U.N. report reveals secret law enforcement techniques

U.N. report reveals secret law enforcement techniques.

-- Tom

 

Interesting, thanks!

 

Yes, thanks Tom

I'm particularly intrigued by paragraph 201 : "A novel technique relates to the use of software-defined high performance High-frequency (HF) radio receivers routed through a computer. In this way, no data is exchanged through a server and no logs are created. It is more difficult for law enforcement and intelligence agencies to intercept communications sent using this method, both in relation to finding the location of the transmitters and with respect to predicting in real time the frequency at which the communications are transmitted."

I wonder what that might be. Can one route radio-frequency signals through the Internet?

 

They are talking about meshnets created by the mexican cartels.

 

If you say so

But that does make sense. So the Mexican drug gangs are also using frequency hopping? They have good tech support, it seems.

 

They just kidnap engineers at gun point. Wired had an article about it.

Ever heard of the phrase "Good men dream what bad men do". With enough money you can do anything.

 

Wow

 

Yeah it's pretty insane, Mexico is at war bassically. TOO MUCH COKE, TOO MANY GUNS & WAY TOO MUCH MONEY.

 

Yes, it's very sad. We have good friends there, and worry about them.

I've considered setting up a secure forum for anti-gang community organizing, but my Spanish is totally inadequate. I've been afraid to mention the idea to our friends via email or Skype, because they might be monitored. And I'm afraid to even propose setting up secure channels.

I'm open to coaching

 

Not much of this is really new, it just isn't widely known by the public. And like all things the public doesn't know for years, when they finally do get their paws on the information, it's suddenly interesting, scary or "how could they?!".

@Mirimir: There aren't very many threats out there that I'd tell you to tread lightly with. Some twit on Youtube claiming he's a Crip and your comment ruffled his feathers, and now he's "out to get you"? Forget him, he's 9 times out of 10 a decently well off kid sitting in his bedroom in a nice neighborhood with mommy and daddy downstairs making him dinner. Someone claiming they are Anonymous, they don't like you, and they're going to turn you into an "Op"? Forget them and stop going to 4Chan.

The Zetas and other cartels? Don't screw with that. They aren't ones to make veiled threats. In fact, usually you find yourself dismembered and dumped on a busy street before they warn you and everyone else who finds you with a cardboard sign dropped on your remains or hung around your neck.

@ComputerSaysNo. It has nothing to do with having too much of any of those things you mentioned. Lest you forget, all that cocaine gets sent elsewhere, namely, here in the good old US of A. Guns? I could stack guns to 3 feet high and down the entirety of the L.A freeway, and not a single one would cause an injury or death until the wrong person picked one up and pulled its trigger. Money? Only in the hands of the cartels. Ask the rest of Mexico how it's doing.

 

I get that. And I don't live in Mexico, or in the USA, and I'm a pretty technical guy. So it's not my security that I worry about. I worry about the security of anyone who accesses the site. That's why I dropped it last time around.

 

Yeah, they've gotten pretty good about adapting to the digital world. Just like any larger criminal organization, they didn't have much choice in the matter. TOR could be a reasonable suggestion for access to the website. However, there's the unknown of who are you connecting to when you use it. The Zetas use it too. I'm not meaning to suggest that, like the NSA the Zetas are everywhere at once, they simply aren't. But they're big enough, professional enough and savvy enough that the protections one might use to guard against them are the same ones they are very likely using. You know what they say about technology, both sides play with the same toys.

I would still think access via TOR for this purpose would work well enough and wouldn't pose a severe risk. Perhaps even set up your website as an onion, which would keep you off the normal web and less likely to have it attacked.

 

@Mman79

Yes, that's basically what I was thinking. I'd use a hidden service, and route to it through a private Tor-to-Web site. I'd put them on separate servers, rented anonymously and accessed via ssh via Tor via VPNs.

Even so, Mexican drug gangs have compromised many local ISPs and governments, and so they could see who was accessing the site through packet inspection. If VPNs for IP piracy are popular in Mexico, it might be possible to hide in that scene. That is, people might plausibly be just stealing IP using VPNs, and could so access anti-gang sites anonymously. As long as my site stayed secure, even their browser signatures would remain private. But gang members are probably heavily into piracy (unless they're rich enough that they don't bother) so they'd be right on it.

Maybe I'll put up a honeypot and see what bites

 

They're not particularly heavy into digital piracy. As I said, TOR isn't a 100% guaranteed thing. And rich enough? There is no such thing to cartels and other organized crime groups

 

Mirimir please think twice about your plan, The Zetas are not to be ****ed with. Do you want to be found hanging from a bridge? And just because you don't live in Mexico doesn't mean your safe, we are talking about a world-wide organization here.

You don't understand the reach and power of the dark side and the power these people have.

Please remember this, it's very true.