Live data from Hacker News

FBI Admits It Controlled Tor Servers Behind Mass Malware Attack

wired.com

51–60 of 280 posts

Re: FBI Admits It Controlled Tor Servers Behind Mass Malware Attack

#51
post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Meanwhile the way Bruce Schneier is now using GPG is really only one conceptual leap away from full-blown Tinfoil Hat Linux usage: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tinfoil_Hat_Linux The difference between "tinfoil hatters" and reasonable people like Bruce Schneier now seems to be how concerned they are with their ability to destroy a harddrive, and TEMPEST.

the way Bruce Schneier is now using GPG Which way is that? Also, from your Tinfoil Hat Linux link, this idea is hilariously awesome: Keystroke monitoring — THL has gpggrid, a wrapper for GPG that lets you use a video game style character entry system instead of typing in your passphrase. Keystroke loggers get a set of grid points, not your passphrase. I wonder if it might be possible to implement that idea into other…

Air gapped with new hardware: "Since I started working with the Snowden documents, I bought a new computer that has never been connected to the internet. If I want to transfer a file, I encrypt the file on the secure computer and walk it over to my internet computer, using a USB stick. To decrypt something, I reverse the process. This might not be bulletproof, but it's pretty good."

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/sep/05/nsa-how-to-rema...

Air gapping is certainly not unprecedented, but individuals using it have traditionally been considered pretty "tinfoil-y".

edit: "I wonder if it might be possible to implement that idea into other operating systems?"

gpggrid itself could probably just be built on any other Linux install. Certainly it could be recreated. One of the neat features of TFL that I really like is the idea of blinking LEDs on the users keyboard instead of displaying things on screen. Effective? Who knows... but certainly amusing.

Re: FBI Admits It Controlled Tor Servers Behind Mass Malware Attack

#52
post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

WTF? Can we even trust the water we get from the government? Maybe they put some meds in there to make us dumb and complaint. Funny you should mention that -- I believe that water fluoridation was once suspected of being a communist plot to more or less the same effect.

Not just "once". Many conspiracy theorists still believe that it is some form of government plot or another. The theories range from it being a toxic waste disposal scheme that is poisoning people (and as far as I know, there is some basis for the claim that fluoridation came about as a way to cheaply get rid of a relatively toxic byproduct; that doesn't validate any other part of it though), to fluoride being used a…

>Of course, none of these "theories" manage to address the fact that there is fairly strong evidence that water fluoridation does in fact reduce tooth decay.

Not agreeing with those theories, but this argument is flawed.

Even if it does "reduce tooth decay", so what, in the context of their argument? Who said a substance can't do two things at one time?

Re: FBI Admits It Controlled Tor Servers Behind Mass Malware Attack

#53
post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

WTF? Can we even trust the water we get from the government? Maybe they put some meds in there to make us dumb and complaint. Funny you should mention that -- I believe that water fluoridation was once suspected of being a communist plot to more or less the same effect.

Not just "once". Many conspiracy theorists still believe that it is some form of government plot or another. The theories range from it being a toxic waste disposal scheme that is poisoning people (and as far as I know, there is some basis for the claim that fluoridation came about as a way to cheaply get rid of a relatively toxic byproduct; that doesn't validate any other part of it though), to fluoride being used a…

Fluoride stays in the body and over time will calcify the pineal gland, which is a poorly understood part of the body.

Fluoride was used in the past to pacify populations, at least, that is the claim made by anti-F people (I haven't myself run down the sources).

There are books out concerning F and its effect on the body's metabolism, such as this one http://www.amazon.com/Fluoride-Aging-Factor-Recognize-Devast... .

Too much fluoride can lead to fluorosis - there is this case of fluorosis among horses drinking municipal water that was fluoridated http://www.fluorideresearch.org/391/files/3913-10.pdf .

