Snake Oil Anonymity: How to Spot It and How Not to Write It
Nick Mathewson explores snake oil anonymity: how to spot it and how not to write it at DEF CON 12, examining anonymous-remailers and practical defenses.
Summary
Architecture and Background
Nick Mathewson,Snake Oil Anonymity: How To Spot It, And How Not To Write It Much software that promises "anonymity" fails to deliver, as witnessed by a succession of compromised file-trading networks, back-doored communications systems, overhyped vapornets, and insecure "improvements" on existing remailer networks.
Vulnerability Analysis
I"ll discuss a bunch of allegedly anonymous systems, and explain how a clever attacker can defeat each of them.
Exploitation and Demonstrations
Audience members will learn to recognize the warning signs of broken anonymity in anonymous communications and P2P; and will learn a few principles to help them design the anonymity properties of their own systems.
Remediation and Defensive Strategies
Nick Mathewson is one of the main designers on Type III (a.k.a. Mixminion), the protocol that will replace the one currently used by the Mixmaster anonymous remail He is also the lead developer of the Mixminion software, and a core developer on the Tor anonymizing proxy. He lives in Cambridge, MA.
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