

Ask HN: Do You Think this Real-Time ISP Spying Software Exists? - thinkzig
http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/9kwph/i_am_a_guy_who_writes_covert_software_that_runs/

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byoung2
I got a call from Time Warner Cable a few months back saying that they
detected traffic on my modem at 6:14am that morning that matched a known
worm/virus (forgot the name, but they mentioned it specifically). Sure enough,
a friend was staying over, and his laptop was infected with that same virus.
Who knows how thorough their monitoring is, but I wouldn't say it's impossible
that they can snoop in real time.

I don't know that they

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thinkzig
OP here. This is a Reddit IAmA thread where a guy is claiming he writes covert
software that allows ISPs and governments to snoop Internet traffic in real
time. I found this discussion fascinating and horrifying at the same time.

Assuming this guy isn't a troll, what do you think about the claims he's
making? Do you think hardware/software combos like this exist?

~~~
frig
It wouldn't be that surprising.

You put together custom regex-processing silicon (eg: what Tarari used to
make) and related hardware (eg: entropy calculators, that kind of thing) and
mix in various types of content-addressed memory and you could get some nutty
performance #s on specialized tasks like what's discussed there.

