2 medecos vs. 56-bits

[wsbpress]

I was searching for this particular device for a project I am doing, and there it was on ebay for $5.00 + (hefty)S&H. I had no idea that these things had two medecos on them. So of course I bought it, should be here soon.

I am really curious to see who can identify this device first.

[wsbpress]

[cheesehead]

missle launch command module?

[wsbpress]

nope ...thank goodness.

[cheesehead]

dang! I'm out

[Squelchtone]

It's a Paradyne Infolock 2811-13 external modem, and you have the top key turned to release the lower door.



does the lower key disable the keypad?


cool find!
Squelchtone

[Squelchtone]

oh, and I forgot.. the lower keypad is to enter the new DES key to encrypt your data communications. Used by banks to do secure wire transfers and by ATM machines back in the day. like back in 1985.

yey for 56bit encyrption

w00t!

Squelchtone

[wsbpress]

Hooray squelchtone wins!

Judging by your handle I would guess that you didnt google this. Cool.

I think these days the Medecos are more secure than the cypher in this box is.

[Squelchtone]

Hooray squelchtone wins!

Judging by your handle I would guess that you didnt google this. Cool.

I think these days the Medecos are more secure than the cypher in this box is.

I'm just really good at research.

here's how I found what it was:

I saw the CTS light, and I have been using External modems since 1990. So I knew it was a modem by that.

search ebay for "modem medeco", "modem key", "modem keys",

that didn't work, I searched ebay for "old modem" and came up with a short list, one of which was this model.

Once I had the model number from another ebay auction, I went to google and searched but it yielded limited results so I started to just look for keywords like "Paradyne" and "infolock modem" and "infolock 2811" which came up with some pages exploiting the blinking LEDs on the front panel which could at a distance be read and decyphered without having direct physical access to the data connection.

Some more searching for InfoLock came up with a model 2811-11 and talked about DES and wire transfers.

put it all together and you have your answer.


so yeah, this was 80% googled, 10% ebayed, and 10% good detective work.

[VashTSPD]

Hooray squelchtone wins!

Judging by your handle I would guess that you didnt google this. Cool.

I think these days the Medecos are more secure than the cypher in this box is.

I'm just really good at research.

here's how I found what it was:

I saw the CTS light, and I have been using External modems since 1990. So I knew it was a modem by that.

search ebay for "modem medeco", "modem key", "modem keys",

that didn't work, I searched ebay for "old modem" and came up with a short list, one of which was this model.

Once I had the model number from another ebay auction, I went to google and searched but it yielded limited results so I started to just look for keywords like "Paradyne" and "infolock modem" and "infolock 2811" which came up with some pages exploiting the blinking LEDs on the front panel which could at a distance be read and decyphered without having direct physical access to the data connection.

Some more searching for InfoLock came up with a model 2811-11 and talked about DES and wire transfers.

put it all together and you have your answer.


so yeah, this was 80% googled, 10% ebayed, and 10% good detective work.

you were one of those new members the admins never had to tell to use the search button, were you?

[p1ckf1sh]

I saw the CTS light, and I have been using External modems since 1990. So I knew it was a modem by that.

1990? Newbie..! (*)

so yeah, this was 80% googled, 10% ebayed, and 10% good detective work.

Don't underestimate your knowledge. I'd value the "detective work" (the association of the CTS etc. abbreviations to a modem) at 50% at least, because that is what gave you the starter on that.

Nice find though. While moving I recently found my old USR Courier HST. Totally useless now. I could not throw it out though.

(*) Got my first data communication device around Easter holidays of 1988. A 300 baud acoustic coupler. Those were times...

[wsbpress]

Good work Squelchtone, I was trying to drop a hint with the 56-bit thing (DES), CTS -> Old Modem & Ebay was clever .

I really get a kick out of that detective stuff. It takes the same creative skills it always has, but the tools are much stronger now so the results come quicker (sometimes). We should have more little search challenges like this, I think it would be fun.

One thing that I think is funny and on-topic is that after your initial replies, and before I posted my reply about the "judging from your name" thing, I searched "squelchtone" to make sure I really knew what it (a squelchtone) was. Google turned up some info on you and your hobbies (lockpicking and other general hackery ), so when I wrote "judging from your handle" I really meant "judging from info that turned up on the interenet about you" but that would have been pretty creepy so I went with the other thing instead.

So would someone else like to post something to be ID'd or some other form of search challenge? Having a LP101 Search Olympics would really seem appropriate for this forum and maybe it would inspire some forum newbs to hone their skills.

[LostGunner]

A little off subject but kind of interesting side note on the Paradyne Infolock:

http://applied-math.org/optical_tempest.pdf

You can access the information that it transmits in plaintext by decoding the LED blinks.

[Squelchtone]

A little off subject but kind of interesting side note on the Paradyne Infolock:

http://applied-math.org/optical_tempest.pdf

You can access the information that it transmits in plaintext by decoding the LED blinks.

and "infolock 2811" which came up with some pages exploiting the blinking LEDs on the front panel which could at a distance be read and decyphered without having direct physical access to the data connection.

I actually read that article in my search for the answer. I heard the good people at the CIA (whose new TV commercial with the robot fish is really funny to see on regular TV) I heard they originally came up with that in order to spy into an office window and just watch and record the LED's on the back of a computer's network card. pretty smart idea. Along the same lines I suppose of watching the modem's leds.

Thanks for that link, now everyone else can read it too!

Squelchtone

[wsbpress]

That was the original reason I was interested in this thing. I probably wouldnt have actually bought it if it didnt have two Medecos on the front, when I saw those on it I knew I had to have it. It hasnt showed up yet though.