Australian Federal Police and FBI nab underworld figures using encrypted app
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Re: Australian Federal Police and FBI nab underworld figures using encrypted app
#2Text of TFA uses the term "infiltrating" in lieu of "cracking". Not that I necessarily expect Reuters to keep their infosec terminology straight but I wonder if this was a novel hack or if was a simple matter of a judicial gag order, seizing the developer's account and then pushing out a malicious update that enabled MITM or something.
Re: Australian Federal Police and FBI nab underworld figures using encrypted app
#3Looks like the app’s domain was also seized.
Re: Australian Federal Police and FBI nab underworld figures using encrypted app
#4Text of TFA uses the term "infiltrating" in lieu of "cracking". Not that I necessarily expect Reuters to keep their infosec terminology straight but I wonder if this was a novel hack or if was a simple matter of a judicial gag order, seizing the developer's account and then pushing out a malicious update that enabled MITM or something.
from what I understand they developed the app themselves... marketed and pushed the app to certain "dark markets" and let them use the apps and devices as if they were secure. they were in fact real time monitoring every transaction.
amazing really. and pretty funny if you asked me :-P
Re: Australian Federal Police and FBI nab underworld figures using encrypted app
#5As is often the case with the FBI, they were apparently facilitating the crimes. It's easy to argue that the crimes might not have taken place without the FBI's help. Somehow this is never entrapment when the FBI is doing it.
Re: Australian Federal Police and FBI nab underworld figures using encrypted app
#6not just Australia, it's world wide and likely led by the FBI (but possibly data being collected outside the US to avoid the need of having actual warrants)
The following thread looks at some of the opened court documents today:
https://twitter.com/ericgarland/status/1402100449013125123
(and points out that the Trump organisation might be in trouble ....)
Re: Australian Federal Police and FBI nab underworld figures using encrypted app
#7The lesson here is complete trust in modern computing platforms is misplaced and impossible. Your hardware has backdoors, so does your OS, and encryption clients. In addition, popular apps, especially in the US, can always be commandeered by 3-letter agencies.
You're only anonymous as long as you're not actively targetted, despite using "secure" apps and stuff like Tor, which media makes it seem are unbreakable.
Re: Australian Federal Police and FBI nab underworld figures using encrypted app
#8From what I understand they targeted a high ranking member of the gang and he promoted the app, which was developed by the police to others. Since a high level member endorsed it, it become widely used.
Re: Australian Federal Police and FBI nab underworld figures using encrypted app
#9Does anyone find it funny that each criminal group could have been better off relying on a "kid who knows computers" level of expertise and bog standard devices running open source software which at least wouldn't be trivially systematically turned against them all at once quite so easily.
Re: Australian Federal Police and FBI nab underworld figures using encrypted app
#10Looks like the app’s domain was also seized. https://www.anom.io/
Funny how that form is essentially asking users to dox themselves. I wonder how many will take the bait.