Bug #17491

Consider re-enabling TCP timestamps

Added by cypherpunks 2020-02-21 20:08:27 . Updated 2020-02-24 05:16:36 .

Status:
Confirmed
Priority:
Normal
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% Done:

0%

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Code
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Description

TCP timestamps were initially disabled in Tails because they leaked the system time.

Modern kernels now randomize the TCP timestamp offset [1] so disabling them shouldn’t be needed anymore.

[1]: https://github.com/torvalds/linux/commit/95a22caee396cef0bb2ca8fafdd82966a49367bb

Subtasks

Related issues

Related to Tails - Feature #6579: Disable TCP timestamps Resolved 2014-01-07
Blocks Tails - Feature #16209: Core work: Foundations Team Confirmed

History

#1 Updated by intrigeri 2020-02-22 09:17:35

#2 Updated by intrigeri 2020-02-22 09:28:03

  • Status changed from New to Confirmed

I’ve re-read the discussion that lead to Feature #6579 and I agree we should do this.

It would re-enable the “Round-Trip Time Measurement” TCP feature, which back then we thought was not needed in Tails because "the limiting factor for transmission speed is rarely the capacity of the user connection. In retrospect, I think this argument is quite weak: plenty of people on this planet have poor Internet connections that will be the limiting factor.

Implementation wise, reverting commit:32f216d18d6f5b8a5d7c5db2c2c031fb6eda2f85 and commit:dd8cbeed76cfe922d6166aa0256b56215674a16e should do the job.

#3 Updated by intrigeri 2020-02-22 09:28:36