Re: FBI Admits It Controlled Tor Servers Behind Mass Malware Attack

#55

This is crazy, but really interesting at the same time. I always thought that this was the way to break anonymity on the Tor network. FBI basically generated a shit-load of Tor nodes ( https://blog.torproject.org/blog/how-to-handle-millions-new-... ) for some while to increase their chances of intercepting traffic. Following the data collection and using statistic, they were able to pin-point the origin of most Freed…

You realize that the FBI admission discussed in the article has nothing to do with the blog post on the Tor web site that you linked to, right?

Those are two completely separate events.

Re: FBI Admits It Controlled Tor Servers Behind Mass Malware Attack

#56
post #4

I don't even know anymore. We're gonna have to raise the bar on what it means to be a "tinfoil hatter"; the original definition has become reality. "Trust no one! Suspect EVERYTHING!" , I can say today without sounding crazy. Also, remember this? http://www.linuxfoundation.org/news-media/blogs/browse/2011/... ....hmm, I wonder if....

The original idea of a "tinfoil hatter" was that the "hatter" wore a head garment made of tinfoil, to block the mind-control radio waves the [government|aliens] were using to take over people's brains. I don't think we have any particular indication that is likely, yet.

Re: FBI Admits It Controlled Tor Servers Behind Mass Malware Attack

#57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The reason the FBI and Anonymous seemed to join forces is because the FBI turned Anonymous's leader, Sabu. http://gawker.com/5890847/revered-anonymous-leader-rats-out-...

Please tell me more background about that. (I recall mention of this before on HN, but I'm not recalling many details.) What's our best information on how leadership of Anonymous has changed over time? AFTER EDIT: Thanks for your link, which I think came as an edit to your comment. Here is a link to follow-up news: http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2013/feb/22/lulzsec-sa...

From your link:

But his FBI handlers said he was "brilliant, but lazy": they discovered him selling stolen credit card details on Facebook, and traced him to his home when he used an unguarded internet connection to go on the 2600.com site, which is popular with young and old hackers.

Is 2600.com a honeypot for the FBI? How'd Sabu expose himself by merely visiting that site?

Re: FBI Admits It Controlled Tor Servers Behind Mass Malware Attack

#58
post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not just "once". Many conspiracy theorists still believe that it is some form of government plot or another. The theories range from it being a toxic waste disposal scheme that is poisoning people (and as far as I know, there is some basis for the claim that fluoridation came about as a way to cheaply get rid of a relatively toxic byproduct; that doesn't validate any other part of it though), to fluoride being used a…

> Of course, none of these "theories" manage to address the fact that there is fairly strong evidence that water fluoridation does in fact reduce tooth decay. Not agreeing with those theories, but this argument is flawed. Even if it does "reduce tooth decay", so what, in the context of their argument? Who said a substance can't do two things at one time?

It isn't proof, it's supporting evidence.

Re: FBI Admits It Controlled Tor Servers Behind Mass Malware Attack

#59
post #4

I don't even know anymore. We're gonna have to raise the bar on what it means to be a "tinfoil hatter"; the original definition has become reality. "Trust no one! Suspect EVERYTHING!" , I can say today without sounding crazy. Also, remember this? http://www.linuxfoundation.org/news-media/blogs/browse/2011/... ....hmm, I wonder if....

The original idea of a "tinfoil hatter" was that the "hatter" wore a head garment made of tinfoil, to block the mind-control radio waves the [government|aliens] were using to take over people's brains. I don't think we have any particular indication that is likely, yet.

If the technology existed, you better believe they'd use it.

Re: FBI Admits It Controlled Tor Servers Behind Mass Malware Attack

#60

my buddy's mother-in-law makes $75 every hour on the internet. She has been without a job for seven months but last month her check was $17516 just working on the internet for a few hours. useful source... http://xurl.es/w2x2a

Margaret come on now, that would be 233 hours of work if she was paid on a 1099. She still needs to pay tax and self-employment tax on all of that money. That said, I don't think 233 hours really counts as "just a few hours".

Sounds like somebody's random number generation function has its upper limit set a little too high.
Post reply on HN