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Another Hacker’s Laptop, Cell Phones Searched at Border

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Re: Another Hacker’s Laptop, Cell Phones Searched at Border

#71

Post by Symmetry »

RyanMcGreal wrote: post #43
jwr wrote: post #42

I find it amazing that there is so little outrage at what is happening in the USA. The country that paints itself as an example of freedom and democracy and aspires to spreading those values around the world is the same country that: * kidnaps and tortures people, * sets up a military prison with no civillian oversight, outside any legal jurisdiction, where it keeps people indefinitely, * kills people in various coun…

What amazes me is that the great swath of Obama supporters who decried the Bush administration's civil rights abuses are strangely quiet about the continuation of those abuses today. (Caveat: I'm not American, but if I was, I would have held my nose and voted for Obama in 2008.)

I seem to recall that there was also a small but significant minority of conservatives, who were freaked out about civil rights abuses under Clinton but then became strangely silent under Bush. Government powers are always less scary when the face on them is someone you feel is a member of your tribe.

Re: Another Hacker’s Laptop, Cell Phones Searched at Border

#73

Post by calloc »

_grrr wrote: post #32
Super74 wrote: post #9

Let me get this straight. This is a person who has openly admitted to knowing how to hack banking systems among others, then travels to countries like Abu Dhabi and the Dominican Republic to present that information. We are surprised that he is searched at the border to the US? He was treated politely, not physically harmed and had his hardware returned. Sounds like the government is finally doing their job. Maybe th…

The conference, which was for computer security professionals, just happened to be hosted in Abi Dhabi, it could just as well have been Las Vegas, or Berlin. You make it sound as if he were going to brief to a foreign secret intelligence agency. http://www.blackhat.com/html/bh-ad-10/registration/bh-ad-10-...

He has also presented at Black Hat in Vegas.

Re: Another Hacker’s Laptop, Cell Phones Searched at Border

#74

Post by runjake »

jwr wrote: post #42

I find it amazing that there is so little outrage at what is happening in the USA. The country that paints itself as an example of freedom and democracy and aspires to spreading those values around the world is the same country that: * kidnaps and tortures people, * sets up a military prison with no civillian oversight, outside any legal jurisdiction, where it keeps people indefinitely, * kills people in various coun…

Waking up isn't going to do squat.

I don't challenge them because I know that they no longer value the US Constitution. I know they will rip me from my wife and kids (who rely on me to provide for them). They are all who matter to me.

Unfortunately, the situation's going to require martyrs[1] to be subjected to these abuses and get them traction in the public eye. The San Diego incident is a good example.

As a veteran, what's going on enrages me to no end. People are under the perception that the federal government are supposed to be our rulers. They cannot violate the Constitution, the 4th amendment. They cannot dictate what is a right and what is a privilege. They were not granted that power.

And the civil rights abuses are getting worse under Obama, but few are pointing fingers at him.

[1] Not in the suicide bomber, or any other violent sense, so don't kick down my door.

Re: Another Hacker’s Laptop, Cell Phones Searched at Border

#75

Post by alextgordon »

weavejester wrote: post #68
mbreese wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You know, if you ever wanted to keep something really hidden, naming it /dev/urandom (or some variant thereof) would be a good way to go.

Or perhaps "one-time-pad.txt" :)

You could actually encrypt your data using a standard algorithm, then construct a "pad" such that they combine to make a seemingly benign plaintext. No way to prove that your ciphertext is anything other than the other half of the pad (though I'm not a cryptographer :) ).

Re: Another Hacker’s Laptop, Cell Phones Searched at Border

#76

Post by RyanMcGreal »

borism wrote: post #66
eli wrote: post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think you're wrong about that. Obama has very vocal critics on the left.

They're just not in the same left Obama is (if he's in the left at all, he's much more to the centre).

Anywhere else in the industrialized world, Obama would be a moderate conservative. Only in the political Bizarro World we call America can Obama even remotely be considered a liberal, let alone any kind of leftist.

Re: Another Hacker’s Laptop, Cell Phones Searched at Border

#77

Post by Xurinos »

yequalsx wrote: post #49
jwr wrote: post #42

I find it amazing that there is so little outrage at what is happening in the USA. The country that paints itself as an example of freedom and democracy and aspires to spreading those values around the world is the same country that: * kidnaps and tortures people, * sets up a military prison with no civillian oversight, outside any legal jurisdiction, where it keeps people indefinitely, * kills people in various coun…

I grew up in the Canal Zone during the Soviet scare. (I'm a former colonist.) One thing we would point to as a reason why the U.S. was better than the Soviet regime was our concept of due process and the constitutionally backed freedoms. I never thought I would see the day when Americans accepted the things you describe. Growing up I often wondered how it came to pass that Germans accepted Hitler and his abuses. My g…

> I didn't file a complaint. I took it. I have a comfortable > life and it didn't seem worthwhile to make a complaint that > goes nowhere.

