4 ms·

I believe today you just say "hey, the drop is ready" over Signal.

willcipriano 6y ago
Do you also send "the drop isn't ready" on other days? If not the fact that you sent a message tells the attacker everything without knowing the content. Also can anything be inferred by the length of the signal message? Do they pad they out or will all of the sudden sending a 2kb vs 3kb message give you away that something is different? Personally if my life is on the line, I'd stick with the shoelaces.
- ConsiderCrying 6y ago
  Especially handy if you don't know the number of the person you need to contact or know their device has been compromised. No need to rely on technology when a simple trick will do the... erm, trick.
- airstrike 6y ago
  Instead of using Signal you can just upload a specific meme to /r/wallstreetbets
  - progre 6y ago
    Didn't the 9/11 hijackers communicate by uploading images of basketball players to sports discussion boards?
    - arminiusreturns 6y ago
      Source if you have it please.
      - stordoff 6y ago
        Suggestions of coded messages/steganography were made, but I'm struggling to find anything concrete: > Suspected ringleader Mohamed Atta was seen repeatedly by witnesses using his Hotmail account at public libraries in Florida to surf the Internet, downloading what appeared to be pictures of children and scenes of the Middle East.[1] > Many of the hijackers were frequent visitors to libraries and internet cafes in Florida, where they are believed to have received their final orders in coded message.[2] Pre-9/11: > Through weeks of interviews with U.S. law-enforcement officials and experts, USA TODAY has learned new details of how extremists hide maps and photographs of terrorist targets — and post instructions for terrorist activities — on sports chat rooms, pornographic bulletin boards and other popular Web sites.[3] [1] https://web.archive.org/web/20011005232014/https://abcnews.go.com/sections/primetime/dailynews/primetime_011004_steganography.html https://web.archive.org/web/20011005232014/https://abcnews.g... [2] https://www.theregister.com/2001/10/11/iomart_cashes_in_on_wtc/ https://www.theregister.com/2001/10/11/iomart_cashes_in_on_w... ([1] and [2] found via https://www.giac.org/paper/gsec/3494/steganography-age-terrorism/102620 https://www.giac.org/paper/gsec/3494/steganography-age-terro...) [3] https://web.archive.org/web/20030606200613/http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2001-02-05-binladen-side.htm https://web.archive.org/web/20030606200613/http://www.usatod... (found via https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/11308369.pdf https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/11308369.pdf)
        arminiusreturns 6y ago
        I wouldn't doubt they used stenography too, was just curious if you had a source. Thanks for the effort.
        coldpie 6y ago
        Nitpick intended to be helpful, "steganography" is hiding data within other data, "stenography" basically just means writing something down. Confusingly similar terms.
- wiml 6y ago
  I assume that 99% of the point of techniques like in the article is to make the communications graph unobservable. If two people have regular communication over Signal, and one is suspected to be a mole or spy, then the other one is suspicious too. But shoelace patterns in a busy city aren't traceable like that.
xwdv 6y ago
Nope you can actually do it through traceroute far better.
- skoskie 6y ago
  Do tell.

Do you also send "the drop isn't ready" on other days? If not the fact that you sent a message tells the attacker everything without knowing the content. Also can anything be inferred by the length of the signal message? Do they pad they out or will all of the sudden sending a 2kb vs 3kb message give you away that something is different? Personally if my life is on the line, I'd stick with the shoelaces.

ConsiderCrying 6y ago
Especially handy if you don't know the number of the person you need to contact or know their device has been compromised. No need to rely on technology when a simple trick will do the... erm, trick.
airstrike 6y ago
Instead of using Signal you can just upload a specific meme to /r/wallstreetbets
- progre 6y ago
  Didn't the 9/11 hijackers communicate by uploading images of basketball players to sports discussion boards?
  - arminiusreturns 6y ago
    Source if you have it please.
    - stordoff 6y ago
      Suggestions of coded messages/steganography were made, but I'm struggling to find anything concrete: > Suspected ringleader Mohamed Atta was seen repeatedly by witnesses using his Hotmail account at public libraries in Florida to surf the Internet, downloading what appeared to be pictures of children and scenes of the Middle East.[1] > Many of the hijackers were frequent visitors to libraries and internet cafes in Florida, where they are believed to have received their final orders in coded message.[2] Pre-9/11: > Through weeks of interviews with U.S. law-enforcement officials and experts, USA TODAY has learned new details of how extremists hide maps and photographs of terrorist targets — and post instructions for terrorist activities — on sports chat rooms, pornographic bulletin boards and other popular Web sites.[3] [1] https://web.archive.org/web/20011005232014/https://abcnews.go.com/sections/primetime/dailynews/primetime_011004_steganography.html https://web.archive.org/web/20011005232014/https://abcnews.g... [2] https://www.theregister.com/2001/10/11/iomart_cashes_in_on_wtc/ https://www.theregister.com/2001/10/11/iomart_cashes_in_on_w... ([1] and [2] found via https://www.giac.org/paper/gsec/3494/steganography-age-terrorism/102620 https://www.giac.org/paper/gsec/3494/steganography-age-terro...) [3] https://web.archive.org/web/20030606200613/http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2001-02-05-binladen-side.htm https://web.archive.org/web/20030606200613/http://www.usatod... (found via https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/11308369.pdf https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/11308369.pdf)
      - arminiusreturns 6y ago
        I wouldn't doubt they used stenography too, was just curious if you had a source. Thanks for the effort.
        coldpie 6y ago
        Nitpick intended to be helpful, "steganography" is hiding data within other data, "stenography" basically just means writing something down. Confusingly similar terms.
wiml 6y ago
I assume that 99% of the point of techniques like in the article is to make the communications graph unobservable. If two people have regular communication over Signal, and one is suspected to be a mole or spy, then the other one is suspicious too. But shoelace patterns in a busy city aren't traceable like that.

xwdv 6y ago

Nope you can actually do it through traceroute far better.

skoskie 6y ago
Do tell.