[aprssig] Pirates on APRS IS

[Gregory A. Carter]

iAPRS is a third party app that uses our DCC interface. Ultimately
I'll take responsibility to disable it's broadcasting through us. We
use direct email/password accounts locked to callsigns and typically
try to spot bunk calls but missed this one.

The account was created yesterday and verified today before it started
beaconing so it's only been active for 24 hours.

Greg

On Thu, Mar 14, 2013 at 11:53 AM, Samúel Úlfr Þór Guðjónsson
<tf2sut at ulfr.net> wrote:
> Hi all, I'm new to this post list.
>
> I have not been very worried of "pirates" using APRS IS, but today I noticed
> one locally on aprs.fi using iAPRS for Apple's IOS.
> As it is only on Internet I'm not that worried, however, there is a
> possibility that this information could go to a TX Igate which would
> broadcast the information, being either positon or messages, as position is
> always gated after a message. That'd make the operator of the TX igate
> responsable for illegal use of the amateur frequency. Over here this is a
> great concern, as connecting internet and RF is on a very gray zone, legally
> speaking.
>
> The "pirate":
> http://aprs.fi/info/a/STEBBI-9
>
> Now what can be done about this?
> I suppose doing modification on all the TX igates to do some verification of
> the sender of the message, but it could be quite painful.
>
>
> Not very familiar with iAPRS, it seems that it's just a frontend for
> OpenAPRS, and it seems to me that it does not do any passcode verification.
> Anyone correct me if I'm wrong. Now I know that passcode verification is not
> really that much of a verification, but having a bad verification is the
> better of worse.
>
> I'm quite sure that there are other countries than Iceland who are running
> on gray zone concerning RF to IS and vica versa traffic. Apperantly France
> has the same concerns, and pirates on APRS-IS is not helping.
>
> So, what should I do? Try to implement blacklisting on all the TX Igates
> over here? (Thankfully, they are not that many at the moment) or just stop
> all the TX IGates? That would kind of ruin one of a very great usable
> feature in APRS.
>
> Sorry if this post sounds abit confusing, I'm a little puzzled about this
> matter.
>
> 73 de TF2SUT - Samúel
>
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