The Egyptian authorities close downwards most of its country’s mesh non yesteryear phoning ISPs i at a time, but yesteryear exactly throwing a switch inward a crucial information pump inward Cairo.
That according to a Feb presentation to the Department of Homeland Security’s Infosec Technology Transition Council.
The presentation — made yesteryear Bill Woodcock, interrogation managing director of the Packet Clearing House — argues that the Egyptian Communications Ministry acted quite responsibly inward the physical care for it used to cutting ties from the net, afterward the shutdown was ordered yesteryear Egypt’s much-feared tidings service.
“Most of the outage was effected through a breaker flipped inward the Ramses exchange, in addition to the balance was telephone calls in addition to arm-twisting,” the presentation says. ‘Ramses exchange’ refers to a cardinal edifice inward Cairo where Egyptian ISPs run across to merchandise traffic in addition to connect exterior of the country, a facility known equally an Internet Exchange Point.
The report’s timeline likewise contradicts many observers’ guesses that a smaller mesh provider called Noor escaped the initial shutdown because it provided connectivity to Egypt’s stock marketplace position in addition to several authorities agencies. According to the presentation, Noor seems to bring been hunted downwards yesteryear the tidings service, exactly similar many other pocket-size Egyptian ISPs.
Woodcock, an goodness on mesh safety in addition to infrastructure — specially connective hubs inward developing countries — did non at nowadays response to a asking for comment on the document. confirmed the document’s veracity, but pointed out that the facts remain scant. What he does know is that his company’s monitoring equipment was close off, equally was equipment from other companies; that the tidings service did telephone phone or in addition to hence ISPs; in addition to that the shutdown didn’t involve manipulation of BGP, a routing protocol, equally many had originally assumed.
Most media, reported that authorities officials contacted private ISPs in addition to told them to close downwards their networks, nether threat of losing their communications licenses.
But the document (embedded below) contradicts that narrative, providing novel details on the outage — largely laying the blame on Egypt’s internal safety service, piece describing the “flip-the-switch” shutdown equally a “politically liberal” selection yesteryear the Egyptian communications ministry.
That’s because turning off the mesh at the pump telephone substitution made it really slowly to switch it dorsum on, prevented surveillance, made it clear to everyone what had happened, in addition to prevented spyware from existence placed on the networks.
Compare that to Tunisia, where Facebook login pages were manipulated — presumably yesteryear the authorities — to catch the passwords of Tunisian activists inward society to delete their accounts in addition to protestation pages.
The presentation suggests the weeklong shutdown had severe effects on Egypt’s economy, inward the curt term from loss of commerce, in addition to inward the long term from a probable plummet inward tourism, in addition to an exodus of telephone phone centers from Egypt.
The presentation concludes that the ministry’s course of study of activity inward obeying the orders may bring or in addition to hence positive effects inward the future: “Itʼs unlikely that Egyptʼs communications ministry building volition always hold upwards asked to flip that switch again.”
Here’s the timeline inward the study (verbatim):
Tuesday, Jan 25:
Amn El Dawla, the State Security Intelligence Service, orders the blocking of Twitter, which was largely accomplished.Wednesday, Jan 26:
The State Security Intelligence Service orders the blocking of Facebook, in addition to DNS is blocked but this is non completely effective.This was the minute fourth dimension they had tried to bring Facebook blocked, but the previous attempt had been successfully countered yesteryear the communications ministry.Arrests of people posting to the El Shaheeed in addition to Yom Elsawra 25 Jan groups on Facebook begin.Friday, Jan 28:
12:28am – Breakers thrown inward international carry in addition to national IXP department of Ramses exchange, 3500 prefixes in addition to l Egyptian ASNs drib to 300 prefixes in addition to 25 ASNs. All of the large ISPs are offline: TEData, Link.net, Raya Telecom (owned yesteryear Vodafone), in addition to Nile Online in addition to EgyNet (both owned yesteryear Etisalat).
Morning – Further ISPs offline, downwards to close 240 prefixes, in addition to the tidings service orders mobile operators to suspend vocalism service inward or in addition to hence areas.Wael Ghonim, a Google employee who was running the El Shaheeed Facebook group, is arrested.Saturday, Jan 29 Morning – Mobile operators allowed to resume vocalism service in addition to international SMS, but domestic SMS remains close downwards in addition to nether the command of the tidings service.Omar Suleiman is appointed vice president afterward having been denied that office several years ago. Suleiman had run the Mukhabarat, the General Intelligence Service, since 1993 in addition to Egyptʼs armed services tidings service earlier that. Heʼs most to a greater extent than ofttimes than non recognized inward the balance of the globe equally the coordinator of the extraordinary rendition program.Sunday, Jan 30
The tidings service begins astroturfing SMSes on Vodafoneʼs network, over Vodafoneʼs objection: “honest in addition to loyal men: expression upwards the traitors in addition to criminals in addition to protect our people in addition to honor.”Monday, Jan 31
Tarek Kamel reconfirmed equally Communications Minister, piece several of his cabinet colleagues are replaced alongside tidings service generals.The tidings service continues to hunt downwards other ISPs, taking downwards Noor, whose customers include the stock exchange, major banks, the national airline, in addition to authorities agencies. Only 12 ASNs in addition to 130 prefixes remain.Tuesday, Feb 1
Morning – Tarek Kamel announces that Internet service volition hold upwards restored “soon.” In a divide television set interview, prime number government minister Ahmed Shafiq is asked when in addition to replies “within 24 hours.”
The tidings service continues to close downwards remaining ISPs, in addition to continues astroturfing SMSes:
“Egypt’s youth: Beware rumors in addition to psyche to the vocalism of reason. Arab Republic of Egypt is higher upwards all in addition to hence save it.”Wednesday, Feb 2
Noon – Internet service resumed, routing converges over the course of study of an hour.The tidings service continues astroturfing SMSes:
“To each mother-father-sister-brother, to every honest citizen: Preserve this province because the
homeland stays forever.”
“A sweeping demonstration starting at noon on Wed from the Mustafa Mahmoud foursquare inward Mohandessin to back upwards president Mubarak.”Thursday, Feb 3
OECD estimates the outage toll the Egyptian telecom sector a minimum of $90M.
Forbes ups that gauge to $110M, noting that the OECD had non included call-center revenue.
Omar Suleiman says the economical affect on the tourism manufacture lone is “at to the lowest degree $1B.”Saturday, Feb 5
All SMS services restored.
Tarek Kamel calls a coming together of call-center executives to attempt to assess the scale of losses. Vodafone, for instance, relocated hundreds of call-center jobs from Arab Republic of Egypt to New Zealand during the prior week.
Illustration: Screenshot from a presentation to a DHS mesh commission on Egypt’s Jan 2011 mesh shutdown.
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