My question: Isn't this part of the problem? "Now, we must all fear evil men. But there is another kind of evil which we must fear most, and that is the indifference of good men." (Boondock Saints -- yeah, not a super source for learning good ethics, but I agree with the sentiment)

I think the indifference comes from the inconvenience; you said, "I have a comfortable life and it didn't seem worthwhile," but I have heard the same from other peers. We have to be inconvenienced, to suffer, in order to reject the system. "Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom, must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it." (Thomas Paine) As you said, "A society is only as strong and vibrant as it's citizens."

What would build courage in the hearts of our citizens such that they would feel comfortable enough to act? Success stories? Seeing the person in front of you buck the system? I am reminded of the recent HN article of the guy who merely handed out a flyer about the potential and untested dangers of the backscanners, which was just enough to encourage the group behind him to take a stand. Once the problem was made personal and there was obvious and present group support, others joined.

You knew when you wrote this that someone would take the bait. :)

Re: Another Hacker’s Laptop, Cell Phones Searched at Border

#78

Post by yequalsx »

Xurinos wrote: post #77
yequalsx wrote: post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I grew up in the Canal Zone during the Soviet scare. (I'm a former colonist.) One thing we would point to as a reason why the U.S. was better than the Soviet regime was our concept of due process and the constitutionally backed freedoms. I never thought I would see the day when Americans accepted the things you describe. Growing up I often wondered how it came to pass that Germans accepted Hitler and his abuses. My g…

> I didn't file a complaint. I took it. I have a comfortable > life and it didn't seem worthwhile to make a complaint that > goes nowhere. My question: Isn't this part of the problem? "Now, we must all fear evil men. But there is another kind of evil which we must fear most, and that is the indifference of good men." (Boondock Saints -- yeah, not a super source for learning good ethics, but I agree with the sentiment…

Governments have gotten wise. They push the boundary slightly. A thousand little inconveniences kind of keeps up on the populace. It's the frog in the pot of water that slowly comes to a boil.

I have become part of the problem. I have to balance things and see if action on my part is warranted. Right now, I've decided it isn't. The U.S. has the highest percentage of it's population in prison (bar North Korea). Prison sentences are harsh in the U.S. There's a lack of sobriety when it comes to crime and punishment. I've decided it's not worthwhile to me to risk getting on the terrorist watch list or being harassed and provoked.

I know the water is slowly boiling, I know what is coming but I'm too comfortable to be willing to risk what I have. The most I do is to implore people not to visit the U.S. Don't come here for vacation. Also, I'm trying to leave the country. I want out.

As to what it will take to act....I don't know. The government does a great job now of preemptively arresting protest organizers and charging them with terrorism. After some months they always drop the charges. The police state is here, in my opinion. But the average person doesn't sense this. Too few people see it. It's not a great answer but it is the truth, I don't know what it would take for me to act.

Re: Another Hacker’s Laptop, Cell Phones Searched at Border

#79

Post by alanh »

Things like this, along with laptop theft, are excellent reasons to encrypt your home folder. This is pretty easy with built-in software on both Windows 7 & Mac OS X (and I’m sure common Linux distros).

One caveat is that encrypted home folders tend to take maybe 1.2× the space of an unencrypted home folder, so delete some videos & music if you’re on an SSD or otherwise constrained HDD.

Re: Another Hacker’s Laptop, Cell Phones Searched at Border

#80

Post by jlujan »

Symmetry wrote: post #71
RyanMcGreal wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What amazes me is that the great swath of Obama supporters who decried the Bush administration's civil rights abuses are strangely quiet about the continuation of those abuses today. (Caveat: I'm not American, but if I was, I would have held my nose and voted for Obama in 2008.)

I seem to recall that there was also a small but significant minority of conservatives, who were freaked out about civil rights abuses under Clinton but then became strangely silent under Bush. Government powers are always less scary when the face on them is someone you feel is a member of your tribe.

In this example you also have to look at events during each administration. The fear after 9/11 cause many to reconsider what was reasonable encroachment on civil liberties. Everyone has an opinion on this. Mine is that it was seriously misguided and has resulted in egregious abuses.
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