How secure is BPL anyway?
 

Are the BPL provides going to encrypt their signals? It is
possible that these bozos, thinking that there is no "significant"
leakage, are not going to do encryption.

Best tell potential users that BPL is not a secure system, and that
someone could find out your credit card numbers and such if
you order something on line.... Because it "broadcasts" that
info into the air.

In article ,
says...
Are the BPL provides going to encrypt their signals? It is
possible that these bozos, thinking that there is no "significant"
leakage, are not going to do encryption.

Best tell potential users that BPL is not a secure system, and that
someone could find out your credit card numbers and such if
you order something on line.... Because it "broadcasts" that
info into the air.

It will be a shared medium, just like cable provided internet service.
As such they can implement Baseline Privacy and encrypt the downstream
to a specific modem. Don't know if it allows for encryption on the
upstream.

Robert Casey wrote:
Are the BPL provides going to encrypt their signals? It is
possible that these bozos, thinking that there is no "significant"
leakage, are not going to do encryption.
Best tell potential users that BPL is not a secure system, and that
someone could find out your credit card numbers and such if
you order something on line.... Because it "broadcasts" that
info into the air.


You mean you want a secure signal? C'mon man. This is about access
choices! 8^)

Related issue:

In the early years of Cable tv, the systems were notorious for being
very leaky. People came up with ingenious ad pretty simple ways to tap
into this leakage and get cable for free. kind of a early wireless
system if you will! I remember years ago we could get most of the cable
signals then offered with just rabbit ears. We got cable anyway because
the quality was better than the leakage signal.

With a signal that isn't even going over coax, the situation can only
be worse.

- Mike KB3EIA

In article , Robert Casey
writes:

Are the BPL provides going to encrypt their signals? It is
possible that these bozos, thinking that there is no "significant"
leakage, are not going to do encryption.

Best tell potential users that BPL is not a secure system, and that
someone could find out your credit card numbers and such if
you order something on line.... Because it "broadcasts" that
info into the air.

Access BPL is a digital system. If your browser has the
many-bit encryption it will be secure both ways.

Hacker razzbonyas don't have supercomputers at their disposal
to crack even 128-bit encryption used on the Internet a couple
years ago.

Encrypted digital signals going out as incidental RF radiation
are nothing but NOISE to those without the decryption softstuff.

Of course, if you are REALLY paranoid, please remember that
some of "those out there" might really be following you... :-)

LHA / WMD