Here's how the NSA can collect data from millions of PCs

We know that the NSA has been ramping up its efforts to collect data from computers, but it's now clear that the intelligence agency has the tools to compromise those computers on a grand scale. Information leaked by Edward Snowden to The Intercept has revealed that the NSA has spent recent years automating the way it plants surveillance software. The key is Turbine, a system launched in 2010 that automatically sets up implants and simplifies fetching data; agents only have to know what information they want, rather than file locations or other app-specific details. A grid of sensors, nicknamed Turmoil, automatically spots extracted info and relays it to NSA staff. The combined platform lets the organization scrape content from "potentially millions" of PCs, instead of focusing only on the highest-priority targets.

The spies also have a wide range of weapons at their disposal. They can grab data from flash drives and webcams, remote control PCs and intercept the content from both internet calls as well as virtual private networks. The NSA doesn't always go directly after a target, either. It frequently compromises IT administrators to reach people on the networks they run, and it will both spoof websites and alter traffic to trick targets into installing code. Snowden's latest leak isn't all that surprising given that we've seen governments use similar espionage methods in the past, but it suggests that the NSA can easily watch a large number of computer users without sweating the exact techniques that it uses. 0 Comments Share

Via: CNET

Source: The Intercept

Tags: edwardsnowden, nsa, privacy, security, surveillance, turbine, turmoil, voip, vpn Next: Google Wallet's new 'Orders' feature lets you track online shipments .fyre .fyre-comment-divider

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FISA court reauthorizes NSA to collect call metadata (again)

Need another sign that the NSA's phone surveillance program is considered legal? The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court is happy to oblige. This week FISA renewed the agencies' authority to collect call metadata, echoing an October approval from the same court. That's actually standard -- the program needs to be reassessed every 90 days, but typically the authorizations fly under the radar. This time around, the Director of National Intelligence declassified the action "in order to provide the public with a more thorough and balanced understanding of the program."

Even so, its not giving detractors any ground: the announcement also reasserts the program's legality, citing the "holdings of the United States District Courts of the Southern District of New York and Southern District of California, as well as the findings of 15 judges of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court on 36 separate occasions over the last seven years." The statement at least closes on an amicable note, promising to be open to tweaking the program in ways that "achieve our counterterrorism mission in a manner that gives the American people greater confidence." Check out the full statement at the source link below.

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Via: Huffington Post

Source: Office of the Director of National Intelligence

Tags: fisa, metadata, nsa, ODNI, prism, transparency, verizon Next: Billboard: Digital music sales decrease for the first time ever, vinyl continues to grow .fyre .fyre-comment-divider

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