via The Wall Street Journal...
The portable radios used by many federal law enforcement agents have major security flaws that allowed researchers to intercept hundreds of hours of sensitive traffic sent without encryption over the past two years, according to a new study being released today. While studying the technology, researchers from the University of Pennsylvania overheard conversations that included descriptions of undercover agents and confidential informants, plans for forthcoming arrests and information on the technology used in surveillance operations...
Their research also shows that the radios can be effectively jammed using a pink electronic child’s toy and that the standard used by the radios “provides a convenient means for an attacker” to continuously track the location of a radio’s user.
The authors say they are extremely concerned about the security lapses found in the radios, which are used by the FBI and Homeland Security as well as state and local law enforcement. “We strongly urge that a high priority be placed” on a “substantial top-to-bottom redesign” of the system, dubbed P25, they write. (more) (study)
