Communications White Paper... MonkeyNet is here....

Discussion in 'Survival Communications' started by BTPost, Nov 7, 2011.


  1. BTPost

    BTPost Stumpy Old Fart,Deadman Walking, Snow Monkey Moderator

    Ok as promised, but only a week late, here is the Communications White Paper that I and the Development Team have been working on for the last SIX Months. This whole idea started with the Secure Phone Comms Thread, and My Secure Comms Blog, and has expanded from there. The premiss was, "What happens when the Internet doesn't function, anymore. How do we, Monkeys, keep our Communications going? How do we find each other for Mutual Support and Assistance, in a Post Internet World? Well that is what the White Paper, addresses. If you have comments, or interest in the MonkeyNet Project, feel free to make it known here, in this Thread.
     

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    Zimmy, Garand69, pearlselby and 19 others like this.
  2. carly28043

    carly28043 Monkey+

    Allow me to say that this is very impressive and well thought out work.
     
    Zimmy and Opinionated like this.
  3. Huntinbull

    Huntinbull Monkey+

    Not far along in it, but impressive none the less. Gonna dedicate some time to finishing the first read and digestion. Great work BT. Your efforts are appreciated (and i personally marvel at your skill set).
     
  4. Gunny Highway

    Gunny Highway Hard Work and Sacrifice blessed by God's Grace

    BT - that is a Thinking Man's document :)
     
  5. Mountainman

    Mountainman Großes Mitglied Site Supporter+++

    Read it yesterday and it was great!
     
  6. strunk

    strunk Monkey+

    I'm starting it now... I'm not done it yet and I'll have some more comments... I'm VERY happy to see someone putting real work into this. I do have one concern up front (well, it's a manifold concern, but really one bullet point): Windows.

    Windows is a non-secure OS. It's also not a trustworthy OS for COMSEC. I think one of the myriad flavors of UNIX would be a better foundation to build your trust upon. Linux is certainly more familiar option for many, with the benefit of making it easy to encrypt your boot disk. But it's not the only show in town (indeed, the BSD's were fairly mature while Linux was in its infancy).

    EDIT: Skype is also completely untrustworthy for COMSEC.
     
  7. BTPost

    BTPost Stumpy Old Fart,Deadman Walking, Snow Monkey Moderator

    Well, We started with what MOST of the Users HAVE installed... Lowest Common Denominator.... sort of thing.... Myself, I run the stuff on a Virtual Machine on my Mac OSX Snow Leopard. The GPG Stuff can be run on just about ANY OS, you can Name. The OnePad App doesn't Need Internet, or ANY Off Computer Connection, to be used, so It doesn't depend on Outside Comms Connection to work. The Stego App Does require a Way to get the Image Files into and out of the Computer but that could ALWAYS be done via File Transfers, using Memory Sticks, where the Comm Links were done with a different OS. I do NOT see your NIT, as a issue, when the Comm Links can be handled off the Computer, running the WinDoz OS.... ..... YMMV.... But Good Comments so far.... Keep them Comming....
     
  8. strunk

    strunk Monkey+

    There is a base expectation that the average Joe will use this?
     
  9. BTPost

    BTPost Stumpy Old Fart,Deadman Walking, Snow Monkey Moderator

    If they want to have Comms within their Group, or with other Monkeys in their Region, then Yes, once the Internet No longer is available. Long Distance Comms would come, once those Comm Links can be established... Another reason, that we did not get fixed on the Comm Link Layer but stayed with the Secure Messaging Layer.... for this section of the Project....
     
  10. Cephus

    Cephus Monkey+++ Founding Member

    Now comes the fun part ,who to share with and when .
     
  11. VisuTrac

    VisuTrac Ваша мать носит военные ботинки Site Supporter+++

    Skype will be secure enough when used with OnePad if I read it correctly.
    saying "43 28 02 34 87 55 53 68 12 11" doesn't let them know what is actually being communicated.

    Granted an OPFOR will note that it is an encrypted communication and that may pique their interest but they won't be able to break the code at least. Just know that there is some secure comms going on.

    My 2 copper clad zincs.
     
  12. ghrit

    ghrit Bad company Administrator Founding Member

    As of yet, there is no plan for vetting operators (to say key holders.) There will be several layers of "cells" much the way that networks of resistance movements have operated in the past, none will know more of them than those in direct contact. Cell leaders will be responsible to vet their own contacts, and cutouts set up if a cell is compromised. We anticipate at least three layers.

    The code does not require any particular operating system to run, nor is it dependent on the web. It can run by burro, smoke signal or foot soldiers. The foot soldiers don't need to know the code, nor does the homing pigeon, the code stands alone, needing only the right "key" to decipher by the recipient. Obviously, computers would be nice, as the size of the message could be very much larger than if pecked out in semaphore or Morse. At this time, we have no way to know what means of transmission will be available. The setup will be in place, but the means will be left to what's available when it happens.

    Even with the web, it will take time to get operators on line, or the air, or whatever means will be left for comms. It is going to be quite a while if we are left to hams or pony express. Not all the details are fixed. Yet.

    Stay tuned.
     
