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Israel Hacked Kaspersky, Then Tipped NSA Its Tools Had Been Breached

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Re: Israel Hacked Kaspersky, Then Tipped NSA Its Tools Had Been Breached

#181

Post by aplummer »

thewhitetulip wrote: post #176
apexalpha wrote: post #139

Our company uses the enterprise version of Kaspersky. But if we drop this over surveillance issues then it would be a pretty hypocritical to switch to AV software from the USA. Since they are proven to do the exact thing that Kaspersky is now suspected / blamed of doing. So, fellow Europeans, what now? Avast? Any other options? EDIT: Ok so I found a pretty useful Wiki list[1] with European made AV products. I haven't…

Use Linux :) there is no other option

I think a Mac would work too, but that relies on trusting individuals.

Re: Israel Hacked Kaspersky, Then Tipped NSA Its Tools Had Been Breached

#182

Post by joshvm »

someonewhocar3s wrote: post #167
nannal wrote: post #141

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Hire a team from your native country to manually inspect each packet before it is passed on to the client machines. This kind of Biological neural network isn't always the fastest approach but you can be sure it isn't forwarding all your traffic to the government.

Your ridicule is misplaced. We truly cannot trust the computers we use, from the silicon up. To call that paranoia isn't naivity anymore, it's foolhardiness.

Standard intelligence practice is to assume that your information is already compromised. All it takes is a mole, or a disgruntled employee and all the cybersecurity in the world is naught. You'd be foolish to think anything else.

Re: Israel Hacked Kaspersky, Then Tipped NSA Its Tools Had Been Breached

#183

Post by MertsA »

colejohnson66 wrote: post #156
apexalpha wrote: post #139

Our company uses the enterprise version of Kaspersky. But if we drop this over surveillance issues then it would be a pretty hypocritical to switch to AV software from the USA. Since they are proven to do the exact thing that Kaspersky is now suspected / blamed of doing. So, fellow Europeans, what now? Avast? Any other options? EDIT: Ok so I found a pretty useful Wiki list[1] with European made AV products. I haven't…

What’s wrong with Windows Defender?

This is the real answer here. For the only alternatives you're forced to trust yet another party and with something like AV that basically equates to the third party having full control over your machine should they decide to do so. At least with Windows Defender you aren't adding another adversary although it seems pretty hypocritical to avoid American AV while still using an OS that the NSA can push updates to.

Get Windows Ten should have been an eye opener for everyone, vetting updates isn't anywhere close to good enough, if Microsoft is compelled to do so they can run whatever they want on your computer.

Re: Israel Hacked Kaspersky, Then Tipped NSA Its Tools Had Been Breached

#184

Post by leereeves »

andreif wrote: post #180
thewhitetulip wrote: post #175

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why would a hacker not use Mac or Linux for sensitive stuff?

Why would a NSA guy use Russian security software?

Why would an NSA guy put secret government tools on his personal laptop?

Re: Israel Hacked Kaspersky, Then Tipped NSA Its Tools Had Been Breached

#185

Post by tallanvor »

auganov wrote: post #117
carvalho wrote: post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Way down this thread, so time to ask the question: Do American anti-virus, social media, and search companies do exactly the same, but for the US military? I've always found it suspicious that Russia and China created their own social networks, email providers, and search engines. Almost like they know the power of a capable search engine or social network for intelligence gathering purposes. Google and US anti-virus…

Care to expand on the "theft and premature release of Stuxnet by Israel"? Most information seems to point to it being a joint US-Israeli creation or even primarily Israeli. We do know for a fact that US General James Cartwright pleaded guilty to leaking Stuxnet. And then got pardoned by Obama.

No, he pleaded guilty to making false statements, not to leaking Stuxnet. More specifically, he admitted to providing classified information to reporters in 2012, over a year after Stuxnet was identified.

Now, whether or not he was guilty of more than that, I don't think we know, but that's often the nature of plea deals.

Re: Israel Hacked Kaspersky, Then Tipped NSA Its Tools Had Been Breached

#186

Post by memeCrasher »

guelo wrote: post #84
brucephillips wrote: post #72

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is a gross false equivalence.

Yes. I find it annoying in these threads how people refuse to acknowledge that we have much stronger rule of law in the west. Even though it's flawed and abused, every rational actor prefers our system.

>I find it annoying in these threads how people refuse to acknowledge that we have much stronger rule of law in the west.

No we don't. We have a stronger belief in the rule of law, but not an actual practice of rule of law. It's been getting worse and worse over the past two decades and at this point I see little difference between any particular western government and Russia's.

If you haven't noticed it, you've been willfully ignorant.

Re: Israel Hacked Kaspersky, Then Tipped NSA Its Tools Had Been Breached

#187

Post by carlmr »

jannes wrote: post #147
PeterStuer wrote: post #122

Earlier quoted context omitted.

'I've always found it suspicious that Russia and China created their own social networks, email providers, and search engines. Almost like they know the power of a capable search engine or social network for intelligence gathering purposes.' Seems like the Europeans are the only ones stupid enough not to.

Europeans had a few. There was StudiVZ in Germany and tuenti in Spain. Once Facebook arrived with localised versions on the European market it destroyed all of the clones. Talk about network effects.

But search engines and email services? Operating systems? Europe is really not on top of this game.

Re: Israel Hacked Kaspersky, Then Tipped NSA Its Tools Had Been Breached

#188

Post by MertsA »

aplummer wrote: post #181
thewhitetulip wrote: post #176

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Use Linux :) there is no other option

I think a Mac would work too, but that relies on trusting individuals.

How would switching to macOS provide any protection against an APT? Against Malware in general yeah sure but against the NSA or FSB in a targeted attack I don't see how that benefits you at all. If the NSA can put the screws on Microsoft then Apple should be no different. Apple refusing the FBI is one thing but faced with a gag order and an NSL their only recourse is to appeal to a secret court that basically always sides with the government.

Also as of late it seems like macOS has been nothing but security incident after security incident like the recent bug where encrypted disks had a password hint of the decryption password or when somebody found out that the system preferences app was basically using an undocumented API that had no authorization at all and gave root access. Or that keychain vulnerability that gave complete access to the entire keychain to anything running in a web browser!

I think an APT would have a field day if their targets started using macOS.

Re: Israel Hacked Kaspersky, Then Tipped NSA Its Tools Had Been Breached

#189

Post by amdavidson »

borispavlovic wrote: post #145
yters wrote: post #125

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Facebook has CIA related people on its board.

Really? Which ones?

Poster is probably referring to Peter Thiel who's company Palantir was funded through CIA contracts.

Re: Israel Hacked Kaspersky, Then Tipped NSA Its Tools Had Been Breached

#190

Post by luch »

MertsA wrote: post #188
aplummer wrote: post #181

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think a Mac would work too, but that relies on trusting individuals.

How would switching to macOS provide any protection against an APT? Against Malware in general yeah sure but against the NSA or FSB in a targeted attack I don't see how that benefits you at all. If the NSA can put the screws on Microsoft then Apple should be no different. Apple refusing the FBI is one thing but faced with a gag order and an NSL their only recourse is to appeal to a secret court that basically always…

Everyone who think they are safe using macOS should see this presentation : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7VZtCUphgg

Patrick Wardle has reversed the C2 com protocol and found it had "advanced" capabilities (remote exec, key and mouse sniffing, screenshot, etc.). The malware was found on several thousands Macs too (mostly in the US).

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