Technology in the News

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NSA infected 50,000 computer networks with malicious software

nrc.nl

November 23, 2013

The American intelligence service - NSA - infected more than 50,000 computer networks worldwide with malicious software designed to steal sensitive information.

Documents provided by former NSA-employee Edward Snowden and seen by this newspaper, prove this. A management presentation dating from 2012 explains how the NSA collects information worldwide. In addition, the presentation shows that the intelligence service uses 'Computer Network Exploitation' (CNE) in more than 50,000 locations. CNE is the secret infiltration of computer systems achieved by installing malware, malicious software. One example of this type of hacking was discovered in September 2013 at the Belgium telecom provider Belgacom. For a number of years the British intelligence service - GCHQ - has been installing this malicious software in the Belgacom network in order to tap their customers' telephone and data traffic. The Belgacom network was infiltrated by GCHQ through a process of luring employees to a false Linkedin page.

Confirmed: CIA, NSA, IRS collected and shared Americans' personal information

RT

November 14, 2013

On a mission to detect untrustworthy employees, nearly 30 government agencies collected and shared the personal information of thousands of Americans, many of whom had no ties to the federal government.

A list of 4,904 people was created by US officials investigating two men for allegedly teaching people how to pass polygraph tests. This list was shared with agencies such as the Internal Revenue Service, the CIA, the Food and Drug Administration, and the National Security Agency (NSA), who then entered the names in their database. They are keeping the list in the event that one of the flagged individuals submits to a lie detector test for a federal job. As McClatchy reports, however, a large number of names on the list belong to individuals who don't work for the government. Some were firefighters, nurses, police officers, Rite Aid employees, American Red Cross employees, a cancer researcher, and more.

Blogger Facing 5 Years in Prison for a Phone Call

dcclothesline.com

November 11, 2013

Last August a citizen was filming Boston Police and was subsequently harassed and threatened.

Now before you jump to any conclusions, please understand that the right of citizens to film Boston Police has been upheld in court and that decision was handed down long before this incident. The gentleman with the camera may have been a bit flippant with the police but we must understand that he had every right to be. His rights were being violated. The video in and of itself was just a black eye for Boston Police, but it seems like they may have found another way to reach out and get their vengeance over this incident.

Amazon to deliver on Sundays using Postal Service fleet

washingtonpost.com

November 10, 2013

The struggling agency will charge regular rates, hoping to boost business.

The Internet has been blamed for the death of the mail, but now it's offering hope to the beleaguered U.S. Postal Service. Amazon announced Monday that it will begin Sunday deliveries using the government agency's fleet of foot soldiers, office workers and truck drivers to bring packages to homes seven days a week.

Made-in-China home appliances contain spy chips

dcclothesline.com

November 9, 2013

Those cheap made-in-China home appliances you bought from Walmart, like electric irons and tea kettles, may contain computer chips that will infect your computer with viruses.

The BBC News reports that Rossiya 24, the Russian state-owned TV channel, showed footage of a technician opening up an iron included in a batch of Chinese imports to find a "spy chip" with "a little microphone". The hidden spy chips are mostly being used to spread viruses, by connecting to any computer within a 656 ft radius which uses unprotected Wi-Fi networks. Other products found to have rogue components reportedly included mobile phones and car dashboard cameras.

St. Louis Woman Is Victim of Identity Theft After Signing Up for Obamacare

youtube.com

November 8, 2013

Lisa Martinson called customer service after she forgot her password. That's when she was told three different people were given the password to her account, her address and her Social Security number. Then she was told it would take up to five days to get her personal information offline.

California ammunition sales limit overturned

sfgate.com

November 7, 2013

In a setback for gun-control advocates, a state appeals court has barred enforcement of a California law that would require all purchases of ammunition "principally for use" in handguns to be made in person rather than by mail order or on the Internet.

The law, which has been blocked by court orders since 2011, would require buyers of ammunition to be thumb-printed and sellers to keep records of the transactions. Most types of ammunition are not limited to handguns, but can be used in rifles and other firearms, the Fifth District Court of Appeal said in a 2-1 ruling Wednesday. As a result, the court said, those affected by the law would not have fair notice of whether it applies to their transactions and when they might be at risk of prosecution.

'Scary you could be jailed for running computer service' - CryptoSeal co-founder

RT

October 26, 2013

VPN service CryptoSeal followed Lavabit in pulling the plug, fearing running afoul of US authorities. Ryan Lackey, co-founder of the computer firm, told RT about the current climate where people can be put behind bars just for running their businesses.

In August, the highly-encrypted email service Lavabit reportedly used by NSA leaker Edward Snowden went offline after it was ordered by a court to turn over its Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) private key - a cryptographic protocol designed to facilitate communication security over the internet - to the FBI. The company objected, saying the key would grant the government access to communications by all 400,000 of its customers. Lavabit offered instead to add code to his servers which would provide the FBI the necessary information only for the target of the order. According to unsealed documents from the Federal District Court in Alexandria, Virginia, released earlier this month, the court rejected the offer, demanding that Lavabit hand over the SSL key or face a $5,000-per-day fine.

Soldiers: Army warns of punishment for donations to Tea Party, Christian groups

examiner.com

October 25, 2013

Soldiers at Fort Hood, Texas, were warned to stay away from the Tea Party and evangelical Christian organizations like the American Family Association. Failure to heed the warning could result in punishment.

According to the Times, that was the message soldiers at a pre-deployment briefing said they received from a counter-intelligence agent who headed up the meeting. Starnes said one soldier who attended the Oct. 17 briefing told him the agent spent nearly a half-hour saying these groups are "tearing the country apart." The Times said that the agent allegedly said those who donate to these groups would be subject to discipline under the Uniform Code of Military Justice.

Pigs are flying...

youngcons.com

October 24, 2013

Hollywood celebrities come together and make a video slamming the government

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