Category Archives: CIA

Swiss-Swedish Diplomatic Row Over Crypto AG

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Previously I have written about the Swedish-owned Swiss-based cryptographic hardware company: Crypto AG. It was a CIA-owned Cold War operation for decades. Today it is called Crypto International, still based in Switzerland but owned by a Swedish company.

It’s back in the news:

Late last week, Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde said she had canceled a meeting with her Swiss counterpart Ignazio Cassis slated for this month after Switzerland placed an export ban on Crypto International, a Swiss-based and Swedish-owned cybersecurity company.

The ban was imposed while Swiss authorities examine long-running and explosive claims that a previous incarnation of Crypto International, Crypto AG, was little more than a front for U.S. intelligence-gathering during the Cold War…

Continue reading Swiss-Swedish Diplomatic Row Over Crypto AG→

Snowden agrees to forfeit $5 million from ‘Permanent Record’ and speeches

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Former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden has agreed to give up the proceeds from his book “Permanent Record” and the speeches he gave after leaking secret documents in 2013, under a deal reached with U.S. prosecutors. The Sept. 18 filing in a Virginia federal court would result in the forfeiture of more than $4 million that Snowden earned from the book, as well as $1 million from public appearances made from 2014 onward. A judge had ruled in late 2019 that in publishing the book and speaking about his leaks without pre-approval from the U.S. government, Snowden had violated his secrecy agreements with the CIA and NSA. The government has pursued the civil suit against Snowden as part of broader efforts to hold him to account for his unlawful disclosure of classified NSA surveillance programs in 2013. The government’s criminal case against him includes allegations that he violated the Espionage Act. […]

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Smashing Security podcast #193: Hacking the CIA, Bridgefy, and college lockdowns

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Whatever happened to Crackas with Attitude, perfidious Albion College’s approach to locking down Coronavirus, and the Bridgefy mesh messaging app falls down when it comes to security.

All this and much much more is discussed in the latest edition of… Continue reading Smashing Security podcast #193: Hacking the CIA, Bridgefy, and college lockdowns→

The CIA’s Corona Project was about Satellites, Not a Virus

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We take orbital imagery for granted these days, but there was a time that it was high technology and highly secretive. [Scott Manley] has a good overview of the CIA’s Corona spy satellites, along with declassified images from the early days of the program.

It seems strange today, but the …read more

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Bolton: Russia, China ‘undoubtedly’ interfering in 2020 U.S. elections

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Russia and China are “undoubtedly” working to interfere in the 2020 presidential election in the U.S., Trump’s former national security adviser John Bolton said Tuesday. The comment, which Bolton shared in response to a question from CyberScoop about offensive cyber-operations, came days after the Office of the Director of National Intelligence shared publicly that a whole host of foreign governments, including Russia, China, and Iran, are trying to exert influence over the U.S. presidential election this year. Russia is working to “primarily denigrate former Vice President [Joe] Biden,” while China “prefers” that Trump “does not win reelection,” the U.S. intelligence shows, according to the ODNI. Iran has set its focus on spreading disinformation on social media and seeks to “undermine U.S. democratic institutions, President Trump, and to divide the country,” according to the ODNI. The U.S., however, can and should hit back in cyberspace in an effort to try to […]

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Is using full TLS suite in all communication scenarios a defacto standard?

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Its usually recommended that ‘don’t use your own system of Crypto’ rather use standard SSL/TLS! I understand that SSL/TLS is a complete protocol suite that addresses all three elements of CIA triad.
What if I need to use a subset of CIA, s… Continue reading Is using full TLS suite in all communication scenarios a defacto standard?→

News Wrap: Malicious Chrome Extensions Removed, CIA ‘Woefully Lax’ Security Policies Bashed

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Insider threats, the CIA’s bad security policies, and malicious Chrome extensions were the topics of discussion during this week’s news wrap podcast. Continue reading News Wrap: Malicious Chrome Extensions Removed, CIA ‘Woefully Lax’ Security Policies Bashed→

Theft of CIA’s "Vault Seven" Hacking Tools Due to Its Own Lousy Security

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The Washington Post is reporting on an internal CIA report about its "Vault 7" security breach: The breach — allegedly committed by a CIA employee — was discovered a year after it happened, when the information was published by WikiLeaks, in March 2017. The anti-secrecy group dubbed the release "Vault 7," and U.S. officials have said it was the biggest… Continue reading Theft of CIA’s "Vault Seven" Hacking Tools Due to Its Own Lousy Security→

Theft of CIA’s ‘Vault 7’ Secrets Tied to ‘Woefully Lax” Security

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An internal investigation into the 2016 CIA breach condemned the agency’s security measures, saying it “focused more on building up cyber tools than keeping them secure.” Continue reading Theft of CIA’s ‘Vault 7’ Secrets Tied to ‘Woefully Lax” Security→