You guys are both right. Cable modem plants are a broadcast network. All packets are sent down the line and you have the ability to see everyone's traffic 'IF' you could sniff the cable line and not sniff the ethernet cable going to your PC. Most cable modems are simply mini-routers so if packets are not destined for you then they are dropped. However, if you could console into your modem (depending on brand) you could change the thing to a bridge. So if your modem was set up as a bridge then you could see all the traffic.
And baseline privacy it's great in theory yes. But think about this: When subcribers first get their equipment installed there is no software added to their PC that allows them to de-encrypt the data traveling around the network. So where does the de-encryption happen? The modem and CMTS are what de-encyrpt the data. And in order for your modem to know if a packet is destined for you on this broadcast network it needs to de-encrypt the packet and then drop it. So you are on a broadcast network where all cable modems can de-encrypt all data. If the modem was configured as a bridge and simply forwarded all data to the ethernet port, then you could sniff til the cows come home. Understand that I am a HUGE fan of cable modem services. There are just some small holes that need to be filled. Security is one issue and quality of service at the cable modem level is another- although this can be addressed a little bit by playing with the bandwidth settings in the cmconfig files that are downloaded when the thing boots up. James www.itpapers.com has about 85 papers on Cable Modems. Registration is required and free- except for the occasional email. Message Posted at: http://www.groupstudy.com/form/read.php?f=7&i=38820&t=38718 -------------------------------------------------- FAQ, list archives, and subscription info: http://www.groupstudy.com/list/cisco.html Report misconduct and Nondisclosure violations to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
