NSA's surveillance capabilities

Stuxnet

I highly recommend this video that came out of 30c3 today, (if you have an hour to spare)

Frighting the capabilities of this faceless organisation.

Attendees at the Chaos Communications Congress in Hamburg this weekend got a surprising rundown of the NSA's surveillance capabilities, courtesy of security researcher Jacob Appelbaum. Appelbaum, who co-wrote the Der Spiegel article that first revealed the NSA catalog, went into further detail onstage, describing several individual devices in the catalog and their intended purposes.

THE EXPLOITS COULD BE DELIVERED BY DRONE

Alongside pre-packaged exploits that allowed control over iOS devices and any phone communicating through GSM, Appelbaum detailed a device that targets computers through packet injection, seeding exploits from up to 8 miles away. He even speculated the exploits could be delivered by drone, although he conceded that in most cases, an unmarked van would likely be more practical.

The brochure in question dates from 2007, suggesting capabilities may have advanced even further since then — but Appelbaum left little doubt that he believes these tactics are still in use, and offered several instances in which he's seen them in action. One case involved Julian Assange's current home at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London, where visitors were surprised to receive welcome messages from a Ugandan telephone company. It turned out the messages were coming from a foreign base station device installed on the roof, masquerading as a cell tower for surveillance purposes. Appelbaum suspects the GCHQ simply forgot to reformat the device from an earlier Ugandan operation.

Update: Cisco, cited in the original Der Spiegel article, is formally investigating the potential hack. "On Monday, December 30th, Der Spiegel magazine published additional information about the techniques allegedly used by NSA TAO to infiltrate the technologies of numerous IT companies," wrote senior VP John Stewart. "As a result of this new information coming to light, the Cisco Product Security Incident Response Team (PSIRT) has opened an investigation."

Update 2: Der Spiegel has published an interactive graphic showing the various devices in action.

Source

Khannie

Started watching that last night. Looks like a good 'un.

Stuxnet

unreal !!!

[-0-]

Was just coming here to post this.

Nate--IRL--

That is pretty cool, in a Dr. Evil sort of way.

Nate

Capt'n Midnight

$2Bn company sold out for $10m - blame the beancounters.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/12/21/nsa_paid_rsa_10_million/

How much did NSA pay to put a backdoor in RSA crypto? Try $10m – report

http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/the-nsa-uses-powerful-toolbox-in-effort-to-spy-on-global-networks-a-940969.html

One example of the sheer creativity with which the TAO spies approach their work can be seen in a hacking method they use that exploits the error-proneness of Microsoft's Windows. Every user of the operating system is familiar with the annoying window that occasionally pops up on screen when an internal problem is detected, an automatic message that prompts the user to report the bug to the manufacturer and to restart the program. These crash reports offer TAO specialists a welcome opportunity to spy on computers.

http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/catalog-reveals-nsa-has-back-doors-for-numerous-devices-a-940994.html

A document viewed by SPIEGEL resembling a product catalog reveals that an NSA division called ANT has burrowed its way into nearly all the security architecture made by the major players in the industry -- including American global market leader Cisco and its Chinese competitor Huawei, but also producers of mass-market goods, such as US computer-maker Dell.
...
These NSA agents, who specialize in secret back doors, are able to keep an eye on all levels of our digital lives -- from computing centers to individual computers, and from laptops to mobile phones. For nearly every lock, ANT seems to have a key in its toolbox. And no matter what walls companies erect, the NSA's specialists seem already to have gotten past them.

This, at least, is the impression gained from flipping through the 50-page document. The list reads like a mail-order catalog, one from which other NSA employees can order technologies from the ANT division for tapping their targets' data. The catalog even lists the prices for these electronic break-in tools, with costs ranging from free to $250,000.

ChRoMe

Capt'n Midnight wrote: »

$2Bn company sold out for $10m - blame the beancounters.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/12/21/nsa_paid_rsa_10_million/

http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/the-nsa-uses-powerful-toolbox-in-effort-to-spy-on-global-networks-a-940969.html


http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/catalog-reveals-nsa-has-back-doors-for-numerous-devices-a-940994.html

Its not a case of selling out at all though, they would have been given no choice. That ten million was probably to cover the cost of additional development/work required to accommodate the NSA changes.

Capt'n Midnight

ChRoMe wrote: »

Its not a case of selling out at all though, they would have been given no choice. That ten million was probably to cover the cost of additional development/work required to accommodate the NSA changes.

LOL
Of course they had a choice. How many billion dollar corporations pay next to zero tax in the US and have lobby groups in congress. Look at the whole history of Microsoft and their ilk vs. the Dept of Justice. It's only in recent years that big pharma have had to pay billion dollar fines, but like the big corporates they can easily treat them as an overhead because they can afford them.

ChRoMe

Capt'n Midnight wrote: »

LOL
Of course they had a choice. How many billion dollar corporations pay next to zero tax in the US and have lobby groups in congress. Look at the whole history of Microsoft and their ilk vs. the Dept of Justice. It's only in recent years that big pharma have had to pay billion dollar fines, but like the big corporates they can easily treat them as an overhead because they can afford them.

