DROPOUTJEEP: How NSA Owns iPhones
December 30th, 2013It looks like they implemented Back Orifice for iOS.
Anyway, *yawn*. So now we know the name of the tool.
The first reference that I can find on Cryptogon for a U.S. government agency having this capability is: FBI Uses Mobile Phones for Audio Surveillance – Even When Phones Are Off. That’s from 2006.
Via: Daily Dot:
The U.S. National Security Agency has the ability to snoop on nearly every communication sent from an Apple iPhone, according to leaked documents shared by security researcher Jacob Appelbaum and German news magazine Der Spiegel.
An NSA program called DROPOUTJEEP allows the agency to intercept SMS messages, access contact lists, locate a phone using cell tower data, and even activate the device’s microphone and camera.
The presentation by Jacob is much more profound and scary than all the NSA stories combined. The iPhone part is only a fraction.
In this incredible talk at the 30c3 conference yesterday, Jacob Applebaum walks us through the latest NSA leaks and breathtaking toolkit the NSA has assembled to undermine privacy worldwide.
(Warning: you’ll be wrapping your USB cable plugs up with your tin foil hats by the end).
For the first time I am extremely depressed about the state of the prisonplanet. When the time comes for physical martial law, I don’t think fellow Americans will be able to mount a significant resistance to the DHS fueled by electronic martial law already in full operation by the NSA.
Jacob’s talk is highly technical. Most IT folks will understand much. For the non-tech types, the chilling description of the NSA intercepting computer hardware purchases is extremely shocking; opening the shipping boxes and installing their own hardware, firmware and malware on the machines before customers receive their purchase via the post office, FedEx, UPS, etc.
Who in their right mind in the international market ever trust the likes of Dell, HP, Microsoft, Cisco, … ?