    BTPost and Cephus like this.
  13. BTPost

    BTPost Stumpy Old Fart,Deadman Walking, Snow Monkey Moderator

    One thing to NOTE, here, about this technology. The Security of the Network of this System, does NOT depend on the Security of the technology, itself. The OnePad and Stego Apps, are not Public Domain, just Yet, but the messages SECURED by them, do NOT depend on knowledge of the included technology, or the Security of the Apps, themselves. It only depends on the Security of the Pads and Encryption Passwords that were used in creating the Coded Messages. The same is true for the GPG System. This System is based on Phil Zimmerman's work back, in 1991, and is in the Public Domain, due to Phil moving his code, and algorithms off-shore, where the US Government could NOT keep it secret or protected by the Export of Munitions Statutes, here in the USA. That code, and algorithms are in the Public Domain, and available for use and scrutiny, by anyone, but that does nothing to compromise the Security of any Messages encrypted using that System. The Security is ONLY compromised, by the loss of the individual KeySet used in the encryption process, for that Message. That is one of the Primary reasons for picking these particular Encryption Systems for the MonkeyNet Project. The Apps and technology can be spread far and wide but it does NOT compromise the Security Of the Messaging Systems. That only depends on the Security of the SPECIFIC KeySets, PADs, and Stego Keys for the particular Messages they were encrypted with, PERIOD.
     
    Cephus likes this.
  14. Cephus

    Cephus Monkey+++ Founding Member

    Ghrit and Bruce that was my point hope it was out of line !! Just that a key would have to be sent out some how !!
    Still a great job done !!
     
  15. strunk

    strunk Monkey+

    I was thinking more along the lines of a PGP-based communication format that assures both privacy and authentication of messages, which could use Internet when available and radio (via digital modes) when Internet was not available or advisable to use. This allows fairly full freedom of what OS is used as long as existing PGP standards are adhered to, and most of it becomes a matter of establishing COMSEC protocol and writing up some simple howto's to make it accessible.

    Pre-TEOTWAWKI, you can't use amateur bands for encrypted traffic. But you can still digitally sign your packets without encrypting them.

    There are other bands that are more appropriate for local testing where this may not be an issue.

    Post-TEOTWAWKI, one switch in-software will enable encryption.
     
  16. Falcon15

    Falcon15 Falco Peregrinus

    If you carefully read the white paper and the associated posts with the Monkey Net, you will find that this is intended for post SHTF. Prior to SHTF, we are using PGP encrypted email and some other neat tools to encode - legally - our interpersonal comms. Before making bold, broad statements...read, educate, and elucidate. Your personal preferences are just that, personal. We have every popular OS in operation, across the various persons involved, Windows, Mac, and Linux.

    Local testing is up to the individuals, and s far as I know HAM testing is out of the question due to legalities. There is no software encryption of the signal at all, ever, over radio comms. It is all pre-coded using a computer or manual pad to generate a code and sent as a verbal code on an open band or common comms system, using the pads generated by the program in the Monkey Net system (The One Time Pad program), or didn't you read that?

    The only encoded messages using a computer program to encode them are PGP and other email/electronic document encoders which are fully legal and accepted programs.
     
  17. strunk

    strunk Monkey+

    deleted

    EDIT: Rather than feed the alpha survivalist, I've found and employed the ignore feature of this forum so we can get back to constructive conversation. :)
     
  18. BTPost

    BTPost Stumpy Old Fart,Deadman Walking, Snow Monkey Moderator

    If any of our Monkeys, would like to join the Beta Test Group, Pm "Me" and we will take it from there..... ......
     
  19. Pax Mentis

    Pax Mentis Philosopher King |RIP 11-4-2017

    Way to come into a new community with an attitude guaranteed to alienate a good part of the long standing membership.

    Seems to me that BT and Falc were talking about what was being done and you were trying to play (using your term) the "alpha survivalist" telling everyone they are wrong and that you will straighten them out...

    Settle down, there are neither experts or "alphas" in this community...just concerned people who share their perspectives without claiming to have "the" answer.
     
  20. BTPost

    BTPost Stumpy Old Fart,Deadman Walking, Snow Monkey Moderator

    The GPG Encryption System used as one of the sections of the MonkeyNet, is based on Phil Zimmerman's original PGP Code Base. Phil shipped his code and algorithms Off-shore, in the early 90s to get around the FEDs Munitions Export Statutes, and they have been Public Domain, on several Off-shore Servers ever since. The GPG Code Base, is Open Source, so it can be inspected, modified, or added on to, by anyone who has an interest. this also keeps Word Wide Snoopers (Including our own Letters Agencies) from installing BackDoors, Traps and other software "Gotcha's" into the Code Base under cover of darkness. There has NEVER Been a documented Case of a PGP Based message Cracked, EXCEPT ,by a near impossible to accomplish Brute Force approach, and that took Months of MASSIVE CPU Time, from a Massive amount of CPUs working the problem in Parallel. totally unrealistic in modern Communications parlance. It is the opinion of most cypher Specialists that for all practical purposes GPG is uncrackable, as is the OnePad System by nature.
     
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