Sandia involved in hacking private citizens
At the 2012 TCB Jamboree, presenters from Sandia National Laboratories, which is a contractor for the Department of Energy, described an attack on Xcode, the Apple software used to compile applications in Mac OS X and iOS. The “whacked” Xcode exploit, called Strawhorse, enables intelligence agents to implant a version of Xcode on developers' computers which, unbeknownst to the developers, would cause software they compile to include a backdoor or other compromise. If successful, the attack could enable a range of surveillance-friendly applications to be covertly made available to the public. The report suggests that the Sandia team discovered and employed a number of additional vulnerabilities in Apple’s hardware and software, including a vulnerability in Apple's secure element that enabled them to extract a secret key, and one that allowed modification of the OS X updater to install a keylogger
At the 2012 TCB Jamboree, presenters from Sandia National Laboratories, which is a contractor for the Department of Energy, described an attack on Xcode, the Apple software used to compile applications in Mac OS X and iOS. The “whacked” Xcode exploit, called Strawhorse, enables intelligence agents to implant a version of Xcode on developers' computers which, unbeknownst to the developers, would cause software they compile to include a backdoor or other compromise. If successful, the attack could enable a range of surveillance-friendly applications to be covertly made available to the public. The report suggests that the Sandia team discovered and employed a number of additional vulnerabilities in Apple’s hardware and software, including a vulnerability in Apple's secure element that enabled them to extract a secret key, and one that allowed modification of the OS X updater to install a keylogger
Comments
April 14, 2015 at 5:43 PM
As if the other NNSA labs don't do significant intelligence community work. They all have intel divisions that get their money from the intel community "off the books." Sandia just said a little too much about what they are doing. I'm sure their sponsor is not pleased.
Nobody trust US company tech products any longer. The tech products are all a bunch of US government compromised spy-ware.
Good point. Sandians doesn't know how to keep their mouths shut.
http://www.cnbc.com/id/102483901
In the US your top loyalty is to the government and the highest form of national service is to work the the intelligence community.
http://www.cnbc.com/id/102483901
In the US your top loyalty is to the government and the highest form of national service is to work the the intelligence community.
April 15, 2015 at 5:20 PM
No, just the highest form of security clearance involved. As for loyalty, each citizen makes his choice, but to disavow loyalty to the country (and therefore the government which according to our system and laws, carries out he will of the country) in peace time is reprehensible, in wartime is a felony called treason.
I know you will disagree that the the government carries out the will of the country, but that means you object to the Constitution and its establishment of a representative republic. That's your right, but it is a minority opinion.
The NSA carries out it's own delusional will. It has nothing to do with the constitution or reality for that matter.
No one is asking you to justify actions you don't agree with. Your extremely narrow, partisan, nasty view of your country is sad, luckily your caustic view of things is only eating away your own sanity, and you are in the minority. I hope your bile is not infecting those close to you.
If you think the only result of Snowden's unauthorized disclosure of classified information was to expose the NSA "spying" programs, your knowledge of that issue is as uninformed and narrow as the rest of your views.
To assure you that that was not my message, I will say it here... What Snowden was illegal, and I would never condone what he did. In fact, he did much more damage than good to this country, and he should be prosecuted to the full extent. The only message I was making was that he exposed certain illegal and potentially illegal acts, making the point that laws are applied very selectively, as they do in countries that do not have strong "rule of law" institutions. We only live in a country that "thinks" of itself as having strong "rule of law" traditions and institutions. The truth is that we don't.
April 17, 2015 at 2:51 PM
For anyone who believes that, it is a self-fulfilling prophesy. You make your own reality and then you have to live in it.
The only thing that the national labs, agencies and government departments require is NDA (non-disclosure agreements) and willful violating our laws by government institutions over-rides any signed NDA.
It's frightening to witness how far some people have gone in defending the illegal actions of government agents. Hitler would be proud.
April 17, 2015 at 10:42 PM
You obviously haven't read the fine print of your NDA. Hint: there are severe civil and criminal penalties for violating it. Ask Snowden how his vacation in Ruddia is going.
If you signed an NDA, then I assume you have a security clearance. Keep in mind that if your words were to be attached to your identity (not a difficult task these days), that clearance would be gone, as would your livlihood.
