3 Threats to communication networks

3.3 Passive attacks

A passive attack is characterised by the interception of messages without modification. There is no change to the network data or systems. The message itself may be read or its occurrence may simply be logged. Identifying the communicating parties and noting the duration and frequency of messages can be of significant value in itself. From this knowledge certain deductions or inferences may be drawn regarding the likely subject matter, the urgency or the implications of messages being sent. This type of activity is termed traffic analysis. Because there may be no evidence that an attack has taken place, prevention is a priority.

Traffic analysis, however, may be a legitimate management activity because of the need to collect data showing usage of services, for instance. Some interception of traffic may also be considered necessary by governments and law enforcement agencies interested in the surveillance of criminal, terrorist and other activities. These agencies may have privileged physical access to sites and computer systems.

Activity 3

Suppose that, in a passive attack, an eavesdropper determined the telephone numbers that you called, but not the message content, and also determined the websites that you visited on a particular day. Compare in relative terms the intelligence value of each approach. Hint: you will find some help here on the audio track ‘Digital dangers’.

Now read the answer

I suspect that an attacker could easily discover the identities of the parties you telephone, for example by simply telephoning the numbers you called. However, information about what was said in your calls may be more difficult to determine without an enquirer's interest becoming conspicuous. An investigation into websites that you visited, in contrast, may enable an attacker to build up a stronger picture of your interests and intentions based on the content of the pages, without the need to break cover.

Last modified: Thursday, 2 August 2012, 12:30 PM