[News] National 'Security' Agency Gets Cozy with Linux, Schneier Talks in Linux Conference

NSA Released Guide to Secure Red Hat Linux

,----[ Quote ]
| It’s kind of ironic for an agency whose sole purpose is to spy on others
| would release a guide to secure one’s system. NSA last month released a list
| of guide to secure an operating system, but what we are interested most are
| the guides to Secure RHEL 5.
`----

[url]http://www.linuxhaxor.net/2007/12/26/nsa-released-guide-to-secure-red-hat-linux/[/url]

Bruce Almighty: Schneier preaches security to Linux faithful

,----[ Quote ]
| Schneier is one of three keynote speakers at Linux.conf.au 2008 and speaks
| with Dahna McConnachie about his presentation, books and thoughts.
`----

[url]http://www.computerworld.com.au/index.php/id;1891124482[/url]

Schneier and the NSA are no friends. He exposed their dirty little schemes.

Watch this video:

[url]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_sstDwKTCpM[/url]


Recent:

Dual_EC_DRBG Added to Windows Vista

,----[ Quote ]
| Microsoft has added the random-number generator Dual_EC-DRBG to Windows
| Vista, as part of SP1. Yes, this is the same RNG that could have an NSA
| backdoor. Â*
|
| It's not enabled by default, and my advice is to never enable it. Ever.
`----

[url]http://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2007/12/dual_ec_drbg_ad.html[/url]


Microsoft Sells Out to NSA... again!

,----[ Quote ]
| So before you go to the store and get that shiny new laptop, consider asking
| the retailer to not put Windows on there because not doing so could end up
| being a serious mistake. Â*
`----

[url]http://binaryfreedom.info/node/282[/url]


Related:

Did NSA Put a Secret Backdoor in New Encryption Standard?

,----[ Quote ]
| Which is why you should worry about a new random-number standard that
| includes an algorithm that is slow, badly designed and just might contain a
| backdoor for the National Security Agency. Â*
`----

[url]http://www.wired.com/politics/security/commentary/securitymatters/2007/11/securitymatters_1115[/url]


,----[ Quote ]
| "Is this a good idea or not? For the first time, the giant software maker
| is acknowledging the help of the secretive agency, better known for
| eavesdropping on foreign officials and, more recently, U.S. citizens as
| part of the Bush..."
`----

[url]http://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2007/01/nsa_helps_micro_1.html[/url]


Animal Rights Activists Forced to Hand Over Encryption Keys

,----[ Quote ]
| If you remember, this was sold to the public as essential for fighting
| terrorism. It's already being misused.
`----

[url]http://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2007/11/animal_rights_a.html[/url]


Microsoft could be teaching police to hack Vista

,----[ Quote ]
| Microsoft may begin training the police in ways to break the
| encryption built into its forthcoming Vista operating system.
`----

[url]http://www.vnunet.com/vnunet/news/2150555/microsoft-teaching-police-hack[/url]


UK holds Microsoft security talks

,----[ Quote ]
| "UK officials are talking to Microsoft over fears the new version of
| Windows could make it harder for police to read suspects' computer files."
`----

[url]http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/4713018.stm[/url]


For Windows Vista Security, Microsoft Called in Pros

,----[ Quote ]
| The NSA also declined to be specific but said it used two groups — a “red
| team� and a “blue team� — to test Vista’s security. The red team, for
| instance, posed as “the determined, technically competent adversary� to
| disrupt, corrupt or steal information. “They pretend to be bad guys,� Sager
| said. The blue team helped Defense Department system administrators with
| Vista’s configuration . Â* Â*
|
| Microsoft said this is not the first time it has sought help from the NSA.
| For about four years, Microsoft has tapped the spy agency for security
| expertise in reviewing its operating systems, including the Windows XP
| consumer version and the Windows Server 2003 for corporate customers. Â*
`----

[url]http://www.manpreet.co.in/tech-stuff/microsoft-vista-developed-with-help-from-us-national-security-agency/[/url]


