One set of Information Assurance technologies that agencies can deploy today is non-attribution solutions. These types of systems provide many layers of capabilities that even today’s most sophisticated analytic tools will be unable to thwart. The better platforms include the following elements:

• Frequent Rotation of IP Addresses: The solution creates an unrecognizable pattern of Web surfing activity by frequently changing the originator’s IP address.
• IP Address Diversity: IP addresses used for rotation are drawn from a highly diverse population and come from many different network blocks.
• Provider Diversity: IP addresses come from different Internet Service Providers, so as not to give away a pattern in and of itself.
• Geographic Proximity: Internet activity appears to come from areas other than those closely associated with U.S Intelligence operations, such as Northern Virginia or Maryland.
• Assurance of Non-Retention of Records: Records of user activity are not retained or, at the very least, make them difficult to produce.

Additionally, comprehensive non-attribution solutions also support remote users as well as e-mail and online chat applications. There are also times when such systems also protect IP addresses that are used for “scraping and harvesting,” time-consuming search activities that use a significant portion of a Web site or server’s bandwidth.


What to look for in a non-attribution solution

There are plenty of solutions touting non-attribution benefits specifically for government organizations. But buyer beware – not all systems are the same. Any procurement officer must look for certain criteria before purchasing, including:

• Years in Operation/Development: Is the provider an established entity, or a "Johnny-come-lately?"
• Denial of Service/Intrusion Protection: Are the provider’s systems and infrastructures hardened against Internet threats?
• Social Engineering Safeguards: Does the provider have security measures in place to ensure the contacts visible are completely unaware of the provider’s involvement or the identity of the customer?
• Internal Compromise: Can the provider prevent its own employees from knowing the identities and activities of its customers?
• Timeliness: Is the solution off-the-shelf and turnkey for rapid deployment and utilization?
• Single Network Limitations: Will the provider be able to acquire network space from many independent ISPs from around the globe?

Never get complacent

The ease of accessing information on the Web and attacking the networks of where such data resides has created a false sense of security that can be exploited by insurgent organizations and criminals using new and powerful tools at their disposal. The only way for government agencies to circumvent this threat is to completely protect user identities through anonymous Web surfing systems, making this a new requirement while online.