https://www.digitalviolence.org/
It kinda describes how NGO operated and it's great infographic!
Amazon Shuts Down NSO Group Infrastructure
81–90 of 260 posts
Re: Amazon Shuts Down NSO Group Infrastructure
#82I contacted Amazon to report an advertiser out of Tel Aviv that was using JavaScript hosted on CloudFront to fingerprint user's devices and if an Android device was detected a fake media player or fake CAPTCHA would trick user's into accepting push notifications for fake virus warnings to install questionable apps from the Play Store. This script also pushed ads for a fake AdBlock app that was a dropper for banking t…
Amazon refused to do anything about it.
Actually "refused" to do anything about it, or didn't respond to you?
Re: Amazon Shuts Down NSO Group Infrastructure
#83Earlier quoted context omitted.
It could mean that NSO controls the infrastructure that manages the tool, but that they don't actually collect the data themselves. So what they said could technically be true if all they do is manage the infrastructure that enables their clients to do the collection of data.
But do they have access to the phone numbers that their customers are targeting? That seems by itself to contradict their statement ("nor has any access to any kind of data of its customers") right there. Something isn't adding up.
> Something isn't adding up
It's bullshit at best.
If we assume they aren't lying, which is generous given their track record, it could be that they provide the tools and infrastructure to collect the data, but don't instruct the software to collect the data. Sort of like if I had a loaded gun and told you I would point and shoot it where you told me to, and then argued that I didn't technically make the decision. It's technically true and complete bullshit.
Re: Amazon Shuts Down NSO Group Infrastructure
#84I contacted Amazon to report an advertiser out of Tel Aviv that was using JavaScript hosted on CloudFront to fingerprint user's devices and if an Android device was detected a fake media player or fake CAPTCHA would trick user's into accepting push notifications for fake virus warnings to install questionable apps from the Play Store. This script also pushed ads for a fake AdBlock app that was a dropper for banking t…
It feels like this is more a result of Amazon not being able to connect you with the right escalation path to verify & act on these claims than a considered decision to ignore them. Does anyone here know what an individual reporter should do? Is there an escalation ramp that exists but was so poorly marked that neither sloshnmosh nor Amazon support was able to find it? Does the ramp go through other organizations (e.…
The AWS forums are going to be the best way to start a discussion with people who can escalate.
Re: Amazon Shuts Down NSO Group Infrastructure
#85Earlier quoted context omitted.
It feels like this is more a result of Amazon not being able to connect you with the right escalation path to verify & act on these claims than a considered decision to ignore them. Those two things are actually the same thing, both are wilfully ignoring situations like this.
Never assume malice where ignorance and incompetence would suffice instead. Those two things are actually not the same thing at all, depending on how you define “willful.”
Never assume ignorance where greed would suffice.
Re: Amazon Shuts Down NSO Group Infrastructure
#86Earlier quoted context omitted.
> Shouldn’t there be an outcry against the suppression of free speech? Only if someone was one of the many people who don't understand what Free Speech is or incorrectly think of rights only in terms of themselves and people they like, not for those who they don't. In this case, Amazon is exercising their own Free Speech rights. Free speech necessarily (and as a matter of law) means the freedom to not speak and to no…
> " In this case, Amazon is exercising their own Free Speech rights. " Corporations aren't humans; they don't have free speech rights.
In this discussion context. NSO is a company which does not have a freedom of speech right. It has a business relationship with Amazon.
Re: Amazon Shuts Down NSO Group Infrastructure
#87If someone were to use NSO paid hacking to attack Apple executives's devices and then release everything they found, I bet Apple might take this more seriously instead of having some PR flack write marketing copy. Same is true of any tech company: until it hurts them specifically they can just ignore it or make it sound innocuous. Maybe Amazon has been targeted and they found out. If someone were to use it against US…
> Apple might take this more seriously instead of having some PR flack write marketing copy
What are they supposed to do?
Re: Amazon Shuts Down NSO Group Infrastructure
#88Earlier quoted context omitted.
There is another point if view, and that is that corporate marketing should not take precedence over correct use of language. Some languages tend to be more strict about this. I think it's particularly common to see English play fast and loose with the language compared to other languages. In Sweden, for example you will see media write Iphone, because it's a name, and names are capitalised. The same goes for Digital…
Exactly. Language is for all its users. I can insist that my name be rendered only in 14.5 pt Comic Sans colored with Pantone 19-3336 ("Sparkling Grape"). But people get to decide for themselves how they're going to speak and write. Corporate branding guidelines constrain only their employees and people who want to curry favor with them. Everybody else can do as they please.
Good point that everyone else can do as they please.
Moreover, this can be a big problem for the corps, and it is up to the Corp to protect their trademark and prevent everyone from doing quite as much as they please.
If people start using a trademark as a generic term too much, the trademark can be lost. There are legions of examples, starting with aspirin, escalator, dumpster, etc. [1]. So, they try to insist that it be used only the (TM) or as "Acme Brand widgets". It would not surprise me to see Google end with the same fate.
[1] Lexology: Death of a Trademark: Genericide. https://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=5027217f-1db2...
Re: Amazon Shuts Down NSO Group Infrastructure
#89Frontline (PBS)in partnership with Forbidden Stories are doing a report [1] on NSO hacking the phone of Khashoggi’s fiancé and other journalist and activists around the world.
Looks like her phone was compromised by NSO based on the reporting on this video.
[1] https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/article/how-nso-group-peg...
Re: Amazon Shuts Down NSO Group Infrastructure
#90Earlier quoted context omitted.
My pet peeve is publications spelling NASA as Nasa. They've come up with some story to explain their decision that sounds just as bad as some of the lies Walter White told. I don't care how ubiquitous NASA maybe, it is and always will be an acronym. I accept removing the dots so it's not N.A.S.A., but I will only accept Nasa as a formal name if that's the name of a person.
How do you feel about "scuba" or "laser?" Acronyms that are pronounced like they're spelled (eg, Nasa, gif, taser) tend to end up being spelled like words sooner or later instead of being in all caps.
Personally, I don't write SCUBA or scuba, as it's just not part of my day to day conversation, but I would go with SCUBA. Also, it's never just laser or LASER, it's friggin LASER!!! Pew Pew!