RSS
Leaked Memo Confirms Apple, Nokia & RIM Gave Indian Gov't Backdoors
from the though,-that-should-have-been-known-already dept
Way back in the beginning of 2008, we wrote about how the Indian government was demanding that various mobile suppliers provide backdoors so it could intercept emails and text messages. In 2010, we wrote about further demands to spy on Gmail and Skype. Finally, at the end of 2010, the fact that various providers were providing backdoors to the Indian government was effectively revealed when the government complained that RIM's backdoor didn't really reveal everything. So, I'm not entirely sure why people are surprised that a leaked memo has revealed that at least Apple, Nokia and RIM all provided the Indian government with backdoors, and those are being used regularly in a surveillance dragnet.
Where it gets potentially more interesting is the report that the government then used such access to intercept emails from US government officials, including the "US-China Economic and Security Review Commission" -- "a U.S. government body with a mandate to monitor, investigate and report to Congress on 'the national security implications of the bilateral trade and economic relationship' between the U.S. and China." Kinda says something when the US commission on security issues can't even secure their own email from snooping foreign governments, huh?
Where it gets potentially more interesting is the report that the government then used such access to intercept emails from US government officials, including the "US-China Economic and Security Review Commission" -- "a U.S. government body with a mandate to monitor, investigate and report to Congress on 'the national security implications of the bilateral trade and economic relationship' between the U.S. and China." Kinda says something when the US commission on security issues can't even secure their own email from snooping foreign governments, huh?
I have an idea...
Finding Co-Founders in a Recovering Economy
Founders, Funders, Farmers, Fools, And Family
I’m looking for research...
Apps, Platforms, Consumer Use
Geography Of The App Economy
I’m looking for policy...
Application Developers Alliance Applauds Schumer Plan To Introduce Patent Legislation
Policy Resources: Data Privacy & Security
Reader Comments (rss)
(Flattened / Threaded)
Volunteering
But I trust our government. They'll only use it for good; really, they will. They just want to stop terrorists.
[ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]
Re: Volunteering
[ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]
[ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]
[ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]
Surveillance from other countries
[ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]
Future headline
[ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]
Only Playing At Security
For those few members of the US government who are actually serious about computer security, there is Security-Enhanced Linux from the Central Security Service of the National Security Agency. Google is your friend.
[ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]
Response to: Anonymous Coward on Jan 9th, 2012 @ 9:22pm
[ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]
[ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]
The 4th
At least in the United States you have the 4th amendment namely "protection from unreasonable search and seizure" which grants your privacy and anonymity. Then again these who do the spying would say that is one law and we can name another.
The funny part about India is that it would be the vast innocent majority who are being watched. The real terrorists are the ones who have good reason to come hard encrypted to avoid all monitoring.
Still even the most secure system is flawed by the dumb users who do not follow security protocol.
[ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]
[ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]
This makes the assumption all governments weren't given the same access to the back door.
Kinda says something new, but that's just my opinion.
[ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]
Re:
Treason or plain stupidity?
[ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]
Re: The 4th
ut I'd say more than half of the security issues and virus infections out there are due to the dumb piece behind the keyboard.
[ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]
Re: The 4th
[ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]
Re: Re: The 4th
PICNIC
Problem In Chair, Not In Computer!
Does not matter if Linux(users are generally smarter, but not always), Mac(users think they are invincible), or Windows(mostly clueless with a decent batch that have common sense).
[ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]
Re: Only Playing At Security
[ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]
Leaked Memo
[ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]
Re: Future headline
[ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]
[ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]
[ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]
Re: Re: Re: The 4th
Problem In Chair, Not In Computer!
Hehe. When I was a programmer/analyst and first line support for a 60+ engineering department in the 90's I used a couple of similar lines:
- The problem is somewhere between the chair and keyboard.
- That appears to be an eye-dee-ten-tee error. (ID10T)
- Take two reboots and call me in the morning.
[ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]
[ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]
Re: Re: Volunteering
Well, I'm terrified of the TSA. Does that count?
[ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]
Re: Volunteering
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qy3eOCkLVaw
Who needs CarrierIQ when you get all data from the source.
[ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]
Open Source...
In a perfect world, all the hardware and software would be open source. The thought of hardware back doors makes me sad, but I'm sure they exist as well, if nothing else as a way to piggyback in a monitoring app or something like that.
Freedom
[ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]
[ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]
Re: Re: Re: The 4th
I saw countless sys admins complain about how people shared their passwords, or didn't change them often enough or couldn't remember the 20 characters long passwords, or forgot to use encryption or hit the wrong button, but it was rare to see someone actually think about the why people did those things and think of a better way that was more natural on how people behaved, you see on that front programmers are no better than the RIAA or the MPAA, the problem is often in the chair for certain, but not always.
[ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]
We ALL know we can trust government employees - they would never do things like hack into computers using open back-doors or mail out anthrax, of course.
[ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]
Yeah - here's who you are trusting your stuff with - potentially.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2001_anthrax_attacks
"Bruce Edwards Ivins, became a focus of investigation around April 4, 2005. Ivins was a scientist who worked at the government's biodefense labs at Fort Detrick in Frederick, Maryland. On April 11, 2007, Ivins was put under periodic surveillance and an FBI document stated that "Bruce Edwards Ivins is an extremely sensitive suspect in the 2001 anthrax attacks". On July 27, 2008, Ivins killed himself with an overdose of acetaminophen."
Yep - trustworthy indeed. I wonder if some of these guys are on the take and expose secrets against various politicians for pay from competitors?
[ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]
Simple Fix
[ reply to this | link to this | view in thread ]
Add Your Comment