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The CIA is giving its surveillance tech to US law enforcement
The Justice Department's newest electronic dragnet--plane-mounted "dirtboxes" that can slurp thousands of cellular phone ID's from the air -- was originally developed by the CIA to hunt terrorists in the Middle East, The Wall Street Journal reports. Now however, it's being used domestically to track American citizens. That's not good.
How the CIA planned to hijack Apple's developer tools
That your government will spy on you should, sadly (by now) come as no surprise. But, some of the ways they go about it still trigger disbelief. The Intercept claims to have received documents outlining methods the CIA has considered to access data on Apple products. The usual talk of decrypting and vulnerabilities is present, but there's one technique in particular that seems especially nefarious. Reportedly, the CIA went as far as creating a modified version of Xcode (an Apple tool that developers use to make apps). The hijacked Xcode would unwittingly include code in the final app without the developer knowing. The Intercept's sources also claim OS X's updater (that automatically installs the latest version of OS X) was targeted with a modification that would install a keylogger onto your Mac. Fun.
Major CIA overhaul ramps up focus on cyber operations
The CIA is working on a major reorganization, and it's said to be one the largest in the agency's 67-year history. A big piece of the overhaul is a larger focus on operations in cyberspace, leveraging the latest technology in its intelligence gathering workflow. CIA chief John Brennan is setting up a Directorate of Digital Innovation to lead the charge, keeping track of and implementing advances on the cyber front, including advanced communications tech. As Reuters reports, the National Security Agency is typically on the edge of innovation inside the US government, but the CIA hopes an internal shuffle with help it keep up with the "pace of change." The new directorate will join the four other major departments that focus on Science and Technology, Support, Analysis and Operations. [Image credit: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty Images]
The CIA and Homeland Security want to delete almost all their emails
Usually, deleting emails is a no-fanfare, one-click affair -- but not when you're the Central Intelligence Agency or the Department of Homeland Security. Both agencies have recently submitted proposals to the National Archives and Records Administration that outline their plans to delete years' worth of emails, which the Archives has already tentatively approved. The CIA apparently turned one in to comply with the administration's directive, ordering federal agencies to conjure up viable plans to better manage government emails by 2016. If approved, all the correspondences of every person to ever be employed by the CIA will be flushed down the digital toilet three years after they leave. All messages older than seven years old will also be nuked, and only the digital missives of 22 top officials will be preserved -- something which several senators do not want to happen.
US government says someone besides Snowden is leaking secret docs
Due to content of a report from The Intercept, the US government says that there's a new whistle blower leaking its secrets in addition to Edward Snowden. The article details national security documents prepared by the National Counterterrorism Center dated August 2013 -- after the former NSA contractor left the US for Russia. Focusing on databases used to organize suspected terrorists' identities, the report details one specific repository -- the Terrorist Identities Datamart Enivornment (TIDE) -- that now tallies a million names. According to The Intercept, 680,000 suspects make up the Terrorist Screening Database (TSDB) portion of TIDE, with over 40 percent (280,000 to be exact) labeled by the government as having no affiliation with a terrorist group. Documents also shed light on how the screening system has expanded under the Obama Administration to include the collection of biometric data (facial images, fingerprints, and iris scans) of watchlisted Americans. What's more, part of the process included pulling records for every person with a driver's license in Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin in the time leading up to the Chicago Marathon. [(Photo credit: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty Images]
CIA admits to spying on US Senate computer network
Back in March 2014, two United States senators accused the Central Intelligence Agency of infiltrating Senate computers. Worse, they accused the CIA of hacking Senate computer networks and accessing files while the Senate's Intelligence Committee was actively investigating CIA detention practices. Following an internal investigation by the CIA, it turns out that the senators were right. "Some CIA employees acted in a manner inconsistent with the common understanding reached between SSCI (Senate Select Committee on Intelligence) and the CIA in 2009," a statement issued by the CIA spokesman Dean Boyd says.
Edward Snowden wants you to call him what he is: a trained government spy
Edward Snowden has been called a variety of things: whistleblower, patriot, traitor. But when it comes to his technical expertise, he's usually just referred to as a hacker, contractor or some flavor of system administrator. That, Snowden says, doesn't do his role and background justice. In an excerpt of an NBC interview, Snowden asserts that he's a technical expert "trained as a spy in sort of the traditional sense of the word," worked undercover and overseas for the CIA and NSA, lectured at a counterintelligence training academy and implemented systems for the government "at all levels." According to the infamous whistleblower, he qualifies as a spy in the classic sense since he "lived and worked undercover overseas -- pretending to work in a job that I'm not -- and even being assigned a name that was not mine."
