NSA has direct access to tech giants' systems for user data, secret files reveal

Discussion in 'privacy general' started by Dermot7, Jun 6, 2013.

  1. lotuseclat79

    lotuseclat79 Registered Member

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  2. gerardwil

    gerardwil Registered Member

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  3. Dermot7

    Dermot7 Registered Member

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    https://www.bigbrotherwatch.org.uk/home/2014/03/gchq-enemy-internet.html
     
  4. siljaline

    siljaline Registered Member

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    NSA Has Been Hijacking the Botnets of Other Hackers
    http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2014/03/nsa-botnet/
     
  5. mirimir

    mirimir Registered Member

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    All botnet operators do that. It's rather a game, I think ;)

    The distinction between NSA hackers and "other hackers" is extremely fuzzy. And that's especially so when consultants are included. It's hard to know what other clients your consultants have, and what they do on their own. Also, consultants who work for multiple groups of players are often the best ;)
     
  6. hawki

    hawki Registered Member

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    Here's an excerpt from the frightening Intercept story. The NSA is frighteningly out of control!!

    "How the NSA Plans to Infect ‘Millions’ of Computers with Malware"

    "Top-secret documents reveal that the National Security Agency is dramatically expanding its ability to covertly hack into computers on a mass scale by using automated systems that reduce the level of human oversight in the process.

    The classified files – provided previously by NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden – contain new details about groundbreaking surveillance technology the agency has developed to infect potentially millions of computers worldwide with malware “implants.” The clandestine initiative enables the NSA to break into targeted computers and to siphon out data from foreign Internet and phone networks.

    ...

    In some cases the NSA has masqueraded as a fake Facebook server, using the social media site as a launching pad to infect a target’s computer and exfiltrate files from a hard drive. In others, it has sent out spam emails laced with the malware, which can be tailored to covertly record audio from a computer’s microphone and take snapshots with its webcam. The hacking systems have also enabled the NSA to launch cyberattacks by corrupting and disrupting file downloads or denying access to websites."

    Full Story Here: https://firstlook.org/theintercept/a...uters-malware/
     
  7. mirimir

    mirimir Registered Member

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    Reading https://firstlook.org/theintercept/article/2014/03/12/nsa-plans-infect-millions-computers-malware/, I'm struck by the impression that they're targeting Windows and smartphones (iPhone and Nokia/Windows). But I don't see anything about Linux, BSD, or even OS X. Is it really possible that those systems aren't being targeted? But hey, botnets don't target them either, so maybe it is possible ;)
     
  8. MrBrian

    MrBrian Registered Member

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    From Snowden accuses Senate intelligence chair of hypocrisy over CIA disclosures:
     
  9. noone_particular

    noone_particular Registered Member

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    That brings us back to the issue of Windows being backdoored or at a minimum, designed to be exploited. Just another piece in the puzzle but the picture is finally becoming clear.
     
  10. Mrkvonic

    Mrkvonic Linux Systems Expert

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    How about no.
    Mrk
     
  11. lotuseclat79

    lotuseclat79 Registered Member

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  12. Mrkvonic

    Mrkvonic Linux Systems Expert

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    As opposed to a million other botnets?
    Mrk
     
  13. lotuseclat79

    lotuseclat79 Registered Member

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  14. mattdocs12345

    mattdocs12345 Registered Member

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  15. noone_particular

    noone_particular Registered Member

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    Such a backdoor was found on Samsung Galaxy phones. They're being found in routers, firewalls, and modems. The NSA has been coercing companies into backdooring their equipment and sabotaging the encryption. In spite of this and more, you continue to claim that this can't be true with Windows and other desktop operating systems, no matter how much circumstantial evidence there is to the contrary. Some people just refuse to see what they don't want to see.
    The majority of their exploits appear to target proprietary systems, like Windows and smartphones, especially the modem components. Either their code is sloppy to the point of being completely vulnerable or the manufacturers have been coerced into making them vulnerable to their exploits. Without the source code, we can't verify that the malware isn't already part of the operating systems.
     
  16. Virmaline

    Virmaline Registered Member

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    "Coerced" manufacturer = cowardly money-whoring NSA-collaborating traitor to the American people
     
  17. noone_particular

    noone_particular Registered Member

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    That's one possibility but not the only one. One of the released documents described how the NSA kept records of online activities like porn sites visited, intimate chats, etc for the purpose of discrediting individuals. It's a very small step from that to blackmail, "Add this code or we release these records of chat and porn site visits." If we're honest with ourselves, most of us have done things that aren't illegal in themselves, but would be very damaging to our reputation or family relationships. Those with more money have more opportunities to become involved in "white collar crime", eg a little insider trading, business deals that could get you in trouble, etc. They're prime targets for such blackmail. What's needed here is a form of amnesty. If they reveal the coercion, they won't be penalized for the actions they're being blackmailed with.
     
  18. siljaline

    siljaline Registered Member

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    Dianne Feinstein Warns CIA Behavior Directly Challenges Constitution
    http://www.infosecurity-magazine.co...ia-behavior-directly-challenges-constitution/
     
  19. Mrkvonic

    Mrkvonic Linux Systems Expert

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    Samsung Galaxy is not Windows. The page mentions the calls/messagges might be there for legit purposes or not. In other words, maybe.

    Now, a serious question: if you were to implement macros in C or whatever for the purpose of being hax0r, it does not make sense to call them in such beautiful serial names, does it? Would it not make sense to obfuscate your code and use generic names? Perform more than one jump?

    If anything sounds like sloppy coding.
    And do read some of the comments on slashdot:
    http://mobile.slashdot.org/story/14...opers-find-backdoor-in-samsung-galaxy-devices

    Mrk
     
  20. kareldjag

    kareldjag Registered Member

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  21. Mrkvonic

    Mrkvonic Linux Systems Expert

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  22. siljaline

    siljaline Registered Member

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    Mark Zuckerberg called President Obama to complain about NSA surveillance
    http://www.theverge.com/2014/3/13/5505628/zuckerberg-calls-obama-over-nsa-surveillance-complaints
     
  23. Dermot7

    Dermot7 Registered Member

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    http://techcrunch.com/2014/03/13/th...nated-facebook-and-infected-pcs-with-malware/
     
  24. Brandonn2010

    Brandonn2010 Registered Member

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  25. noone_particular

    noone_particular Registered Member

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    Doesn't hurt my day in the slightest. I don't own or carry a smart phone, cell phone or any portable electronics of any kind. If they want to track me, they'll have to do it the old fashioned way. If you want to believe that these things aren't happening, be my guest.
     
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