The NSA 0wnz popular firewalls

Discussion in 'other firewalls' started by kC_, Dec 23, 2007.

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  1. kC_

    kC_ Registered Member

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  2. Solaris

    Solaris Registered Member

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  3. herbalist

    herbalist Guest

    If it's from the Enquirer, it's about 1% true and 99% exaggeration. If it's any consolation, the NSA did help to "secure" Vista.:gack: They've no need to own the firewall if they own the OS it's installed on.

    Stories like this have been circulating for years. Bypassable firewalls, strong encryption with NSA backdoors, windows vulnerabilities equals deliberate backdoors, vendors owned or under the control of the NSA, etc. Some of them are true. Some aren't. The CKT versions of PGP exist for that reason.

    If one assumes that the NSA can and does mandate backdoors in encryption and bypasses in firewalls they can use, you also have to consider that they can only exert such influence over vendors from this country and close allies. A Chinese or Russian vendor has no incentive to cooperate with them.

    The NSA doesn't really need to be able to bypass your defenses. They can present you with a national security letter and take your computer for no reason at all. The only thing that might give them problems is strong encryption performed by an app they haven't backdoored, and is using an algorithm they haven't cracked, and is on a system they don't already have access to, either by a trojan or a "windows vulnerability". Meeting all of these requirements would be tough.
    Rick
     
  4. james246

    james246 Registered Member

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    You would need a "specialist" setup to keep those guys out.
    Commercial Hardware and Commercial Software will not hold them. It is the same in Europe as well, the intelligence services are well ahead of Joe Public.
     
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