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#1 2010-10-28 11:46:04
- Kampsun
- Member
- Registered: 2007-08-13
- Posts: 7
Protection against packet sniffing.
Hi,
As I'm living in dorm with loads of CS students, I'm rather worried about someone snooping up my sensitive data like passwords, chat conversations and what not.
What I'd like to know is what are the most common preventative measures for this kind of stuff. I know that if I log in to sites that use https, I should be safe. Also l could chat through remote server, using ssh.
What more is there to it?
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#2 2010-10-28 13:34:29
- bangkok_manouel
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- From: indicates a starting point
- Registered: 2005-02-07
- Posts: 1,557
Re: Protection against packet sniffing.
I guess tunneling everything through ssh is the best option. also, it is _very_ easy to sniff passwords even if you're using https.
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#3 2010-10-28 15:02:42
- nawitus
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- Registered: 2009-05-11
- Posts: 112
Re: Protection against packet sniffing.
Is your wlan connection secure?
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#4 2010-10-28 18:52:37
- Kampsun
- Member
- Registered: 2007-08-13
- Posts: 7
Re: Protection against packet sniffing.
I guess tunneling everything through ssh is the best option. also, it is _very_ easy to sniff passwords even if you're using https.
That's seemed to be the only solution I could come up with. But it has downsides, for example I have to have rather fast connection available to relay everything through remote server.
To bad that lan networks are only as secure as people on it make it be.
Is your wlan connection secure?
I'm connected by wire through eth.
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#5 2010-10-29 22:15:27
- stqn
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- Registered: 2010-03-19
- Posts: 1,191
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Re: Protection against packet sniffing.
For instant messaging, you can use Off The Record (OTR). It's included with Pidgin and Adium at least, and works with all protocols (MSN, ICQ...)
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#6 2010-10-29 22:41:31
- Noble
- Member
- Registered: 2010-06-01
- Posts: 63
Re: Protection against packet sniffing.
Set up openvpn to channel all traffic to an external server, I just did that, and its awesome. No need to hassle with SSH forwarding 
Those who give up their liberty for security,
neither deserve liberty nor freedom,
and they will lose both.
- Benjamin Franklin
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#7 2010-10-30 15:05:14
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#8 2010-10-30 16:50:31
- bangkok_manouel
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- From: indicates a starting point
- Registered: 2005-02-07
- Posts: 1,557
Re: Protection against packet sniffing.
bangkok_manouel wrote:also, it is _very_ easy to sniff passwords even if you're using https.
Care to explain or point to some external article?
just a quick example http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dd5qGS-5C0I
this one is a bit more detailed http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0H9qzL8 … re=related
Last edited by bangkok_manouel (2010-10-30 16:59:28)
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#9 2010-10-30 19:32:12
- tavianator
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- From: Waterloo, ON, Canada
- Registered: 2007-08-21
- Posts: 859
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Re: Protection against packet sniffing.
The sslstrip attack only works on pages that link/redirect/post to https sites. Basically, it re-writes the html to change "https" to "http". Then it detects uses of changed URLs, steals your password, and proxies the request to the actual server (over SSL). Also it requires that the attacker be able to MODIFY your http stream, so they'd have to have control of a server between you and the login page, something your dorm-mates are unlikely to achieve.
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#10 2010-10-30 20:49:49
- thestinger
- Package Maintainer (PM)
- From: Toronto, Canada
- Registered: 2010-01-23
- Posts: 478
Re: Protection against packet sniffing.
The sslstrip attack only works on pages that link/redirect/post to https sites. Basically, it re-writes the html to change "https" to "http". Then it detects uses of changed URLs, steals your password, and proxies the request to the actual server (over SSL). Also it requires that the attacker be able to MODIFY your http stream, so they'd have to have control of a server between you and the login page, something your dorm-mates are unlikely to achieve.
Couldn't they just use arp poisoning and get themselves between you and the server?
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#11 2010-10-30 21:08:08
- fijam
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- Registered: 2009-02-03
- Posts: 244
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Re: Protection against packet sniffing.
Couldn't they just use arp poisoning and get themselves between you and the server?
This is precisely how this attack is usually executed.
Set up openvpn to channel all traffic to an external server, I just did that, and its awesome. No need to hassle with SSH forwarding
That would be the first time I see anyone claim that setting up openvpn is simpler than ssh forwarding .
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