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XKeyscore: NSA program collects 'nearly everything a user does on the internet'

theguardian.com

171–180 of 641 posts

Re: XKeyscore: NSA program collects 'nearly everything a user does on the internet'

#171
post #107

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> all traffic has to exit the VPN's company's endpoint, and at that point it can be captured. If the only thing they're dealing with is VPN's used as a private proxy for access to the public internet, you're right, and if so it's not so troubling (well, as in it is "only" just as troubling as having them access everyones web traffic). But arguably most VPN traffic is exiting inside private networks and are intended f…

The slide talks about VPN startups. Some corporate VPN connections could be also compromised for a number of reasons. There are possibly undisclosed weaknesses in the "gold standard" VPN solutions, such as OpenVPN, as well as the protocols they use. Security's dirty secret is that security is an unobtainable goal. The goal of designing secure systems isn't to create something impenetrable (i.e. secure), but something…

> VPN startups.

I took that to mean establishment of VPN connections, rather than companies operating VPN services.

Of course total security is impossible. But it would still be troubling if breaking common VPN services is not only possible but also doable with small enough resources that "any analyst" at NSA can just request it.

Re: XKeyscore: NSA program collects 'nearly everything a user does on the internet'

#172
post #122
post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I wouldn't for a second bet on it. A hidden service has exactly the same issue as traffic that exits the network. The topography looks like this. httpd > tor node > tor node > tor node > rendezvous point With enough monitoring, the location of the web server (or other hidden service) can just be found out by bombing the hidden service with traffic and seeing what end point lights up with traffic. With fine enough mon…

According to tor metrics only 17% of tor endpoints [1] and a similar percentage of relays [2] are in the USA. The kind of monitoring you propose would require a much higher portion of them to be under NSA control. [1] https://metrics.torproject.org/users.html [2] https://metrics.torproject.org/network.html?graph=relaycount...

The NSA seems to have extensive monitoring in many countries, not just the United States.

Re: XKeyscore: NSA program collects 'nearly everything a user does on the internet'

#173
post #6

Imagine if storage limitations weren't holding back the NSA. Those 60TB density HAMR[1] drives that are due in 2016 are really going to take invasive to a whole new level. [1] http://storageeffect.media.seagate.com/files/2012/03/perpham...

Who said that they were using spinning storage? You can store an insane amount of data for your dollar if you are willing t use tape.

Re: XKeyscore: NSA program collects 'nearly everything a user does on the internet'

#174

Lurkers first post here. I always said saying "I told you so." when stuff like this started getting revealed would feel like a hollow phrase. Some of us have spent quite a bit of time talking about these issues, and were mostly rejected as crackpot "conspiracy theorists". While there are plenty of those around, maybe I could use this slight moment of pseudo-clarity to propose something. I could tell you where this is…

The problem with conspiracy theorists is that they believe their theories to be 99% certain instead of the most probable 1%. "I told you so" goes both ways except that conspiracy theorists never accept and admit it, there will always be another conspiracy to cover the current one.

In the overall game it simply makes much more mathematical sense to treat conspiracy theorists as crackpots since they will so often get it wrong. Even a broken clock is correct twice a day.

Re: XKeyscore: NSA program collects 'nearly everything a user does on the internet'

#175

Interesting; it appears someone failed to redact some data from the slides. In the Facebook chat example, the message is "to" 1536051595. Using the Facebook Graph API, we can gather information based on this ID: http://graph.facebook.com/1536051595 Which leads us to the Facebook profile ( https://www.facebook.com/arash.gorjipour.5 ) of an individual, real or contrived, named "Arash Gorjipour". His email address and p…

There's a small version of the original slide here, which has since been removed — http://archive.is/xcwg6

Re: XKeyscore: NSA program collects 'nearly everything a user does on the internet'

#176

Um... surely this has to be a spoof. "Select foreignness factor"?? really? The user interface and way this is done just seems to amateur hour to believe this is actually true

Umm ... hello? Defence contractors anybody?

In one sense, it is amateur hour ... but if you buy enough hours from enough amateurs ...

Re: XKeyscore: NSA program collects 'nearly everything a user does on the internet'

#177

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The numbers seem way off and too keystone cop to be true. 20 terabytes is not large for the NSA. It can search BCC?? Only the sender has them. so everything would have to be collected at each ISP (which isn't impossible).. but I think the guardian has been trolled.

I'm calling this a troll.

If you or I was in charge of the NSA there would not be a visual basic interface or a select foreignness dropdown. I'm calling bullshit on this.

Re: XKeyscore: NSA program collects 'nearly everything a user does on the internet'

#179

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Kind of puts into perspective why they would coordinate such a massive raid on Megaupload. The target may not have even been the data - merely seizing the data puts anybody who has accessed the megaupload website as an easy target.

@netrus - I am not even sure where the tinfoil line is anymore.

At this point, the line itself is even made of tinfoil.

Re: XKeyscore: NSA program collects 'nearly everything a user does on the internet'

#180
At this point the only thing protecting the US (and the world) from the worst tyranny imaginable is that USG's essentially unlimited power is wielded by individuals (rank and file workers, career bureaucrats, political appointees, and politicians) with a fairly reasonable sense of morality and belief that they are constrained by both the constitution and morality.

I'm don't think that is a stable long term system. Either some effective limitations (technical and political) are put in in the next several years, or a few decades of "us vs them" and self justifying security crises will produce a horrible result.

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