| Submit your comments on this article |
| Home Front: WoT |
| NSA disguised itself as Google to spy, say reports |
| 2013-09-13 |
| If a recently leaked document is any indication, the US National Security Agency -- or its UK counterpart -- appears to have put on a Google suit to gather intelligence. Here's one of the latest tidbits on the NSA surveillance scandal (which seems to be generating nearly as many blog items as there are phone numbers in the spy agency's data banks). Earlier this week, Techdirt picked up on a passing mention in a Brazilian news story and a Slate article to point out that the US National Security Agency had apparently impersonated Google on at least one occasion to gather data on people. (Mother Jones subsequently pointed out Techdirt's point-out.) Brazilian site Fantastico obtained and published a document leaked by Edward Snowden, which diagrams how a "man in the middle attack" involving Google was apparently carried out. A technique commonly used by hackers, a MITM attack involves using a fake security certificate to pose as a legitimate Web service, bypass browser security settings, and then intercept data that an unsuspecting person is sending to that service. Hackers could, for example, pose as a banking Web site and steal passwords. The technique is particularly sly because the hackers then use the password to log in to the real banking site and then serve as a "man in the middle," receiving requests from the banking customer, passing them on to the bank site, and then returning requested info to the customer -- all the while collecting data for themselves, with neither the customer nor the bank realizing what's happening. Such attacks can be used against e-mail providers too. The article by Brazil's Fantastico mentions a hitherto unknown GCHQ spy program called "Flying Pig." This prompted a Twitter quip from Electronic Frontier Foundation attorney Kurt Opsahl: "PRISM, Flying Pig. Someone in the surveillance state has a thing for Pink Floyd album covers." |
| Posted by:Au Auric |
| #7 ZOE NOES, SAY IT TAINT SO! Well, I'm certainly surprised - NOT. I'm so proud - to think it only took five years to discover or admit the obvious. |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2013-09-13 19:35 |
| #6 Scroogled: Purchasing government 'JET A' at a price discounted well below that paid originally by the taxpayer. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2013-09-13 17:30 |
| #5 And Drudge is reporting that the Google/NASA arrangement to buy pentagon contracted Jet A from NASA at Moffett Field ( at much cheaper prices)has 'unexpectedly' come to light. This after all the revelations about the NSA 'requesting' help from various net providers to spy on us. looks like payback can be a real biatch. |
| Posted by: USN, Ret. 2013-09-13 17:21 |
| #4 ....Agency had apparently impersonated Google on at least one occasion to gather data on people.em> Impersonated, or authorized to act on behalf of Google as a clandestine, corporate sponsored operative. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2013-09-13 17:01 |
| #3 Time to pull the 8.8.8.8 DNS server IP (googles) out of my alternate lists? |
| Posted by: 3dc 2013-09-13 16:39 |
| #2 The main difference between Google and the NSA is, the NSA is subject to the FISA court. |
| Posted by: Thing From Snowy Mountain 2013-09-13 16:05 |
| #1 A spy masquerading as a spy. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2013-09-13 13:04 |