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Tor Browser HACKED – Not Longer Safe and Anonymous

By
hqanon
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21

Written by: B.M.

In an attempt to secure the privacy and personal freedom of internet users, which should be the right of any user, TOR project was run voluntarily to provide anonymous online browsing under the name of Tor anonymity online.  Tor has even aimed to keep the privacy of users’ relations whether personal or business and to enable access to websites which are censored by the government.

Although the intention of this project was to protect internet users, recently, TOR administrators have confirmed an attack on its services for online anonymity, in July 2014, with one victim in mind: internet users. Those attacks has made their point in de-anonymizing Tor users.

tor-works-100049476-large

Arguments were raised regarding the identity of the attackers, however, the research done by Alexander Volynkin and Michael McCord was a main suspect. That is because they were supposed to have a talk entitled: ‘Attacking Tor and de-anonymizing’ at Black Hat Conference but it was cancelled for unclear reasons. This could have had serious issues regarding the ethics of academic research if it was to be proved. As they researchers have neither asked for the consent of the users nor can tell the consequences of the release.

Surprisingly, the second suspect is the Russian Government. It apparently did offer 114,000 US Dollars for anyone who can break Tor anonymity, where the FBI and the US government usually are a common suspect with high interest in the matter.

Regardless of the current confusion of the attacker’s identity, Tor stated that users from Jan 2014 to Jun 2014 could have been highly ‘affected’ by such attacks without specific details about to what extent the ‘effect’ could have been .

The flaw in Tor and other similar systems was thought to be in the I2P software in which the relays can know the IP address of the user and the destination of the hidden service of Tor, thus, de-anonymize the users’ activities.

To solve the problem, users are greatly recommended to upgrade to 0.2.2.23 or 0.2.5.6-alpha release of Tor as the team was able to remove all the possible wicked relays. Finally, Tor users can enjoy the secure private browsing again, at least for a while.

Links: Hide your identity from your internet provider & government and surf anonymously

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References:

http://thehackernews.com/2014/07/attackers-compromise-tor-network-to-de.html

https://www.torproject.org/

http://www.idigitaltimes.com/articles/24097/20140730/tor-attack-revealed-anonymous-users-identities-who.htm

 

CIA Director Caught Spying on US Senate

By
anonwatcher
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5

Written by: Anonymous Watcher

The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (SSCI) has recently been investigating the interrogation techniques of the CIA under U.S. and international law. Leaked details have exposed the illegal torture program implemented during the War on Terror, citing the uses of torture methods yielded no effective results in the hunt for Osama bin Laden.

An internal enquiry last week, has exposed the CIA in improperly searching SSCI computers. Staff emails addressed to congressional investigators, and staff records, were amongst those breached.

The scandal broke in March, with Brennan, the CIA’s Director, flatly refusing responsibility, stating “As far as the allegations of, you know, CIA hacking into, you know, Senate computers, nothing could be further from the truth…we wouldn’t do that.  I mean, that’s just beyond the scope of reason, in terms of what we do.”  It wasn’t until this week, that Brennan formally apologized, however, Department of Justice officials have decided there is no case for criminal investigation. [1]


Senator Feinstein, chairperson of the SSCI highlighted in March the possibilities of violation by the CIA. The Fourth Amendment and the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act were both cited as being breached.

 

In light of the admittance by Brennan this week, Obama backed the CIA by stating “I understand why it happened…we tortured some folks. We did some things contrary to our values.”  The torture Obama refers to, included sexual humiliation, waterboarding, sensory deprivation and other ‘enhanced interrogation techniques’ banned under domestic and international law.[2] Sens. Mark Udall (D-Colo.) a member of the SSCI has called for Brennan’s resignation, stating the questions the spying has raised with the constitutional separation of powers, must be addressed.[3]

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The constitutional crisis that the U.S has found themselves in centers around RDINet, an archive established by the CIA for the SSCI officials to access classified documents during the investigation. What begs the question now, is the type of evasive action taken: will Brennan’s apology placate the enquiry into this matter, or will his resignation be officially called for?

Remember, in theory, it has been the administration of President Obama that has dragged their feet on a procedure to declassify and make public, the report [4] detailing the ‘enhanced interrogation techniques’, and 6,300 other pages detailing the earliest decisions on the War on Terror.

