Did you know that computers ordered online have been intercepted during shipping to be implanted with espionage software by the NSA? Me either until this and other activities of the Tailored Access Operations (TAO) of NSA was revealed by Der Spiegel, the highly respected German publication with prior ties to Edward Snowden. Snowden has not been named as a source for these particular revelations.
For a quick overview, here are a few of the activities being reported:
• Special equipment that directly saves and reports what is being typed on a computer screen, allowing NSA to get the information before it can be encrypted.
• USB sticks with hidden transmitters
• Fake base stations to intercept cell phone signals on the move
• Delivering malicious software to designated computers
• Exploiting vulnerabilities in products from companies including Cisco, Dell and Western Digital, to name a few
• Spying on Microsoft “crash reports”, where you report issues with Windows based systems, in order to break into computers using Windows operating systems.
Oh yeah, in the pieces I’ve read on this there is no mention of obtaining warrants or protecting Constitutional guarantees. In fairness, the full scope of activity, and how much directly or indirectly involves American citizens remains fuzzy, as does the extent to which this will further infuriate our friends and allies.
For more reading on this, you can start with Politico and HuffingtonPost .
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Thanks to TheOhioan for the HuffPo link from a comment on another article.
Contributor, aka tidbits. Retired attorney in complex litigation, death penalty defense and constitutional law. Former Nat’l Board Chair: Alzheimer’s Association. Served on multiple political campaigns, including two for U.S. Senator Mark O. Hatfield (R-OR). Contributing author to three legal books and multiple legal publications.