Winnipeg city radio shop for police and fire illegally loaded software for decryption

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kv5e

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An enthusiast who performs this type of hack for a public service agency is liable to pay a high price for an indiscretion like this as well as the manager. Revenue affecting hacks are going to bring the full wrath of IP theft no matter the motivations.
 

kv5e

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I agree Mike.......but even if the IP is flawed it is still not ethical from a business and legal viewpoint.

Maybe this is the point where /\/\ jumps the shark and other vendors can increase market share until LTE/NR finally puts the dagger in the heart of Public Safety LMR.
 

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Motorola corporate has always defended its intellectual property fiercely. This isn't anything new. I remember seeing a lot of people scurrying at hamfests when guys in suits walked down the aisles years ago. They were all afraid of something like the Seinfeld Postmaster General episode. With all of the "call home" features one can have in software and hardware devices, it's insane to try to do anything but the right thing. If one doesn't want to pay (and pay and pay), they probably need to buy another product. On the flip-side, it's also possible that the agency was not properly funded by the city. There are so many possible explanations, but the end result is that it's all a cost of doing business.
 

KevinC

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The only people who win in these cases are the attorneys.
 
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902

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I agree Mike.......but even if the IP is flawed it is still not ethical from a business and legal viewpoint.

Maybe this is the point where /\/\ jumps the shark and other vendors can increase market share until LTE/NR finally puts the dagger in the heart of Public Safety LMR.
Look at it this way - did you ever go to a carnival and see someone who wanted a prize so bad he put quarters down on every single number? That's what Motorola and the other manufacturers do. By exploring a number of eventualities, they don't lose. They can cut under-preforming markets loose (or sell them and make money off their failure) and develop the ones that take root. They have hands in LTE, as well, mostly by making user equipment that will have a lifespan of about 18 months.
 

kv5e

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I am fully aware of /\/\ Solutions heavy handed tactics on bidding, undermining competition, and expanding the orifices of their clients' by their predatory pricing and mystique. Sooner or later the birds will come home to r00st and the bottom line for stakeholders becomes too much to bear. I don't like what they do in the corporate realm and no matter how altruistic the motivation is to reverse engineer their IP to circumvent licensing features, it is still theft.

I don't defend /\/\ for being corporate wolves and slime balls.
 

902

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I am fully aware of /\/\ Solutions heavy handed tactics on bidding, undermining competition, and expanding the orifices of their clients' by their predatory pricing and mystique. Sooner or later the birds will come home to r00st and the bottom line for stakeholders becomes too much to bear. I don't like what they do in the corporate realm and no matter how altruistic the motivation is to reverse engineer their IP to circumvent licensing features, it is still theft.

I don't defend /\/\ for being corporate wolves and slime balls.
I worked for Motorola in the early to mid-90s, close to the end of the Galvin days. It was a great place to work for back then.

And, now, I completely agree with you.
 

KevinC

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I want to know what this is...

Motorola examined some of those seized radios and believed that the techniques used to "hack" them were consistent with the method used by the Winnipeg man, the affidavit said.

"There is a Chinese method of achieving the same result but it is quite different," the document read.

Hmmm...
 

RFI-EMI-GUY

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"In spring 2017, the WPS and WFPS transitioned from Motorola radios to Harris equipment — a project spearheaded by Richardson that took four years to complete.
As the city was bragging about an award Richardson won for the project, he was under police investigation."
 

RFI-EMI-GUY

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There is a bit of a chicken and the egg problem with respect to who gave who the iButton . First they say the "Winnipeg man" gave it to Richardson and then they sa Richardson gave it to the. "Winnipeg man".

So what gives?

Clearly what is at the issue here is not the $1900 lost revenue to Motorola. It is not a national security issue either. If it were, the whole implementation of P25 AES256 would be suspiciously flawed.

Sent from my SM-T350 using Tapatalk
 

902

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Looks like Homeland Security works for Motorola now.
They don't really, but the big companies tend to hire those types after they retire from public service or the military.

As for tools, leaks, etc., here's a divergent idea here that will fix all of this, once and for all:
Acknowledge the equipment has a hobbyist following and provide users with tools that will program the equipment without encryption, and will completely inhibit transmission in the radio on any frequency aside from amateur radio (and maybe GMRS, MURS, etc.). This would also benefit the media, as they could buy professional grade equipment that would work under a wide variety of conditions but would be inhibited from misuse and improper access by design.

The most effort here is frittered away in a game of coyote vs. road runner. In terms of industrial espionage and intellectual property theft, that would pull hobbyists completely out of that circle and just leave the very bad actors.
 

RFI-EMI-GUY

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" w4amp said:

Looks like Homeland Security works for Motorola now. "
902 Said:
" They don't really, but the big companies tend to hire those types after they retire from public service or the military. "

Well in this case the DHS, is very clearly doing the dirty work for Motorola. They are using the typical "Fear Uncertainty and Doubt" disinformation to screw with people, discredit one to gain some advantage over City of Winnipeg. It is not the $19K loss of some flash upgrades. That is not the end game. I reckon they will be asking for huge compensation for losing "the big radio deal" next . The Canadian Government should be concerned over this foreign corporate take over of sovereignty of Canadian Citizens.

As a US citizen, it is embarrassing to witness, - this business as usual. The DHS (and other agencies) should not be so cozy with corporations. But it is a revolving door between govt and private sector corporate jobs. Capitalism at its finest, the best government money can buy.
 

RFI-EMI-GUY

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I worked for Motorola in the early to mid-90s, close to the end of the Galvin days. It was a great place to work for back then.

And, now, I completely agree with you.

I worked from mid 70's to mid 90's as well. It was great company up until Bob retired. Then it just became rudderless, reinventing itself, discouraging corporate messages to loyal long time employees. At the end, Motorola forfeited a huge $40-50 million PS radio/transit deal because of corporate paranoia about the transit partner. Being in the midst of it just let all my steam out.
 
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