CIA reportedly pays to collect foreign call data from AT&T
The NSA wields its legal authority to collect phone call data from American telecom providers, but the CIA apparently doesn't even need to apply pressure. The New York Times claims that the agency has a years-old voluntary agreement with AT&T that lets it obtain the call records of foreign suspects; the CIA pays $10 million per year in compensation. While the carrier reportedly hides identifying data for American participants, intelligence officers can demand that information as well if they get FBI subpoenas. Both AT&T and the CIA tell the Times that they're obeying the law, but that may not be very reassuring to those who want to keep their international calls private. [Image credit: David Drexler, Flickr]
Daily Roundup: Laptop buyer's guide, Apple's gold-colored iPhone, Withings Pulse review, and more!
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
CIA documents tip Area 51 as Cold War surveillance site, definitely not an alien cover up
span.redacted { color: black; background-color: black;} The truth, as a great man once said, is out there. It's just not 125 miles northwest of Vegas. And while no one's denying the seemingly great potential for extraterrestrial life on the outskirts of Sin City, newly declassified documents have shed further light on the long mysterious nature of Area 51. The good news: yes, the CIA acknowledges that Area 51 is , indeed, a thing. And it has the map to prove it. The bad news: there's nary a mention of aliens on stretchers or a besuited Will Smith. Nope, there's no one wearing cool sunglasses so far as we can tell -- heck, even the references to the U-2 program are largely Bono-free. Nope, the area was reportedly the site of Cold War surveillance -- programs that like Oxcart, which have been previously acknowledged. All in all, a perfectly normal base, as far as the government is concerned. Likely story, CIA.
Huawei tells ex-CIA director, UK government to 'put up or shut up' about spying claims
Though Huawei seems to spend just about as much time denying spying claims as it does building handsets and telecom equipment, it's just taken that rhetoric up a notch. The company's vice president, William Plummer, just demanded the US and UK "shut up" about such allegations unless they can prove them. That's in response to a recent statement from former CIA head Michael Hayden, who accused the company of sharing "extensive knowledge of the foreign telecommunications systems" it worked on with the Chinese government. UK watchdogs also piled on, saying they would conduct a review of Huawei's new Cyber Security Evaluation Center over a lack of information about its links to the Chinese government. The beleaguered outfit responded that "these tired, unsubstantiated, defamatory remarks are sad distractions from real-world concerns related to espionage, industrial and otherwise." Those remarks show that Huawei's hit a whole new level of frustration, but given recent White House accusations against China, it's not likely to get any better.
CIA dragonfly drone almost beat modern UAVs by 40 years, was swatted (video)
US intelligence agencies were just as obsessed with drone spying 40 years ago as they are nowadays -- only then, it was pipe-smoking entomologists and watchmakers who were in charge of building prototypes. Back in the '70s, the CIA needed some kind of miniature flyer to deliver an audio bug, and after considering (and rejecting) a faux bumblebee, decided that a robotic dragonfly would be the best option. The wee UAV used a "miniature fluidic oscillator" as a motor and was propelled by a small amount of gas. It was somehow guided by a laser beam, which served double-duty as the "datalink for the audio sensor payload," according to the CIA Museum. Unfortunately, the insect-based mech proved too difficult to control, especially with any degree of wind, and was eventually scuppered -- all that's left of the now-declassified project is in the video after the break.
Free iPad comic tells the story of Operation Ajax
I've been reading a lot of comics on the iPad lately, and while I love my iPad for a lot of reasons, I think reading comics is one of the best reasons to own an iPad. The big, beautiful screen brings comic art to life exquisitely, most apps allow you to zoom in and out of bigger pages at will, and the touch interface makes flipping a page as easy as, well, flipping a page. So I have no problem at all with free comics to download on the iPad, and that's exactly what Operation Ajax is. It's a historical comic (so no superheroes, for those of you into that, unfortunately), about the CIA's operation to cause a coup d'état in Iran in 1953. The app features full sound and motion as you're reading through the pages, along with lots of background information about the real-life story and even some newsreel videos to check out. And right now at launch, the app is completely free. Excellent deal, and a great way to get started in comics on the iPad if you haven't yet. After that, I highly recommend the Comixology app for buying digital comics directly, and I've been using the free ComicBookLover for reading my own .CBR digital files. I've been reading plenty of things in iBooks, too, but the iPad really seems made for reading some great comics.
