There are still a few days, it was almost unthinkable: cutting total or near total access to the Internet had never been practiced by any government, with the exception of Burma, whose network is poorly developed and where both service providers (ISPs) are controlled by the state. But within hours, the Egyptian authorities have managed to cut off access to the entire network by ordering ISPs to stop both access protocols DNS (Domain Name Server, which directs the computer to the addresses sites) and BGP (Border Gate Protocol, which indicates which IP addresses are used by ISPs).
While many authoritarian countries have set up a Web filtering based on DNS, BGP use for filtering is less conventional. "In the past, the PMO has already been used for screening but always in 'surgical'" explains Rik Ferguson, a security expert for the software company Trend Micro. In practice, the authorities have ordered the major ISPs in the country to completely block these two protocols, preventing both computers Egyptian "move" in Internet sites hosted in the area.
"Eg" to report their existence to the Internet abroad. Only the ISP Noor is still connected to the network, "or because it has not been ordered to cut access to it, or because he refused to obey," Rik J. Ferguson. Noor has proportionally few customers and the company was not reachable, the morning of Friday, January 28, explaining why his service is still operational.
One explanation, however: Noor is the provider of the Egyptian Stock Exchange, whose website is one of the few to still be accessible, and several large companies. According to observations of ISP abroad, access the system that manages the Exchange to the Internet backbone has been maintained.
Despite what appears to be a precaution authorities to prevent the demonstrators to communicate while preserving its financial system, the consequences of this blockade are multifaceted and, Rik Ferguson warns. "The system of payment by credit card, for example, relies on Internet to validate transactions: it is now impossible to pay in a shop in Egypt using a credit card." A detail to the Egyptian authorities: the phone networks have also been cut.
According to information of the World. com, antennas located in major cities and nearby were cut crippling traffic from all mobile operators. By late afternoon, Vodafone, which operates the largest mobile network in the country, confirmed that he had cut off access to its services in some areas.
"According to Egyptian law, the authorities have the right to order us to cut our service and we have an obligation to obey this injunction," says the company. Leloup 
While many authoritarian countries have set up a Web filtering based on DNS, BGP use for filtering is less conventional. "In the past, the PMO has already been used for screening but always in 'surgical'" explains Rik Ferguson, a security expert for the software company Trend Micro. In practice, the authorities have ordered the major ISPs in the country to completely block these two protocols, preventing both computers Egyptian "move" in Internet sites hosted in the area.
"Eg" to report their existence to the Internet abroad. Only the ISP Noor is still connected to the network, "or because it has not been ordered to cut access to it, or because he refused to obey," Rik J. Ferguson. Noor has proportionally few customers and the company was not reachable, the morning of Friday, January 28, explaining why his service is still operational.
One explanation, however: Noor is the provider of the Egyptian Stock Exchange, whose website is one of the few to still be accessible, and several large companies. According to observations of ISP abroad, access the system that manages the Exchange to the Internet backbone has been maintained.
Despite what appears to be a precaution authorities to prevent the demonstrators to communicate while preserving its financial system, the consequences of this blockade are multifaceted and, Rik Ferguson warns. "The system of payment by credit card, for example, relies on Internet to validate transactions: it is now impossible to pay in a shop in Egypt using a credit card." A detail to the Egyptian authorities: the phone networks have also been cut.
According to information of the World. com, antennas located in major cities and nearby were cut crippling traffic from all mobile operators. By late afternoon, Vodafone, which operates the largest mobile network in the country, confirmed that he had cut off access to its services in some areas.
"According to Egyptian law, the authorities have the right to order us to cut our service and we have an obligation to obey this injunction," says the company. Leloup
- Help Egypt communicate (29/01/2011)
- BREAKING: Egypt Rioters Drive Back Police in Civil Unrest Meltdown, Links, Video, Reports (28/01/2011)
- How Egypt (or how your government could) shut down the Internet (28/01/2011)
- How Egypt Turned Off The Internet (29/01/2011)
- Egypt: BBC Arabic on keeping the story alive after the internet has died (28/01/2011)
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