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FBI Recovers WhatsApp, Signal Data Stored on Michael Cohen’s BlackBerry

arstechnica.com

91–100 of 138 posts

Re: FBI Recovers WhatsApp, Signal Data Stored on Michael Cohen’s BlackBerry

#91
post #47

Damn, you'd think that someone at that level would pay for better OPSEC support. But then, I guess that I'm not surprised. Blackberry does have a reputation, not at all deserved at this point. I'm pretty sure that the President's phone is just as poorly secured. Probably less, from what I've read.

This issue is huge in politics. The entire Clinton personal e-mail scandal was essentially her unwilling to give up her BlackBerry, something Obama was unwilling to give up too. These people learned how to use some technology decades ago, and will continue using it no matter what other issues it causes.

No, she destroyed devices, used Bleachbit to delete evidence and they still found ~ 70 secret and top secret emails on her server. There is also evidence of a cover-up. The Russia narrative is also bogus in the case of the DNC hack they even refused to give the server to the FBI.

Re: FBI Recovers WhatsApp, Signal Data Stored on Michael Cohen’s BlackBerry

#93

> The letter to Judge Kimba Wood stated that "the Government was advised that the FBI’s original electronic extraction of data from telephones did not capture content related to encrypted messaging applications, such as WhatsApp and Signal... The FBI has now obtained this material." I don't get this. How could you possibly decrypt encrypted messages without WhatsApp or Signal's assistance? Isn't the whole point of en…

>Isn't the whole point of encryption that no-one can decrypt it unless they have the necessary keys? But if the person who knows the relevant keys willingly hands over appropriate passwords/etc. for a more lenient sentence then encryption is moot.

What a great point. They don't even have to publicize it, officially they just got the data by good hacking.

Re: FBI Recovers WhatsApp, Signal Data Stored on Michael Cohen’s BlackBerry

#94

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>> Name one company you could call up and ask “hey I’m doing some dirt that might get me inestigated by the feds, can you secure my comms?” And they’d say yes. No, "I'm doing sensitive work for a huge company and we fear that hackers are trying to penetrate our network and devices." How many would say yes now? Until the raid he was a big shot...and the personal "lawyer" to Trump.

I suppose we are now very much into personal bias. Mine suggests that until very recently working as a personal lawyer for a reality star & planning for the “normal” security concerns therein wouldn’t be something high end firms would do (nor things lawyers would ask for) as a matter of course. Remember by the time the feds come knocking it’s too late.

Leave bias aside for a second: Trump (before election) is a high profile person, he does have a huge business with hundreds /thousands of employees and is worth at least billions. To want security is not just normal but a super smart move. If they pay, why wouldn't the top OPSEC companies tell them how to secure their devices?

(Reading might do 99% of work though)

Re: FBI Recovers WhatsApp, Signal Data Stored on Michael Cohen’s BlackBerry

#95

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Check your timelines. Obama was elected in 2008, and BlackBerry was the dominant player in the market at that point. Also, he DID swap out his phone for a secured one, and his staff instituted a number of security protocols to keep it secure.

A dominant player, yet Obama needed a special highly modified version to securely access the White House network. A huge amount of work to keep using what he was comfortable with.

BlackBerry was the best thing you could get at the time. Obviously things have changed since then -- BlackBerry hardly exists anymore!

Re: FBI Recovers WhatsApp, Signal Data Stored on Michael Cohen’s BlackBerry

#96
post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Check your timelines. Obama was elected in 2008, and BlackBerry was the dominant player in the market at that point. Also, he DID swap out his phone for a secured one, and his staff instituted a number of security protocols to keep it secure.

As an aside: wow that timeline makes me feel really old

How about the part where we're further away from Win7 in time, than Win7 was from WinXP? It'll be 10 years since Win7 RTM next year!

Re: FBI Recovers WhatsApp, Signal Data Stored on Michael Cohen’s BlackBerry

#97
post #92

If there's one (family of) devices(s) that the FBI certainly knows how to 100% completely pwn the shit out of... it's the Blackberry.

Why?

BlackBerry CEO: We'll Try To Break Our Own Encryption If Feds Demand It (2017)

https://www.forbes.com/sites/thomasbrewster/2017/10/25/black...

BlackBerry CEO blasts Apple for focusing on user privacy, data protection (2015)

https://www.extremetech.com/mobile/219661-blackberry-ceo-bla...

Re: FBI Recovers WhatsApp, Signal Data Stored on Michael Cohen’s BlackBerry

#98

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>> Name one company you could call up and ask “hey I’m doing some dirt that might get me inestigated by the feds, can you secure my comms?” And they’d say yes. No, "I'm doing sensitive work for a huge company and we fear that hackers are trying to penetrate our network and devices." How many would say yes now? Until the raid he was a big shot...and the personal "lawyer" to Trump.

I suppose we are now very much into personal bias. Mine suggests that until very recently working as a personal lawyer for a reality star & planning for the “normal” security concerns therein wouldn’t be something high end firms would do (nor things lawyers would ask for) as a matter of course. Remember by the time the feds come knocking it’s too late.

OK, his client was a reality star. But now he's working for a controversial president. Who's under investigation by various agencies, probably including rogue elements of the NSA.

So is it any surprise that he'd be targeted?

If there aren't security firms that handle stuff like that, isn't that quite the market opportunity? From what I know, one would start with an iPhone. And then tweak for known fails. Buy the various hacking services/systems, and test against them. Not cheap, I know. And not easily doable without connections. But hey, better safe than sorry.

Re: FBI Recovers WhatsApp, Signal Data Stored on Michael Cohen’s BlackBerry

#99

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I suppose we are now very much into personal bias. Mine suggests that until very recently working as a personal lawyer for a reality star & planning for the “normal” security concerns therein wouldn’t be something high end firms would do (nor things lawyers would ask for) as a matter of course. Remember by the time the feds come knocking it’s too late.

Leave bias aside for a second: Trump (before election) is a high profile person, he does have a huge business with hundreds /thousands of employees and is worth at least billions. To want security is not just normal but a super smart move. If they pay, why wouldn't the top OPSEC companies tell them how to secure their devices? (Reading might do 99% of work though)

Or paying someone who's knowledgeable to read, and advise.

Re: FBI Recovers WhatsApp, Signal Data Stored on Michael Cohen’s BlackBerry

#100

Earlier quoted context omitted.

BB used to run a custom QNX-based OS, not Android.

WhatApp ran on Nokia's S60 platform, which is for feature-phones. Making a QNX version was probably much less of challenge.

You mean S40. S60 was Symbian, the smartphone platform.
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