 'legitmate' access you just issues your own certs, and proxy requests. Universities etc can install your root cert and use your DNS servers.

Re: The Iran Firewall: A preliminary report

#83

Post by [deleted] » Fri, Oct 28, 2022, 7:53 PM UTC

keyme wrote: post #79

Another idea: create an easy way to set up pirate LTE base stations. Hacked femtocells? SDR? Something more clever? Distribute eSIMs to everyday people. The pirate operator takes all the risk and technical difficulties.

[deleted]

Re: The Iran Firewall: A preliminary report

#84

Post by imwillofficial » Fri, Oct 28, 2022, 8:08 PM UTC

keyme wrote: post #75

modeless wrote: post #74

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Satellite TV dishes don't transmit. Jamming and detection are very different.

TV dishes transmit very clearly in the visible light spectrum :) As for TX detection, you'd be surprised. Directional signals like starlink uplink are fairly hard to detect.

As a submarine comms expert, this is more true than you might realize.

Re: The Iran Firewall: A preliminary report

#85

Post by walrus01 » Fri, Oct 28, 2022, 8:19 PM UTC

keyme wrote: post #79

Another idea: create an easy way to set up pirate LTE base stations. Hacked femtocells? SDR? Something more clever? Distribute eSIMs to everyday people. The pirate operator takes all the risk and technical difficulties.

This doesn't in any way solve the problem of getting traffic in/out of the country, where all local ISPs are legally obligated to singlehome themselves to the government ASN.

Unless we're talking about something like smuggled two way satellite terminals.

Re: The Iran Firewall: A preliminary report

#86

Post by honkler » Fri, Oct 28, 2022, 8:20 PM UTC

keyme wrote: post #63

Air dropping starlink terminals onto protesters is the solution. In fact, if you live anywhere outside of the US, owning one "just in case" is good for future proofing your freedom, IMHO. Kind of like being armed. Edit: in fact, starlink v2 global LTE-from-space coverage will be a true game changer for world freedom. We can only hope this comes to be sooner rather than later.

ever heard of antisatellite missiles?

Re: The Iran Firewall: A preliminary report

#87

Post by walrus01 » Fri, Oct 28, 2022, 8:20 PM UTC

keyme wrote: post #75

modeless wrote: post #74

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Satellite TV dishes don't transmit. Jamming and detection are very different.

TV dishes transmit very clearly in the visible light spectrum :) As for TX detection, you'd be surprised. Directional signals like starlink uplink are fairly hard to detect.

One needs to only google "iran satellite dish confiscation" to see the low tech methods used. They occasionally go on binges of confiscating and destroying receive-only tv satellite dishes.

Re: The Iran Firewall: A preliminary report

#88

Post by ogurechny » Fri, Oct 28, 2022, 8:33 PM UTC

LastTrain wrote: post #10

I almost stopped reading at "neo-liberal", man that term is getting boring, especially when used in non-sequitur fashion like "The most severe disruption is when the regime turns off all cell towers and all local Internet. They just pull the plug and it's game over for any neo-liberal smart-arse that thinks v2ray/tor/shadowsocks is the solution". WTF does that even mean? What does the author think it means?

It's just a media-friendly way to call people who believe that money doesn't stink, and that to each what he deserves. Which is true for most “successful” corporate functionaries whose exuberance naturally depends on that same tight control over user devices.

Re: The Iran Firewall: A preliminary report

#89

Post by keyme » Fri, Oct 28, 2022, 8:34 PM UTC

walrus01 wrote: post #85

keyme wrote: post #79

Another idea: create an easy way to set up pirate LTE base stations. Hacked femtocells? SDR? Something more clever? Distribute eSIMs to everyday people. The pirate operator takes all the risk and technical difficulties.

This doesn't in any way solve the problem of getting traffic in/out of the country, where all local ISPs are legally obligated to singlehome themselves to the government ASN. Unless we're talking about something like smuggled two way satellite terminals.

IMHO connectivity to the global internet is less important than local communication between protesters in geographic proximity.

Having these pirate base stations mesh together is also achieveable. Freeing end user equipment from the requirement to mesh (not achieveable).

Re: The Iran Firewall: A preliminary report

#90

Post by keyme » Fri, Oct 28, 2022, 8:38 PM UTC

honkler wrote: post #86

keyme wrote: post #63

Air dropping starlink terminals onto protesters is the solution. In fact, if you live anywhere outside of the US, owning one "just in case" is good for future proofing your freedom, IMHO. Kind of like being armed. Edit: in fact, starlink v2 global LTE-from-space coverage will be a true game changer for world freedom. We can only hope this comes to be sooner rather than later.

ever heard of antisatellite missiles?

Unfeasible against SpaceX who have a higher mass to orbit capability than the rest of the world combined, soon many times over.