Fifty days of 'lulz' over: LulzSec disbands
The secretive hacking group known as LulzSec has announced that it is formally disbanding with the completion of its planned 50 days of mayhem. Among its many targets that it has hacked, including government sites, LulzSec struck at The Escapist, Bethesda Game Studios, League of Legends, and EVE Online. LulzSec sent out a final statement, which said the group was a band of six hackers who had planned 50 days of attacks from the beginning. Now that the time is up, the group plans to fade into the shadows. The group hopes that others will continue with these illegal activities: "Behind the mask, behind the insanity and mayhem, we truly believe in the AntiSec movement. We hope, wish, even beg, that the movement manifests itself into a revolution that can continue on without us." While a suspected member of LulzSec was arrested a few days ago, the organization denied that he was part of the collective.
CIA adds social media functions that nobody asked for to its website
The CIA just revamped its website -- that's right guys -- the CIA has a website. Now you may not spend a ton of time trolling the government's various portals of information but the new and improved CIA website is a veritable treasure trove of data. The CIA isn't immune to the world around it, either, and its refreshed design brings with it a YouTube channel, a Flickr stream (we culled the photo you see above from there), as well as Quick Links for sharing on various social media sites. Now, we can't embed the best video we found on the CIA's YouTube channel (they're not that social yet) but it's called "CIA Overview," and is surely worth your time. There's a press release after the break.
CIA's WTF to investigate impact of WikiLeaks
We're not quite sure what's prompted all the hilarious names today, but the CIA has now formed a new group with an acronym of the likes we haven't seen since the days of Nixon's CREEP (or the Committee to Reelect the President). The WikiLeaks Task Force -- yeah, WTF -- has been charged with assessing the impact of the leaked cables on the agency's foreign relationships and operations, and it seems that the acronym has unsurprisingly already become the normal parlance at HQ. No word if the CIA is planning on holding a WTF BBQ to mark the occasion.
Pentagon presents hypothetical terrorist plot in WoW
A number of readers wrote in to tell us about a 'hypothetical WoW-hatched terror plot' from the Pentagon, which Wired posted just last night. The scenario detailed in the presentation given by Dr. Dwight V. Toavs is meant to display how terrorists could potentially use the pseudonymity of an MMO combined with the obscure gamer lingo to hide a terrorist plot within the massive, mostly unmonitored (by them) playerbase. This isn't the first time we've heard about the government looking to virtual worlds for potential terrorist hideouts, but it's the most ridiculous.The presented scenario is as follows (summarized; full version at Wired): Two WoW players, WAR_MONGER and TALON238 meet up to plot. WAR_MONGER lays out the plan: They will approach via the South East of the Zoram Strand, and assault the 'White Keep' using a 'Dragon Fire' spell in their inventory. They will kill all of the 'castle guards' and when they've entered the keep, they will acquire their treasure of 110 gold, 234 silver.Translation: These two terrorists will meet South East of the White House (the White Keep) and take out all of the security before sneaking a weapon of some sort through. The 'treasure' is the coordinates for their attack.
Wired: National intelligence seeking terrorists in WoW
The average World of Warcraft player has a number of annoyances to deal with during his day-to-day exploits in Azeroth -- gold farmers, gold sellers, ninja-looters, and overzealous paladins, to name a few. Unfortunately for subscribers, another soon-to-be-unpopular community is about to hit Blizzard's servers: Big Brother (that is to say, government intelligence agencies, not the reality TV show). Wired reports that U.S. intelligence is planning on developing a data mining program using World of Warcraft that will help root out violent extremists that play MMOs. The ultimate goal of the "Reynard project" is to develop software that is capable of "automatically detecting suspicious behavior and actions in the virtual world." On one hand, we can see why they'd want to keep an eye on a community that's 10 million strong (fun fact -- there's 142 countries with a smaller population than WoW). On the other, we're not sure we want The Man looking over our shoulder every time we craft a Big Iron Bomb.
