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Apple alerts users in 92 nations to mercenary spyware attacks

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Re: Apple alerts users in 92 nations to mercenary spyware attacks

#251

Post by Dalewyn »

jayrot wrote: post #204
kwhitefoot wrote: post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's just weird. the US is definitely a lower cost country than Norway yet my youngest son works for a company here in Norway that does quite a lot of business making metal and plastic tags of various kinds with text engraved, printed, or laser cut. As far as I know most of the machinery is made in Europe, mostly Germany, again generally higher cost than the US. So I find it difficult to believe that it can't be do…

The metal nametags is a very poor example of the point being attempted since I would venture a guess that there are 1000s of companies or shops in the US that can make metal nametags.

I wholly admit it's a highly specific and probably poor example, but it helps to get my point across. Even US flags and US Olympic team uniforms were Made In China until there were rightful uproars to force the issue back to the homeland.

When we can't make our own fucking blue jeans we absolutely cannot try for a technology victory.

Re: Apple alerts users in 92 nations to mercenary spyware attacks

#252

Post by mardifoufs »

TheGuyWhoCodes wrote: post #227
EasyMark wrote: post #203

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[flagged]

The only one stirring up a regional war is Iran, arming terrorist groups around Israel as a proxy war. The fact they can act with impunity is a stain on the west just like the war in Ukraine that still rages on. This might not have been a bin laden level assassination but it was not that far and any other country that faces the same threat would do the same.

Israel has literally targeted Iranian territory. How is that better than arming Israel's opponents? And Israel is the country with not only a nuclear capability but also invented the "samson option", which is basically threatening the region to nuke everyone if they have to. Israel and Iran really deserve each other.

Re: Apple alerts users in 92 nations to mercenary spyware attacks

#253

Post by mardifoufs »

tptacek wrote: post #236
mardifoufs wrote: post #191

How can Pegasus and NSO still be allowed to exist? I know they are an Israeli corporation, but even then has there been action against them from the Israeli government? This is basically rogue state behavior

There are plenty of companies like these that you haven't heard of. I don't think Israel has much to do with the situation.

But that's the thing. This is basically public knowledge at this point. I realize that almost every regional or super power has or tries to have this type of corporation for their own usage, but in this case it's public knowledge and it also openly targets Israel's allies. A good example is how France's president was targeted.

I'm not sure the US wouldn't at least pretend to shut down/restrain a corporation that's helping Israel's ennemies spy on Netanyahu for example.

Re: Apple alerts users in 92 nations to mercenary spyware attacks

#254

Post by quesera »

bee_rider wrote: post #211
jayrot wrote: post #179

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If this is sarcasm, I love it. If you're serious then I don't.

I think it must be, it is a re-spin of a common “toxic STEM professor” meme.

It's a story told to first-year law students: Look to your left, look to your right, only one of you three will become a lawyer.

Re: Apple alerts users in 92 nations to mercenary spyware attacks

#255

Post by duskwuff »

terbo wrote: post #230
bee_rider wrote: post #8

There’s a reddit thread by somebody who got one of these: https://old.reddit.com/r/iphone/comments/1c10jai/i_have_rece... The interesting thing IMO is they claim to just be some random college student. Which seems believable because if they were a real secret squirrel I guess they wouldn’t ask reddit about it, haha. I wonder if the hackers are targeting people based on phone numbers or something. (I could imagine a c…

In that thread someone asserted he received the first message after traveling to/through Cyprus E: Thread: https://old.reddit.com/r/iphone/comments/1c10jai/i_have_rece...

There's some significant geopolitical intrigue surrounding Cyprus -- probably the most obvious are its partition between between Turkey and Greece and its use as a tax haven by Russian oligarchs.

Re: Apple alerts users in 92 nations to mercenary spyware attacks

#256

Post by tptacek »

mardifoufs wrote: post #253
tptacek wrote: post #236

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There are plenty of companies like these that you haven't heard of. I don't think Israel has much to do with the situation.

But that's the thing. This is basically public knowledge at this point. I realize that almost every regional or super power has or tries to have this type of corporation for their own usage, but in this case it's public knowledge and it also openly targets Israel's allies. A good example is how France's president was targeted. I'm not sure the US wouldn't at least pretend to shut down/restrain a corporation that's he…

Why do you think that? What's the precedent?

Re: Apple alerts users in 92 nations to mercenary spyware attacks

#257

Post by fulafel »

2OEH8eoCRo0 wrote: post #165
rchaud wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Same goes for certain types of lead characters in things like American Psycho, Fight Club, Mad Men and Wolf of Wall St. These are seen as aspirational instead of cautionary tales.

There was a recent article in NYT about Grand Theft Auto and the author mentions that their friends became a little more racist after playing it as kids. My takeaway was that these forms of media aren't for children because they probably won't understand that it's satire. Then I realized that many adults don't understand that it's satire either. Edit: article in question: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/01/25/arts/grand…

The framing and cut scenes in GTA may be satire but the gameplay where you actually immerse yourself in the game in get into the character's shoes mostly aren't. Those parts are largely just shooting people.

I guess you could argue that it's some other kind of satire than being anti violence.

Re: Apple alerts users in 92 nations to mercenary spyware attacks

#258

Post by sneak »

Cyphase wrote: post #241
sneak wrote: post #137

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Nope. Even opting into ADP, your iMessage conversations will still be backed up to Apple without e2ee - just from the non-ADP phones of all the people you iMessage with instead of your own phone. iMessages are backed up in duplicate - once on the sender and once on the receiver. You can only control e2ee for half of it, so your conversations are still under surveillance unless everyone you message with has also turne…

Is there any E2EE messaging service, or network protocol of any sort, that doesn't suffer from this? If an endpoint is compromised in whatever way, it doesn't matter how encrypted the data is in transit.

Signal doesn’t have this problem.

By your terminology, all iOS devices are “compromised” by default from having non-e2ee iCloud Backup enabled by default.

Signal chats on iOS are stored in a storage class that cannot be backed up or exported from the device.

Re: Apple alerts users in 92 nations to mercenary spyware attacks

#259

Post by sneak »

__jonas wrote: post #217
plufz wrote: post #206

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Where in Europe is that? Surprising to me (Swedish).

I've lived in Germany and the UK, I guess I wrongly assumed it was like this everywhere in Europe. Might also be related to the social environment. I am noticing, the social circle I am currently in has now largely moved to Telegram, whereas in other places it's 100% WhatsApp.

Telegram is not end to end encrypted. The service provider can read the messages.

Re: Apple alerts users in 92 nations to mercenary spyware attacks

#260

Post by pmontra »

quesera wrote: post #254
bee_rider wrote: post #211

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think it must be, it is a re-spin of a common “toxic STEM professor” meme.

It's a story told to first-year law students: Look to your left, look to your right, only one of you three will become a lawyer.

The first day at university in the 80s, Computer Science, the head of faculty told us that stats were that only 30% made it to graduation and started walking in front of the first row of the hall. “You will graduate, you won't, you won't. You will graduate, you won't, you won't." Motivational speech or not, at least half of the students dropped out in the first two years. The goal of those two years seemed to be right that: convincing people to leave. Then it got easier and more interesting.
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