From: rfreeman@netaxs.com (Richard Freeman)
Date: Tue, 11 Jul 95 16:12:14 PDT
To: cypherpunks@toad.com
Subject: Re: Don't trust the net too much
Message-ID: <199507112312.TAA19079@access.netaxs.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
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Adam Shostack <adam@bwh.harvard.edu> wrote:

>	I hate to join any thread which talks about blowing up rooms
>and killing security guards, but I'll point out that for a few
>hundered dollars worth of transmitter parts, you can cause transient
>failures with EMF pulse weapons, and for a bit more, you can fry all
>the electronics, then drive away before they have any idea that their
>company has been destroyed.
>
>	Killing people is a stupid way to accomplish things.

I would have to agree, and since this whole thread seems to be one of those 
conspiracy things, it is completely unnecessary to cause much at all in the 
way of physical damage.  No matter who rents the T1 lines and other forms of 
communication that unite an ISP with the rest of the world, sooner or later 
they have to enter some sort of communications node.  This could be a 
satellite or some huge telephone routing center, or any number of things.  
If the government wanted you shut down, all they have to do is find one of 
these things for each redundant line to an ISP and cut them all 
simultaneously.  I am sure a court order could be obtained very quickly to 
arrange such a thing, and even this may not be necessary.  I read in some 
magazine about ten years ago that all US-launched communications satellites 
contain software that allows the government to ascertain direct control over 
their functioning.  The purpose stated was that in the event of war the US 
is highly dependent on commercial satellites for non-military communications 
and can not afford to have the Soviets (or whatever foreign power) trying to 
reprogram our satellites utilizing security loopholes on the part of the 
owning company.  In any case, unless the ISP is actually expecting some 
terrorist group to attack their center and has taken deliberate steps to 
protect themselves (an absurdly expensive proposition for just about anyone 
except the military), I doubt there is much that could prevent even a 
private citizen from taking them out, let alone a well-organized group.
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Richard T. Freeman <rfreeman@netaxs.com> - finger for pgp key
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