How the NSA Plans To Infect 'Millions' of Computers With Malware 234
Advocatus Diaboli sends news from The Intercept about leaked documents which show that the NSA is significantly expanding its efforts to build an automated system to compromise computers remotely. From the article:
"The implants being deployed were once reserved for a few hundred hard-to-reach targets, whose communications could not be monitored through traditional wiretaps. But the documents analyzed by The Intercept show how the NSA has aggressively accelerated its hacking initiatives in the past decade by computerizing some processes previously handled by humans. The automated system – codenamed TURBINE – is designed to 'allow the current implant network to scale to large size (millions of implants) by creating a system that does automated control implants by groups instead of individually.' In a top-secret presentation, dated August 2009, the NSA describes a pre-programmed part of the covert infrastructure called the 'Expert System,' which is designed to operate 'like the brain.' The system manages the applications and functions of the implants and 'decides' what tools they need to best extract data from infected machines."
Linux version? (Score:5, Interesting)
For me Linux on the desktop came about five years ago.
Fight terrorism! (Score:3, Interesting)
By far the most effective way to fight terrorism these days would seem to be by dismantling the NSA. It's the largest terrorist organization in the world.
And what a lot of money would be saved.
Re:crime? Sovereign Immunity. (Score:4, Interesting)
I'm the leech from above, with consistent employment. If plans pan out at my current place, I may reach the $80,000.00 range by the end of the year. I'm not rich, but I'm far, far away from needing any social assistance. I don't live in a huge city, so cost of living is quite low here. That salary goes a long way, and I'd gladly double my taxes to increase the services everyone here is getting.
The roads here that are privately maintained are garbage, and the tolls aren't automated yet so they're slow as hell, while the city ones are always in considerably better shape.
My hometown has a public energy utility. My current residence has choice of two, both far more expensive than my home, and they both cost the same. Why? I don't know.
I don't have experience with private water (thank god) but in countries that do privatize water, service and cost isn't exactly an outcome.
This isn't even addressing private vs public (when they're properly funded) education, healthcare, public safety, etc. I've never seen a favorable comparison in any of these cases, though.
Don't want to be too serious, on Slashdot though, so here's a joke. Why is my 6 year-old a libertarian? He doesn't understand the world either.
Re:Linux version? (Score:2, Interesting)
Neither.
Neither one is intrinsically more secure as a desktop OS than the other. That Linux has had less malware is only because the market share is smaller.
Re:crime? (Score:4, Interesting)
also, not sure why the article is using the future tense, as this relating to plans the NSA made in 2009. I find it hard to believe they haven't been implemented yet.
Re:crime? (Score:5, Interesting)
Armed insurrection is our only option at this point. We need to form something like the "Molly Maguires": http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M... [wikipedia.org]
It's not mentioned in the article, but they used to lop off the heads of mine managers who were exploiting destitute immigrant miners in the late 1800's. The Maguires obviously couldn't strike back at the Robber Barons who owned the mines, so they attacked the henchmen of the Robber Barons. They would drop the heads off on the doorsteps of other ruthless mine managers to give them a message. My high school history teacher attended a funeral in Eastern Pennsylvania, and the funeral parlor manager said that they still had some unidentified heads in jars in the basement.
So post the names of NSA employees publicly, and let's start collecting heads. The NSA is an enemy of the United States of America now, and all the values of the Founding Fathers. The system of checks and balances has been destroyed by a rogue branch of the US government.
Re:crime? Sovereign Immunity. (Score:5, Interesting)