Apples and bowling balls tbh.

Capt'n Midnight

http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/a-941262.html

browse the NSA exploits

Stuxnet

Interesting follow up video from the EFF !

Khannie

In fairness - like it or lump it, you have to hand it to them. They do a top end job.

theedude27

Khannie wrote: »

In fairness - like it or lump it, you have to hand it to them. They do a top end job.

Yeh well you have to hand it to the Nazi's too since they introduced the world to Volkswagen!!!

Walker34

Hi,.
Im sure that Ford, when it wakes up to the fact that the notion of collecting unwarranted data on people is now totally unacceptable for ANY reason, will issue a disclaimer. They never were the sharpest nails in the pack, but it is cringy to watch even them comitt marketing suicide in such a public way. Will Ford have a Stazi officer in their showrooms along with their sales reps.?
How about this for a stupid sales pitch to use in 2014.................“We know everyone who breaks the law, we know when you're doing it. We have GPS in your car, so we know what you're doing, and where your doing it,” Ford’s Jim Farley told a Vegas crowd on Wednesday.

I have never even been given a parking ticket.......but I automatically feel guilty now when I pass a Ford.

http://rt.com/usa/ford-vp-auto-surveillance-382/

Khannie

Muppets. That is just pure muppetry. Of the highest order.

[-0-]

Mr Ford was an antisemitic dirt bag. Why anyone would buy a Ford car is beyond me.

Walker34

[-0-] wrote: »

Mr Ford was an antisemitic dirt bag. Why anyone would buy a Ford car is beyond me.

I doubt that Henry had any input in the 2014 Vegas car show though, if he had I doubt he would be this stupid (sarcasm btw).:rolleyes:

[-0-]

Walker34 wrote: »

I doubt that Henry had any input on the 2014 Vegas car show though, if he had I doubt he would be this stupid.:rolleyes:

He was stupid enough to be openly antisemitic so I wouldn't put it past him.

Walker34

How did this turn into a discussion about the Semites......they seem to get introduced into arguments all the time, funny that isnt it. The thread was about the NSA, ...............not the semites.

[-0-]

Walker34 wrote: »

How did this turn into a discussion about the Semites......they seem to get introduced into arguments all the time, funny that isnt it. The thread was about the NSA, ...............not the semites.

You brought an antisemites company into the discussion.

Walker34

What Henry Fords views on Arabs or middle eastern people in the 1930s was, is totally irrelevant to a discussion of the current mass collection and storage of everybodys private and personal information is. What IS relivent is the culvert intigration of technology which facilitates this unacceptable activity into peoples cars without their permission or prior knowledge. Im too long at this game to take the racism bait.....nice try though.

shedweller

[-0-] wrote: »

You brought an antisemites company into the discussion.

You chose to get uppity over some minor indiscretion somebody did a long time ago.
Has feck all to do with the discussion at hand.

[-0-]

shedweller wrote: »

You chose to get uppity over some minor indiscretion somebody did a long time ago.
Has feck all to do with the discussion at hand.

I didn't get uppity over anything. I pointed out the behaviour of the guy who founded the company.

It has as much to do with the discussion, as Ford's business practices which were brought into the discussion.

shedweller

[-0-] wrote: »

I didn't get uppity over anything. I pointed out the behaviour of the guy who founded the company.

It has as much to do with the discussion, as Ford's business practices which were brought into the discussion.

How long ago did this anti semitism happen?

[-0-]

Start another thread and we can discuss it if you like, or PM me. I'd rather not derail this any further.

shedweller

[-0-] wrote: »

Start another thread and we can discuss it if you like, or PM me. I'd rather not derail this any further.

So you wont answer my question then. Thats ok.

Walker34

Henry Ford was a published antisemite in the 1920s..........which has NOTHING to do with the current Ford Corporation installing technology in their new model to log and recor owners behaviour. Its called profiling and is one of the NSA`s many activities being carried out under the excuse of TWOT. It probably IS an attempt to use a well known technique to digress, deflect and fudge a conversation about a topic which is uncomfortable for moderators.

"Ford’s global vice president in charge of marketing and sales now says the automobile company doesn’t keep a close eye on their customers’ driving habits after recent remarks at a Las Vegas trade show raised concerns among car owners.

On Thursday, Ford’s Jim Farley told Business Insider that he didn’t accurately portray the company’s operations with regards to recording and logging user data with new smart car technology when he told a crowd at the CES electronics show in Vegas over the weekend, “We know everyone who breaks the law, [and[ we know when you're doing it” "

Nate--IRL--

Thank you for veering back on topic.

Nate

Khannie

Nate--IRL-- wrote: »

Thank you for veering back on topic.

Nate

Off topic. Banned. :pac:

(For what it's worth, I'm a fan of organic discussion being better than forced on-topic-ness. Koolkid may differ. I haven't read the entirety of the thread yet though...).

Khannie

So I just got around to finishing this. Frightening stuff. Frightening.

For what it's worth I think the 2nd half of the talk is a lot better, so worth sticking out.