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A technical look at Iran's internet shutdowns

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Re: A technical look at Iran's internet shutdowns

#91

Post by voidUpdate »

one-note wrote: post #23
RiverCrochet wrote: post #3

I wish this article went into more details on what the "National Information Network" is. I would guess it's at least a set of nationally managed DNS servers that will always resolve national IPs even if upstream global DNS is cut off. Looking at a bigger picture though, honestly I think we're seeing the end of the raw global Internet for the masses. 20 years ago, it seemed impossible, but here we are. It's simply no…

The only way to have global uncensored sharing of information is shortwave radio. Always has been, always will be.

Couldn't someone just jam an active shortwave band?

Re: A technical look at Iran's internet shutdowns

#92

Post by znano »

Cthulhu_ wrote: post #84
znano wrote: post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

for what? nobody should follow anything blindly and im sure people in iran are more aware of this and they know how to take security precautions.

> for what? ? A totalitarian regime doesn't need much motivation to have people killed, to the point where even having knowledge or reading the wrong thing will have you put on a list.

I don't think the islamic regime is that advanced intl wise to track every single movement on the internet. maybe true for US if it turns totalitarian one day. But i do agree that they want to do so, not denying that at all.

Re: A technical look at Iran's internet shutdowns

#93

Post by ACCount36 »

robertlagrant wrote: post #87
baby_souffle wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> it seems to me that a nation determined to control wired network traffic within its borders cannot be circumvented. Starlink/Kuiper and the geostationary satellites are an alternative. Not perfect... but far better than *nothing*

> Starlink Only when (if) Stalink removes the need for base stations and just sends the traffic directly between satellites.

It already does that. That's how Starlink works over the ocean.

Re: A technical look at Iran's internet shutdowns

#94

Post by bawolff »

psnehanshu wrote: post #73
CaptainFever wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm ignorant about this, but I'm surprised there isn't just some physical switch that just straight up airgaps all network routes going out of the country.

There is, so that's why you need to use Starlink as the exit. A Starlink terminal connects directly to a stattelite bypassing all local infrastructure. Unless Iran confiscates those terminals or shoots down those satellites, they can't block it.

That seems inconsistent with what the article is claiming.

Re: A technical look at Iran's internet shutdowns

#95

Post by bawolff »

MangoToupe wrote: post #67
bawolff wrote: post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You mean that group that still calls TLS SSL even though its been 26 years?

The important part is its use. You could call it magic key negotiation and I wouldn't care. RCS and SMS are fundamentally different technologies in every way.

They are presented to the user in the same way. They serve the same function. From a user perspective, its about as different as http2 is from http1.1 or 3. (I.e. very different under the hood but not in a user visible way)

Re: A technical look at Iran's internet shutdowns

#96

Post by ninjin »

ZoomZoomZoom wrote: post #17

> WireGuard uses UDP and a small handshake footprint, making detection and blocking via DPI harder. Not quite true. Wireguard is already actively detected and suppressed if necessary. There's already a fork that employs basic changes to improve the protocol in this regard. AmneziaWG was shown to be more robust to detection for now. https://docs.amnezia.org/documentation/amnezia-wg/ Too bad managing WG is such a pain…

> Too bad managing [Wireguard] is such a pain[.]

It is? My clients on OpenBSD need about ten lines in /etc/hostname.wg[0-9]+ and that includes the routes!

Re: A technical look at Iran's internet shutdowns

#97

Post by oaiey »

This "National Information Network" seems like a blueprint all countries should apply. While I also do not want to have a censored internet and I am a fan of international collaboration, Cyber Warfare is unfortunately common nowadays and turning a blind eye on protecting the fundamental services it is quite stupid.

Re: A technical look at Iran's internet shutdowns

#98

Post by walrus01 »

RiverCrochet wrote: post #3

I wish this article went into more details on what the "National Information Network" is. I would guess it's at least a set of nationally managed DNS servers that will always resolve national IPs even if upstream global DNS is cut off. Looking at a bigger picture though, honestly I think we're seeing the end of the raw global Internet for the masses. 20 years ago, it seemed impossible, but here we are. It's simply no…

> I wish this article went into more details on what the "National Information Network" is.

It's AS12880, the state owned telecom company which all ISPs are obligated to be downstream of. It operates Iran's international links to other global scale ISPs via Turkey and other paths.

https://www.peeringdb.com/asn/12880

https://bgp.he.net/AS12880

And its also government run counterpart, the "TIC"

https://bgp.he.net/AS49666#_asinfo

https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-d&q=AS12880+i...

Re: A technical look at Iran's internet shutdowns

#99

Post by energy123 »

oaiey wrote: post #97

This "National Information Network" seems like a blueprint all countries should apply. While I also do not want to have a censored internet and I am a fan of international collaboration, Cyber Warfare is unfortunately common nowadays and turning a blind eye on protecting the fundamental services it is quite stupid.

The status quo of allowing multiple foreign intelligence agencies to run unlimited information warfare needs disruption. Read about the Internet Research Agency. More informational borders between nations will give us the appetite for lower physical borders between nations.

Re: A technical look at Iran's internet shutdowns

#100

Post by Tangurena2 »

swores wrote: post #20
mschuster91 wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> hams have their own packet radio stuff We got basically three different things. First we got APRS, mostly used for position reports (go on aprs.fi for a map). That is pretty nice but unusable for anything more than a SMS worth of things, and you need repeaters and not just internet gateway collectors to actually have something that's resilient. Next thing is AX25, the technical foundation behind APRS. Yes you can u…

Am I right to assume that it's easy to locate the source of ham radio signals? i.e. if there's a blanket ban, can you use your radio hidden in your house or can the government easily find out that the user they've noticed on the airwaves is located there and knock down your door?

Very easy.

"Huff Duff" is WW2 technology.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-frequency_direction_findi...

The units used for detecting and locating clandestine transmitters started WW2 as large truck mounted facilities to hand carried units (with antennas) that fit inside suitcase-sized containers.

Modern ham groups engage in transmitter hunting as part of organized events. Bunny hunting and fox hunting are alternate names for such activities.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transmitter_hunting

How to do it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PN-c5DQFuhI

Governments use much large automated facilities:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circularly_disposed_antenna_ar... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AN/FRD-10

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