"Net Reconstruction - A basic Step in Traffic Analysis" Topic

"Communications intelligence is possible because any organization, particularly a military organization in battle, must carry on rapid communications to achieve planned, coordinated, and effective action. Often, radio is used, but because radio is susceptible to interception, disguises become necessary to conceal the content of the message traffic and the organization's structure.

Traffic analysis utilizes all aspects of the intercepted traffic to penetrate these disguises, to attempt a reconstruction of the communications network, and to ascertain the system of signal operations in use. Moreover, when the message portion of the traffic is so disguised as to deny the intelligence of its contents to the intercepting party for an interminable period, the role of traffic analysis becomes even more critical. Indeed, traffic analysis becomes the only source of communications intelligence and, in some cases, the only source of any intelligence.

This is not to restrict the importance of traffic analysis solely to traffic with unreadable message cryptosystems. When cryptanalysis is "yielding," the traffic analyst uses study results to guide intercept activities, fill the intelligence gaps left by the cryptanalytic results, and give the cryptanalyst assistance. Such assistance includes searching for isologs—messages encrypted by different methods but having the same plain text so that a knowledge of one system furnishes a crib for the other—but consists principally in ascertaining who originated a message, "where" it originated, and "who" is receiving it "where." Without this information, even a complete decrypt would be of limited value to an intelligence expert…"

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Armand

So, which radio set did the Carthaginians use during the Punic wars ?

?????

Whichever one it was, it didn't work out well for them.

Ha!Ha!…

Armand

Traffic analysis is basically "who talks with whom" (or some such, let the grammarians attack!).

As such knowing couriers are going from General A to City B is useful. Especially if you establish General A is also communicating with City B's neighbor.

Not as direct as reading the mail but still useful.

Changes in long standing communication patterns also are interesting.

Radio just makes it easier for others to determine, within reason, when communications happen, and can allow better ideas of traffic volume.