Link: Hide your identity online from your internet provider & government and surf anonymously

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[1]Brett Wilkins (1 August 2014). “Brennan Apologizes for CIA Spying on Senate Intelligence Committee.” in C.I.A, Congress, Featured, Science & Technology, War on Terror. Retrieved 5 August 2014 http://morallowground.com/2014/08/01/brennan-apologizes-for-cia-spying-on-senate-intelligence-committee/

[2]Brett Wilkins (2 August 2014). “Obama: ‘We Tortured Some Folks.’ In in C.I.A, Congress, Featured, Science & Technology, War on Terror. Retrieved 5 August 2014 http://morallowground.com/2014/08/02/obama-we-tortured-some-folks/

[3]Ryan Cooper (1 August 2014). “The CIA admitted to spying on the Senate. Will John Brennan be fired?” Retrieved 6 August 2014. http://theweek.com/article/index/265665/the-cia-admitted-to-spying-on-the-senate-will-john-brennan-be-fired

[4]NDTV (1 August 2014). “CIA Apologizes for Spying on US Senate.” Agence France-Presse. Retrieved 6 August 2014. http://www.ndtv.com/article/world/cia-apologizes-for-spying-on-us-senate-568841

Mind Control With Google Glass?

By
hqanon
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12

Written by: B.C.

The future is finally here! Google Glass is something our grandparents could have only dreamed of. Lots of people have criticized Google Glass for being no more useful than a Smartphone, but it turns out Google Glass may have more uses than you would think. Many tests shown that Google Glass has potential in brain computer interface (BCI). Instead of the conventional use of Google Glass of speaking and sweeping the side of it , it can now read brain waves.
Researchers at Kennesaw State University’s Brainlab lead by Adriane Randolph have managed to accomplish the reading of brain waves to use Google Glass in a revolutionary way. It takes the brain waves and sends them to Google Glass, but unlike other tests like it this one reads the brain’s response known as P300 rather than reading from a continuous brainwave. P300 is a wave present in the process of decision making only occurring in the person’s reaction to a stimulus. P300 reflects processes involving evaluation and categorization.
Now the big question of how, how does this work? Well, it is actually quite simple, the test subjects were shown characters in a random order. They would focus on a certain character which would trigger their P300 in as little as 300 milliseconds. Once the P300 is active a signal is sent back to a computer where it chooses an action based on what charter the person chose.
The reason why this is such a big deal is because it can help people with disabilities. People with Locked-in Syndrome (A Condition in which a person is in vegetable like state unable to move or communicate but their brain is still active) or anyone who can’t communicate properly would have their lives completely changed with this new technology. It can allow them to communicate with their friends and family again. At this rate Google Glass could be the leading technology in communication for the disabled.
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http://techemergence.com/mindcontrol-july-23-2014/

Anonymous takes down Israeli Secret Service (Mossad) Website

By
hqanon
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186

Anonymous has already targeted multiple Israeli organizations as a part of the campaign “Operation Save Gaza” to stop the massacre in Gaza.  They have now taken down the official website of the Israeli Intelligence agency, Mossad, against the Israel military incursion in Gaza.

Anonymous took down Mossad’s website is a DDoS attack. The attack is severe as the website was shut down for over 10 hours. They have shut down multiple Israeli government sites after the death of one of the members of Anonymous, Tayeb Abu Shehada. The 22-year-old was killed during a protest in the village of Huwwara in the West Bank by Israeli forces over the weekend.

Anonymous launched the campaign against the Israel government, which coincided with Israel’s Operation Protective Edge on July 7. Since then, Anonymous have taken down thousands of Israel based website including the Israel Defense Ministry and the Tel Aviv Police websites.

op-israel

“We are calling upon the Anonymous collective, and the elite hacker groups to join our crusade, and to wage cyber war against the state of Israel once more. As a collective ‘Anonymous’ does not hate Israel, it hates that Israel’s government is committing genocide & slaughtering unarmed people in Gaza to obtain more land at the border,”  This was the message posted by Anonymous online on  the 25th of July. Hundreds of Israel government home pages had been replaced by graphics, slogans, and auto-playing audio files by Anonymous. They further released 170 log-in details which belonged to Israeli officials.

Anonymous launched hundreds of attacks on Israeli sites two years ago, with #OpIsrael targeting Israeli websites during the Israeli Defense Force’s operation ‘Pillar of Defense’ in Gaza. The Israeli Foreign Ministry’s data was completely wiped out and Anonymous was able to leak the data of 5,000 Israeli officials. They also hacked into the Israeli Deputy Premier’s Facebook and Twitter accounts, posting pro-Palestinian messages. A year back, they attacked 10,000 websites, causing approximately $3 billion is damages to Israel.

