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The PCLOB Needs a Director

Schneier on Security

So it can examine the program of TSA watchlists, NSA anti-terrorism surveillance, and FBI counterterrorism activities. The PCLOB was established in 2004 (when it didn't do much), disappeared from 2007-2012, and reconstituted in 2012. It issued a major report on NSA surveillance in 2014.

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Russians Hack FBI Comms System

Schneier on Security

Yahoo News reported that the Russians have successfully targeted an FBI communications system: American officials discovered that the Russians had dramatically improved their ability to decrypt certain types of secure communications and had successfully tracked devices used by elite FBI surveillance teams.

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Identifying People Using Cell Phone Location Data

Schneier on Security

But way back in 2012, the Canadian CSEC—that’s their NSA—did some top-secret work on this kind of thing. There’s a whole lot of surveillance you can do if you can follow everyone, everywhere, all the time. Nowadays, it seems like an obvious thing to do—although the search is probably unconstitutional.

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On Chinese "Spy Trains"

Schneier on Security

The reason these threats are so real is that it's not difficult to hide surveillance or control infrastructure in computer components, and if they're not turned on, they're very difficult to find. Even so, these examples illustrate an important point: there's no escaping the technology of inevitable surveillance. Our allies do it.

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Snowden speaks about the role of surveillance firm NSO Group in Khashoggi murder

Security Affairs

Snowden warns of abuse of surveillance software that also had a role in the murder of the Saudi Arabian journalist Jamal Khashoggi. Officially the sale of surveillance software is limited to authorized governments to support investigation of agencies on criminal organizations and terrorist groups. COUNTRY NEXUS.

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RedTorch Formed from Ashes of Norse Corp.

Krebs on Security

Flushed with venture capital funding in 2012, Norse’s founders started hiring dozens of talented cybersecurity professionals. An ad for RedTorch’s “Cheetah” counter-surveillance tech. By 2014 it was throwing lavish parties at top Internet security conferences.

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North Korea-linked APT group ScarCruft spotted using new Android spyware KoSpy

Security Affairs

North Korea-linked threat actor ScarCruft (aka APT37 , Reaper, and Group123) is behind a previously undetected Android surveillance tool namedKoSpythat was used to target Korean and English-speaking users. ” KoSpy collects SMS, calls, location, files, audio, and screenshots via plugins.

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