Microsoft patents the mother of all adware systems

,----[ Quote ]
| The adware framework would leave almost no data untouched in its quest to
| sell you stuff. It would inspect "user document files, user e-mail files,
| user music files, downloaded podcasts, computer settings, computer status
| messages (e.g., a low memory status or low printer ink)," and more. How could
| we have been so blind as to not see the marketing value in computer status
| messages? Â* Â*
`----

[url]http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20070717-microsoft-patents-the-mother-of-all-adware-systems.html[/url]


Spy Master Admits Error

,----[ Quote ]
| Intel czar Mike McConnell told Congress a new law helped bring down a terror
| plot. The facts say otherwise.
`----

[url]http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20749773/site/newsweek/[/url]


FBI ducks questions about its remotely installed spyware

,----[ Quote ]
| There are plenty of unanswered questions about the FBI spyware that, as we
| reported earlier this week, can be delivered over the Internet and implanted Â*
| in a suspect's computer remotely.
`----

[url]http://news.com.com/8301-10784_3-9747666-7.html[/url]


United States Government Online Watchdogs? Part of the war on terror?

,----[ Quote
| Is there anyone in the abandonia community with a US based connection who is
| experiencing this watchdog behavior? Are any foreign Vista users experiencing
| similar attacks from their own countries ministries and governing agencies?" Â*
`----

[url]http://www.whitedust.net/news/3984/United_States_Government_Online_Watchdogs?_Part_of_the_war_on_terror?.../[/url]


Encrypted E-Mail Company Hushmail Spills to Feds

,----[ Quote ]
| Hushmail, a longtime provider of encrypted web-based email, markets itself by
| saying that "not even a Hushmail employee with access to our servers can read
| your encrypted e-mail, since each message is uniquely encoded before it
| leaves your computer." Â*
|
| But it turns out that statement seems not to apply to individuals targeted by
| government agencies that are able to convince a Canadian court to serve a
| court order on the company. Â*
`----

[url]http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2007/11/encrypted-e-mai.html[/url]


No email privacy rights under Constitution, US gov claims

,----[ Quote ]
| This appears to be more than a mere argument in support of the
| constitutionality of a Congressional email privacy and access scheme. It
| represents what may be the fundamental governmental position on
| Constitutional email and electronic privacy - that there isn't any. What is
| important in this case is not the ultimate resolution of that narrow issue,
| but the position that the United States government is taking on the entire
| issue of electronic privacy. That position, if accepted, may mean that the
| government can read anybody's email at any time without a warrant. Â* Â* Â*
`----

[url]http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/11/04/4th-amendment_email_privacy/[/url]


Can FOSS save your privacy?

,----[ Quote ]
| Well, the Bush regime has already claimed "we don't need no steenkin
| warrant" to listen to your phone calls, see what websites you visit,
| scan your emails, and now, with the revelation of a new
| "signing statement", it?s even claiming the authority to read your
| physical mail. When the government becomes the biggest threat to
| your privacy, you better take advantage of the legion of privacy
| advocates creating FOSS to help you retain what little bit of privacy
| you can still have.
|
| [...]
|
| However, just because your privacy is being threatened doesn't mean
| you have to accept it. There is a growing array of FOSS being
| developed to provide us with the ability to control our privacy.
| It's about time we all start using it.
`----

[url]http://www.freesoftwaremagazine.com/blogs/can_foss_save_your_privacy[/url]


Duh! Windows Encryption Hacked Via Random Number Generator

,----[ Quote ]
| GeneralMount Carmel, Haifa – A group of researchers headed by Dr. Benny
| Pinkas from the Department of Computer Science at the University of Haifa
| succeeded in finding a security vulnerability in Microsoft's "Windows 2000"
| operating system. The significance of the loophole: emails, passwords, credit
| card numbers, if they were typed into the computer, and actually all
| correspondence that emanated from a computer using "Windows 2000" is
| susceptible to tracking. "This is not a theoretical discovery. Anyone who
| exploits this security loophole can definitely access this information on
| other computers," remarked Dr. Pinkas. Â* Â* Â* Â*
|
| Editors Note: Â*I believe this "loophole" is part of the Patriot Act, it is
| designed for foreign governments. Â*Seriously, if you care about security,
| privacy, data, trojans, spyware, etc., one does not run Windows, you run
| Linux. Â*
`----

