Tag: Spyware

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IBM & FB Say ‘No’ to NSA, But Are We Safe Yet?

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IBM and Facebook Say ‘No’ to NSA, So Are We Safe Yet?

 

On IBM’s blog, the biggest-in-the-world tech company says it has not and will not cooperate with NSA when the feds come knocking. See its privacy policy: http://www.ibm.com/privacy/details/us/en/

 

If IBM receives a national security subpoena, what will it do? According to the IBM statement, it will fight in court and otherwise. Why does this matter? Some of the world’s largest and most successful corporations work with and through IBM systems, and they pay well for privacy. http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/03/14/us-usa-ibm-dataprotection-idUSBREA2D1R620140314

 

What’s behind the scenes of IBM privacy protection? Here’s one insight from HFS: IBM’s preferred provider of computers is the Chinese multinational company Lenovo. So where might IBM keep the hardware servicing its cloud? Anyone’s guess, but Chinese computer leaders are helping. http://ibm-lr.blogspot.com

 

How about Facebook, the biggest-in-the-world social network? According to its Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg on a recent FB entry, he says: “When our engineers work tirelessly to improve security, we imagine we’re protecting you against criminals, not our own government.” And Zuckerberg called President Obama directly to complain about it. http://www.reuters.com/subjects/facebook?lc=int_mb_1001

 

Scariest to many is a Snowden leak about how NSA co-opted 140,000 computers to inject them with spyware. NSA says Snowden’s report is inaccurate. (Yeah, HFS analysts can just imagine how inaccurate; it’s probably many, many more than just 140,000 computers by now.) http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2014/03/nsa-botnet/

 

So if you want to acquire a new computer someday within the next year or two, how could you go about building it yourself or through a truly trusted source? Do you have to be a tech wizard for that? Could average artists and writers build their own? Or at least, could artists and writers find a truly trusted source?

 

Not likely, if the latest, greatest quips from IBM and Facebook sound worried, as their message implies.

 

 

What do you think?

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Russia Not Necessarily Behind Turla Spyware Attack Against Europe and US

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Russia Backed Spyware Attacks Europe and USA? Not Necessarily Russian

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/03/07/us-russia-cyberespionage-insight-idUSBREA260YI20140307 

Unnamed security researchers and intelligence officers claim that Turla software has attacked European and US government computer systems to take control of them. http://article.wn.com/view/2014/03/07/Suspected_Russian_spyware_Turla_targets_Europe_US_1/

 

News of the spyware infection is now sweeping Europe. http://news168.co.uk/index/suspected-russian-spyware-turla-targets-europe-us And the US news agencies have started reporting the story, too. http://www.newshour24.com/business/1ze3akmm16/Suspected-Russian-Spyware-Turla-Targets-Europe-Us-Reuters.htm

 

Analysts at http://HamiltonFinanceServices.com expect much more news to hit on Turla and similar spyware in the next few days, but the news for now says that hackers backed by the Russian government use a specific style of software design and execution precisely like that employed by the spyware called Turla. European and US government agencies have circulated internal IT memos for how to identify and quarantine the spyware, but because the spyware shuts down via remote commands when detected, some or perhaps many government agencies cannot detect it without thousands of hours of code scrubbing. Costs associated with this type of cyber attack mount quickly into millions of Euros.

 

The http://HamiltonFinanceServices.com (HFS) analysts further opine that because the style of software design and execution has been closely identified with known or suspected Russian free-lance software developers, the possibility exists that some forces unrelated to Russia might be funding the same free-lancers. If so, cyber intelligence claims tainting Russia could be politically motivated as Ukraine tensions mount at the UN. The HFS analysts caution that no one really knows at this time who has retained the free-lance software designers behind Turla because no one has taken credit for the attack.