Holy shit, I've read some ignorant "internet expert" posts about Lavabit but this one is, by a wide margin, the dumbest one yet.
If the moron who wrote this article had bothered to spend 2 seconds to scan over the whitepaper (and other security details that have been published since) he would realize that the email files were stored in encrypted form in the Lavabit database, and decrypting those records would require the password for the relevant account. Lavabit DID provide the FBI with a dump of the records they requested, but without Snowdens personal password the records were useless. To retrieve his password they would need to snarf it of the wire as he logged in, which would require specific code written by the server administrator or access to the SSL keys and a listening device installed between the router and server. Ladar offered to do the former, the FBI refused to pay him for his work and demanded his SSL keys instead.
I don't know what this guy is talking about SMTP archiving, that has nothing to do with any of this.
and then his attempted fleecing of the American taxpayer by charging $2000 to provide that information.
Apparently this freaking guy thinks that when the FBI calls, that a person ought to drop anything else they're doing and heel to their demands, AND do it cheap. Bespoke on-demand short-term contract work costs money, especially if one has to put another job on hold. I wonder if he has any idea what AT&T and Verizon et al get for this kind of service?
He sounds like someone who has probably toyed around with SMTP software at some point or another and it never occurred to him that you can design a custom system from the ground up to handle email and still implement SMTP functionality just fine.
I guess he thinks Ladar installed some off the shelf SMTP software and didn't bother to configure it correctly? Really weird.
He claims to have his own free email service (linked from his blog). He also claims (remarkably) that it is a "secure" email service, right next to where he complains about Levison's failure to kowtow fast enough to the FBI.
He doesn't sound like the kind of guy who would have a problem handing the feds his SSL keys or whatever else they ask for, so even if his system is reasonably secure I wouldn't trust him as a steward of my information.
It doesn't sound to me like the author is as technically inept as your making it sound here. Perhaps a little ignorant of some legal details of the court orders, but someone who has done a bit more than "toyed around" with SMTP. In fact, obviously so -- making your assertions about his intelligence appear more ideologically motivated than reasonable.
It's not true that he claims on the blog that VFEmail is a secure service in the same sense that Lavabit claimed to be, and his FAQ answers for people concerned about privacy are essentially:
1) Use their web interface to PGP. He's transparent about the fact that with this option your encrypted email could be read, if your password were intercepted.
2) Better yet use client side PGP.
...using the Webmail interface for PGP stores your private key on the server, and requires you to send your key password to VFEmail. That subjects your encryption key to interception by a third party.
... Most importantly - Use PGP with your own email client. You should store your key on your device(s), under your control. Again, illegal access by a 3rd party could compromise your key, so be very careful of what you open and where you surf.
Lavabit marketed a claim to be so secure that even their administrators couldn't read your email. This was untrue, and curious in juxtaposition to the spam/content filtering features it had. VFEmail is pretty upfront -- unless you're encrypting everything client side, someone can read it.
So basically if one reads beyond the first few paragraph, or visits the email service that he "claims" to own, it's clear that all these "he's a moron, has only toyed around with email, doesn't understand Lavabit's encryption, etc." claims being made are simply character assassination.
Furthermore, the FBI didn't "call" or "ask for" the pen register or SSL keys. They subpoenaed Lavabit and served them with a search warrant for a criminal case. One which they eventually complied with.[1]
[1] http://archive.is/Tdneo: "Since the SSL certificates formerly used to protect access to Lavabit have been compromised..."
Seems like his article is way over your head. The issue is not whether or not lavabit could circumvent their own system and decrypt the emails stored on their server. With less than 5 lines of code they could grab Snowden's password the next time he logged in.
The decision to shut down lavabit was purely financial. He bet that he would make more money (via donations) by shutting down the service than he would if he kept it running. So he shut it down. It was always about the money.
Comments
Holy shit, I've read some ignorant "internet expert" posts about Lavabit but this one is, by a wide margin, the dumbest one yet.
If the moron who wrote this article had bothered to spend 2 seconds to scan over the whitepaper (and other security details that have been published since) he would realize that the email files were stored in encrypted form in the Lavabit database, and decrypting those records would require the password for the relevant account. Lavabit DID provide the FBI with a dump of the records they requested, but without Snowdens personal password the records were useless. To retrieve his password they would need to snarf it of the wire as he logged in, which would require specific code written by the server administrator or access to the SSL keys and a listening device installed between the router and server. Ladar offered to do the former, the FBI refused to pay him for his work and demanded his SSL keys instead.
I don't know what this guy is talking about SMTP archiving, that has nothing to do with any of this.
Apparently this freaking guy thinks that when the FBI calls, that a person ought to drop anything else they're doing and heel to their demands, AND do it cheap. Bespoke on-demand short-term contract work costs money, especially if one has to put another job on hold. I wonder if he has any idea what AT&T and Verizon et al get for this kind of service?
My thoughts too. I get the feeling this guy is pretty incompetent since he spends so much of his initial paragraphs complaining about lavabit.
He sounds like someone who has probably toyed around with SMTP software at some point or another and it never occurred to him that you can design a custom system from the ground up to handle email and still implement SMTP functionality just fine.
I guess he thinks Ladar installed some off the shelf SMTP software and didn't bother to configure it correctly? Really weird.
He claims to have his own free email service (linked from his blog). He also claims (remarkably) that it is a "secure" email service, right next to where he complains about Levison's failure to kowtow fast enough to the FBI.
He doesn't sound like the kind of guy who would have a problem handing the feds his SSL keys or whatever else they ask for, so even if his system is reasonably secure I wouldn't trust him as a steward of my information.
Bingo.
It doesn't sound to me like the author is as technically inept as your making it sound here. Perhaps a little ignorant of some legal details of the court orders, but someone who has done a bit more than "toyed around" with SMTP. In fact, obviously so -- making your assertions about his intelligence appear more ideologically motivated than reasonable.
The system design for VFEmail is apparently available here: https://www.vfemail.net/design.php
It appears to have occurred to him to think about how to build custom email systems with SMTP support.
The privacy FAQ for VFEmail is here: https://www.vfemail.net/privacyandsecurity.php
It's not true that he claims on the blog that VFEmail is a secure service in the same sense that Lavabit claimed to be, and his FAQ answers for people concerned about privacy are essentially:
1) Use their web interface to PGP. He's transparent about the fact that with this option your encrypted email could be read, if your password were intercepted.
2) Better yet use client side PGP.
Lavabit marketed a claim to be so secure that even their administrators couldn't read your email. This was untrue, and curious in juxtaposition to the spam/content filtering features it had. VFEmail is pretty upfront -- unless you're encrypting everything client side, someone can read it.
So basically if one reads beyond the first few paragraph, or visits the email service that he "claims" to own, it's clear that all these "he's a moron, has only toyed around with email, doesn't understand Lavabit's encryption, etc." claims being made are simply character assassination.
Furthermore, the FBI didn't "call" or "ask for" the pen register or SSL keys. They subpoenaed Lavabit and served them with a search warrant for a criminal case. One which they eventually complied with.[1]
[1] http://archive.is/Tdneo: "Since the SSL certificates formerly used to protect access to Lavabit have been compromised..."
Seems like his article is way over your head. The issue is not whether or not lavabit could circumvent their own system and decrypt the emails stored on their server. With less than 5 lines of code they could grab Snowden's password the next time he logged in.
The decision to shut down lavabit was purely financial. He bet that he would make more money (via donations) by shutting down the service than he would if he kept it running. So he shut it down. It was always about the money.