Archived project
This website is an archival record and is no longer
updated; its last update was April 9, 2009.
Dartmouth Internet Security Testbed (DIST)
Frequently asked questions
What is the DIST research project all about? As scientists, we
- ...seek to understand the way people use the wireless network on campus.
- ...test our software that monitors the network, automatically detecting
malicious attempts to disrupt or degrade the network.
- ...work with Kiewit to develop tools that help them to maintain
the network.
What equipment are we deploying, and what does it look like?
- Small boxes with wireless-network antennas. They are just like the
wireless-network "access points" installed by Kiewit to provide the
wireless network service on campus, except our boxes do not provide
this service.
- The beige box measures about one foot square with its flap open
and with external antennas mounted at its sides. (See photos
on the DIST home page.)
The external antennas may be beige or black.
What does this equipment do?
- Our boxes are there simply for research, and monitor the network for
hackers and other attempts to abuse the network.
Who installs the equipment?
- Professional technicians hired by Kiewit Computing Services,
or contractors.
What changes may come in the future?
- After further testing and project approvals, we might add additional
antennas and environmental sensors (light, temperature, humidity,
vibration, sound) to our boxes. These sensors will allow us to study
the environmental conditions in the area, and to communicate with
portable sensing devices.
What information do we collect, while monitoring the wireless
network?
- We capture the "header" information of data passing through the network;
headers specify the type, size, and destination of information that is
being transmitted, as well as the identity of the wireless network
being used (e.g., Dartmouth Secure).
- We capture physical-layer information about wireless data
transmissions--for example, the signal strength of received
transmissions--and the time at which the transmissions occurred.
- We log information about which computers (referenced by hardware
addresses) are connected to the wireless network at particular times.
We know that a particular device was connected to a particular antenna
in the network at a particular time.
- We anonymize any header information that may identify a specific
computer (MAC addresses).
What information do we not collect?
- We do not capture or record any data: no names, URLs, email addresses,
messages, passwords, credit card numbers, web pages, etc.
Just packet headers.
- We do log (and anonymize) the address of servers contacted by Dartmouth
wireless users, for statistical purposes, but we never associate sites
with users.
What about privacy of network users?
- We take privacy very seriously: please read our
privacy policy.
- This project is approved by Kiewit Computing Services and the
Dartmouth Committee for the Protection of Human Subjects
(CPHS #17325: Measuring the Dartmouth Campus-Wide Wireless Network,
and CPHS #17613: M.A.P. (Measure, Analyze, Protect): Security
Through Measurement for Wireless LANs).
Contact information: (all reachable via blitzmail)
- Prof. David Kotz, project lead, blitz or 646-1439
- Punch Taylor, blitz or 646-0304
- Bennet Vance, blitz or 646-8721
Other relevant offices:
- Committee for Protection of Human Subjects
- Susan M. Adams, Director, blitz or 646-3053
- Kiewit Computing Services
- David Bucciero, Director of Technical Services, blitz or 646-6441
DIST is a research program in the
Institute for Security
Technology Studies at Dartmouth College, supported by the
U.S. Department of Homeland Security under Grant Award Number
2006-CS-001-000001. The views and conclusions resulting from DIST
research are those of the authors and should not be interpreted as
necessarily representing the official policies, either expressed or
implied, of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Sun Microsystems is a contributor to the DIST project.