Entropy

Cable Packet Shaping Causing Slowdowns

“To counter P2P programs that encrypt their traffic to evade detection, Rogers Cable in Canada has apparently started degrading all encrypted IP traffic, according to a post on Michael Geist’s blog. How many of you log in to work over a VPN or ssh-tunnel? How many get usenet news or email over an encrypted connection? This could be a problem for Rogers Cable customers. Geist, who teaches at U of Ottawa, has ‘been advised that the University computer help desk has received a steady stream of complaints from Rogers customers about off-campus email service.’”

This is going to be happening more and more as the networks try to stop “misuse”. Unfortunately, there simply is no perfect ’string’ method.

They should be focusing on identifying suspicious types of traffic - e.g. multiple, fast, small host contacts. Not encrypted traffic.