Re: What Wireshark base version to use for customization

[Graham Bloice <graham.bloice () trihedral com>]

On 10 December 2014 at 18:53, John Dill <John.Dill () greenfieldeng com> wrote:

> > Message: 3
> > Date: Wed, 10 Dec 2014 11:08:25 -0700
> > From: Stephen Fisher <sfisher () SDF ORG>
> > To: Developer support list for Wireshark <wireshark-dev () wireshark org>
> > Subject: Re: [Wireshark-dev] What Wireshark base version to use for
> >       customization
> > Message-ID: <20141210180825.GA29277 () SDF ORG>
> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
> >
> > On Wed, Dec 10, 2014 at 12:51:23PM -0500, John Dill wrote:
> >
> > > So what restrictions are there when you have a Wireshark plugin that
> > > contains proprietary information (which can be of the do not export
> > > variety) from the govt or customer and they do *not* want that
> > > information released to the public, since Wireshark can be used as a
> > > tool to visualize and analyze these private kinds of protocols?  If
> > > some of that implementation leaks into the Wireshark application (like
> > > hiding all of the unnecessary protocol cruft to make it simpler for
> > > user to use), what are the implications?
> >
> > Is the proprietary information short, such as encryption keys?  A
> > preference can be used for things like that and then only if the
> > user's preferences file is shared will it get out.  If that's a
> > high-risk, you could even have the dissector/plug-in do something
> > non-stndard like reading a file for the information (but we probably
> > wouldn't want that kind of dissector in the base source).
>
> The entire packet stream generated is a proprietary system on top of
> TCP and UDP that consists of avionics data, all of which is considered
> proprietary.  There are several hundred different packet messages that
> contain one to several hundred data elements.
>
> I was curious how the license Wireshark uses applies to this scenario,
> since I've created a DLL to process data that is also distributed to a
> govt entity, but I'm using an open source project with a GPL license
> to translate this data, but the source code that translates the content
> they want to keep private.
>
> Regardless, there's no way I would be allowed to submit this plugin to
> the public Wireshark repository (not without serious legal/employment
> consequences), so maybe its a moot point to discuss.
>
> Best regards,
> John D.
IMHO you're contravening the licence.  When distributing you must abide by
the licence that permits you to distribute and which requires you to make
the source code available.

A Wireshark plugin links with the main body of the program and thus is
covered by the licence of the main program.

-- 
Graham Bloice

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