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Is it safe to talk?

Quite a few years ago I wrote a column in which I suggested that it might be a good idea to keep an eye on more complex electronic components and subsystems coming out of the newer hi-tech manufacturing nations such as China.

I mooted that it would actually be pretty easy to slip a little "extra functionality" into a CPU, USB controller or whatever, and that this "extra functionality" could easily deliver a form of covert monitoring of the data on any machine in which it was used or to which it was connected.

Modems, routers and the like were obviously the most valuable targets for such integrated snoopware -- since they'd easily be able to see every bit that passed through them and keep a watchful eye for anything that might offer some strategic advantage.

At this stage it's worth remembering that much of China's hi-tech was built on simply copying the work of others -- so what better way to collect information on potential new products but by way of integrated spyware?

Of course China is gradually changing and we're increasingly seeing some (sometimes quite good) original designs coming from that nation -- however, from a political perspective, I dare say that they're still keen to keep an eye on their friends and potential enemies.

So, when Australia decided to ban a major Chinese company from supplying key elements of its new National Broadband Network (NBN) I was surprised -- but only a little.

Obviously key members of the Australian government read my columns (Cue Tui's ad) and have paid good heed to my warnings.

But seriously, in an era when information (and the protection of that information) has never been more important, I can see why they might want to reduce the risk of having the contents of their expensive new NBN subjected to unwanted covert surveillance.

Of course the other explanation might be that they've simply been rubbing shoulders with the USA for so long that they've contracted that nation's rampant paranoia.

It is interesting to note that the NZ government has no qualms about allowing Chinese vendors to roll out key parts of our own UFB network.

Perhaps we have nothing to hid (hmmm. that has a strange ring to it) -- or maybe we get a discount for allowing foreign powers to keep an ear pressed to our walls.

Whatever the truth -- I think that the mere fact such covert cyber wire-tapping is a possibility represents yet another reason to consider using encryption as the norm.

I'm picking that as governments continue to ramp up their surveillance activities, pretty soon the public will twig to the fact that they don't have to submit to having their every keystroke scrutinised by a bunch of paranoid delusionals.

You may have noticed an increasing number of cloud-based services (webmail providers, Google etc) either defaulting to SSL or allowing it to be selected as an option by the user. In theory this will protect data as it flows between client and server -- but maybe we need something more?

Whatever the case, we now seem to have the perfect justification for using hard encryption.

If, under the provisions of the S&S Act, government comes knocking on your door asking why all your internet communications are encrypted -- just tell them that it's because you believe the new NBN contains components that may be performing unauthorised snooping on your data.

If they scoff at such a suggestion -- refer them to the Australians for a second opinion.

And surely if it's good enough for the government to spy on its citizens then it's good enough for China's government to spy on us too.

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