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http://thehackernews.com/2014/07/anonymous-group-takes-down-mossads_31.html

UAV Drones Hacked by Iraqi Insurgents

By
anonwatcher
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21

Written by: Anonymous Watcher

“No U.S troops or combat missions have been compromised due to the intrusion,” is the formal line held by an anonymous U.S official who wished not to be identified.

 

The intrusion referred to occurred in 2009 when Iranian-backed Shiite militants hacked into a U.S military feed with the use of a software program available to the mass-market. It enabled them to view live feeds of U.S “predator drones” that monitored Irag targets.

 

In light of this incident, it has also been discovered that UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle) feeds had also been hacked in Afghanistan, though CNN reported that the militants were able to gain control of the aircraft. Pentagon spokesman, Bryan Whitman refused to comment on the situation of how the tools were gained to hack into the system. Instead, he offered that “…the department constantly evaluates and seeks to improve both the performance as well as the security of various intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance systems and platforms,” Whitman said. “If and when we identify any shortfalls we obviously correct them as a continuous process of seeking both improved capabilities as well as improved security.”

 

The software at the time was said to be responsible for this is called SkyGrabber, an inexpensive program downloadable from the internet that permits users to expose weaknesses in unprotected communication links in some UAV’s. [1]

 

However, it seems in the current climate, the situation is yet to be rectified in recent years.

In 2013 it was reported to U.S. Intelligence Agencies that Pakistani Taliban attempts to “hack” UAVs via the acquisition of technical expertise were occurring. It was this, that experts at Texas University claimed, that once hacked, live feeds are intercepted, leading to frequencies obstructed and ultimate control of the UAV. “Input suggests that Iraq Mujahideen had passed on the details of UAVs design and vulnerable features prone to exploitation to Taliban operatives. Security agencies were forewarned about the Taliban’s move to recruit cadre drawn from Al-qaeda technical unit to target UAVs,” an official stated. [2]

According to the Recommendations and Report of the Task Force on US Drone Policy, there is a “Slippery Slope” that the U.S government must be made aware of. Released in June 2014, this document outlines the use of UAV during battle, and potential consequences. “The increasing use of lethal UAVs may create a slippery slope leading to continual or wider wars…[leading to] adversarial states may be quicker to use force against American UAVs than against US manned aircraft or military personnel.” The document goes on to outline the use of UAV strikes leading to an “increased instability” and “widening conflicts in regions around the globe.” [3]

 

So, why place such a strong focus on the UAV? In Michael Boyle’s study, the costs and consequences of drone warfare, 2013, he presents the argument that the Obama administration launched more drone strikes (284) between 2009 and 2012, than the Bush administration (46 strikes) by comparison in 2004 and 2008. It is in this retrospect that he suggests why the UAV is considered to be a target by insurgents. As he quotes Faisal Shahzad telling a judge, ‘Well, the drone hits in Afghanistan and Iraq, they don’t see children, they don’t see anybody. They kill women, children, they kill everybody. It’s a war and in war, they kill people…” [4]

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[1]Mike Mount and Elaine Quiiano (18 December 2009) “Iraqi insurgents hacked Predator drone feeds, U.S. official indicates.” CNN. (Retrieved 1 August 2014)http://edition.cnn.com/2009/US/12/17/drone.video.hacked/

[2] Yatish Yadav (25 July 2013) “UAVs Prone to Hacking, Warn Intel Agencies.” New Delhi, The Indian Times. (Retrieved 2 August 2014) http://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/UAVs-prone-to-hacking-warn-intel-agencies/2013/07/25/article1700651.ece?pageToolsFontSize=70%25

[3] Stimson; Task Force Co-Chairs Gen. John P. Abizaid (US Army, Ret.) & Rosa Brooks (2014) “Recommendations and Report of the Task Force on US Drone Policy.” (Retrieved 1 August 2014)

[4] MJ Boyle (2013) cited in “The Costs and Consequences of Drone Warfare.” (Retrieved 3 August 2014.)

http://bit.ly/1Arlzu5

FOR MORE DATA ON UAV, GO TO: http://securitydata.newamerica.net/drones/pakistan/analysis

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