Of course, anyone who signs an NDA and believes he is being asked to engage in blatant criminal activity as a government employee or contractor had better be damn sure of it before blowing the whistle. Having a "hunch" is not enough.
In the case of Snowden, the facts are still not clear. A legal trial might clear up the issue. He may have violated his NDA. He claims to have tried to post his concerns with his superiors but says he was repeatedly ignored. The truth is still unclear on that issue. Regardless of his legal culpability and whether he was morally right or wrong to make his disclosures, what was released to the public from the Snowden affair has started a badly needed conversation about what the government should and should not be doing in regards to surveillance of the American public. We still have an amazing Constitution that serves as the final law of the land for our nation.... for now, at least.
Now, the illegal activities on the part of the government is a different story. Something needs to be done here. Just change the law to make spying on citizens legal, or prosecute those who took part in the programs to illegally spy on US citizens.
April 19, 2015 at 10:23 AM
Which include treason.
Most of the Snowden stuff is high-level briefings that are more bragging than anything else. The IC will continue to expand and manipulate our leaders. Americans love spying and intelligence.
You have failed to realize how much of what Snowden released is NOT intel-related but jeopardized ongoing military operations and actually got people killed. That portion was much more volume and much higher damage than the Intel (NSA) stuff.
April 19, 2015 at 8:29 PM"
How would you know what Snowden did or did not release?
April 25, 2015 at 9:13 PM
Uh, what, are you living in a cave? How about Congressional testimony from the CIA, NSA, DOD, and the National Intelligence Director? And if you are really interested, just look at Wikileaks. It isn't rocket science to stay informed on national issues. Try it.
April 25, 2015 at 9:29 PM"
Did it ever occur to you that all this government testimony might be somewhat tainted? Also by looking at Wikileaks you are encouraging it, perhaps you have an agenda? It isn't rocket science to figure out that we are not being told the who truth. Mr sheeple you should try questioning the information that they feed you.
April 26, 2015 at 8:59 PM
So I guess you mistrust ALL sources of information, except maybe anonymous blogs? It is a sign of extreme paranoia if you believe that from all sources you "are not being told the truth." So what is your source of "the truth"?? And exactly how does "questioning the information" result in "truth" if there are no truthful sources? If you truly believe that all the government employees of various agencies and various levels of authority are all marching in lockstep to some anonymous but omnipotent authority, when they testify under oath (and at risk of their careers) in front of Congress, you are way beyond paranoid; you are deranged. Go tidy up your bunker; the rest of us have lives to live.
So you just blindly believe everything you are told.
April 27, 2015 at 6:35 AM
Absolutely not. I'm just like you - I don't believe anything I am told. Unless of course it is a rumor on a blog, or the product of some insane conspiracy theory. Then of course I believe it. But sworn testimony from a large number of our country's leaders? Nope, nope, it's all lies.
And what makes you so "informed". I'm just curious...
April 27, 2015 at 8:29 PM
Uh, paying attention to what's happening? Duh. Oh, wait, you're the guy who doesn't believe anything. Difficult to be informed than, I guess.
Where did the person say they did not believe anything? I think they said they simply question some things. In any case it can be said that you believe everything even contradictory stories.
House reaches deal on bill to end NSA phone collection ( AP News - April 30, 2015 )
WASHINGTON (AP) — House leaders have reached a bipartisan compromise on a bill that would end the National Security Agency's controversial collection of American phone records, but the measure faces an uncertain future in the Senate.
The House Judiciary Committee on Thursday overwhelmingly passed the latest version of a bill known as the USA Freedom Act by a bipartisan vote of 25 to 2. The measure seeks to codify President Barack Obama's proposal to end the NSA's collection of domestic calling records. It would allow the agency to request certain records held by the telephone companies under a court order in terrorism investigations.
* Bid to end mass collection of phone data advances in U.S. Congress - Reuters
* US unveils 6-year-old report on NSA surveillance - Associated Press
* As deadline nears, Congress introduces new bills to end bulk NSA surveillance - ZDNet
* U.S. lawmakers seek to end spies' mass collection of phone data - Reuters
* Privacy advocates seek more openness on NSA surveillance - Associated Press