[url]http://www.linuxelectrons.com/news/general/14365/duh-windows-encryption-hacked-via-random-number-generator[/url]


How NSA access was built into Windows

,----[ Quote ]
| A careless mistake by Microsoft programmers has revealed that
| special access codes prepared by the US National Security Agency
| have been secretly built into Windows.
|
| [...]
|
| The first discovery of the new NSA access system was made two years
| ago by British researcher Dr Nicko van Someren. But it was only a
| few weeks ago when a second researcher rediscovered the access
| system. With it, he found the evidence linking it to NSA.
`----

[url]http://www.heise.de/tp/r4/artikel/5/5263/1.html[/url]


NSA Builds Security Access Into Windows

,----[ Quote ]
| A careless mistake by Microsoft programmers has shown that special access
| codes for use by the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) have been secretly
| built into all versions of the Windows operating system.
`----

[url]http://www.techweb.com/wire/story/TWB19990903S0014[/url]

"Roy Schestowitz" <newsgroups@schestowitz.com> wrote in message
news:1464332.yROCMdId8b@schestowitz.com...[color=blue]
>
> Bruce Almighty: Schneier preaches security to Linux faithful
>
> ,----[ Quote ]
> | Schneier is one of three keynote speakers at Linux.conf.au 2008 and
> speaks
> | with Dahna McConnachie about his presentation, books and thoughts.
> `----
>
> [url]http://www.computerworld.com.au/index.php/id;1891124482[/url]
>
> Schneier and the NSA are no friends. He exposed their dirty little
> schemes.
>[/color]

And Bruce Schneier is the same person who has thorougly debunked the BS myth
that Microsoft has embedded a secret NSA backdoor into Windows. Yet scumbags
like Roy "the liar" Schestowitz continues to post articles claiming that
such a backdoor does exist.



--
Posted via a free Usenet account from [url]http://www.teranews.com[/url]

Micoshaft Asstroturfer PEDRO LITTLE flatly wrote:
[color=blue]
>
> "Roy Schestowitz" <newsgroups@schestowitz.com> wrote in message
> news:1464332.yROCMdId8b@schestowitz.com...[color=green]
>>
>> Bruce Almighty: Schneier preaches security to Linux faithful
>>
>> ,----[ Quote ]
>> | Schneier is one of three keynote speakers at Linux.conf.au 2008 and
>> speaks
>> | with Dahna McConnachie about his presentation, books and thoughts.
>> `----
>>
>> [url]http://www.computerworld.com.au/index.php/id;1891124482[/url]
>>
>> Schneier and the NSA are no friends. He exposed their dirty little
>> schemes.
>>[/color]
>
> And Bruce Schneier is the same person who has thorougly debunked the BS
> myth that Microsoft has embedded a secret NSA backdoor into Windows. Yet
> scumbags like Roy "the liar" Schestowitz continues to post articles
> claiming that such a backdoor does exist.[/color]


Your obsessions with Roy's posts are legendary.

You should focus all that energy on Balding Blammer at Micoshaft
Corporation. I seem to remember you wanting a blow up
doll - a she male version of blammer - to keep you fixated
and obsessed on the rights things.

In article <4773ad24$0$26040$88260bb3@free.teranews.com>,
"PEDRO LITTLE" <PLIT@whoyurdaddy.com> wrote:[color=blue][color=green]
> > Schneier and the NSA are no friends. He exposed their dirty little
> > schemes.
> >[/color]
>
> And Bruce Schneier is the same person who has thorougly debunked the BS myth
> that Microsoft has embedded a secret NSA backdoor into Windows. Yet scumbags
> like Roy "the liar" Schestowitz continues to post articles claiming that
> such a backdoor does exist.[/color]

Schestowitz also claims the NSA hid code in Linux, via SELinux.


--
--Tim Smith