FCC Proposes Ban on Devices Deemed a Threat to National Security

William Herrin bill at herrin.us
Fri Jun 18 20:07:56 UTC 2021


On Fri, Jun 18, 2021 at 10:56 AM Christopher Morrow
<morrowc.lists at gmail.com> wrote:
> more-over, aren't there lots of other folk making gear (even inside the US!!!) which
> are made up of components/software/etc which MAY be influenced/etc by foreign actors?
>
> This proposal and the previous version of this conversation/regulation seem designed
> to just be flame-bait in the political space. They can't really have merit because
> who says John Chambers wasn't paid by the Elboniese Ministry of Magics to
> insert 'bad things' in all Cisco devices built during his tenure?

Hi Chris,

Here's what I'm thinking:

I'm thinking it costs less than five cents per unit to add a radio
receiver to any mass-produced VLSI or SoC chip whose sole purpose is
to blow an internal fuse on receipt of the right cryptographic
waveform. Pirate the mandatory voltage in line for a bad but usable
antenna. The fuse could do anything. Disable the chip. Switch to the
alternate firmware. Anything.

I'm thinking the FCC would assign itself the mission of protecting us
from such a threat and the authority to do so by speculatively banning
electronics which can't prove they don't contain such a circuit. Which
is practically impossible. And applies to all electronics. Everything.

Or worse, I'm thinking the FCC would assign itself the mission but
only enough authority to make itself a nuisance to legitimate vendors
while leaving massive holes in the attack surface.

This is a bad idea. This is one of the things we have intelligence
agencies for: to catch companies and nations who sneak clandestine
contaminants into their exports so that we can confront or if need be
embargo those imports in a comprehensive way. Contaminated electronics
is just the latest twist in a long shadow war where the FCC's amateur
interference would not be helpful.

I'm also thinking this would make a great plot for a science fiction /
spy novel. Any writers out there?


Regards,
Bill Herrin


--
William Herrin
bill at herrin.us
https://bill.herrin.us/


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