With all the fanfare surrounding the IMSI catcher, scant attention has been paid to its lesser known “off the air” cousin -- hence today’s review of Israel’s Ability, a leader in passive off the air mobile interception solutions prized by military, intelligence and law enforcement customers. Unlike many companies in the surveillance biz that turned up post-9/11 to capitalize … [Read more...]
TaiG iOS 8 Jailbreaks, Pwn2Own 2015 & Next Conquest for VUPEN
The “ides of March” promise exciting news: the latest iOS 8 jailbreak from China’s TaiG, the annual Pwn2Own contest at CanSecWest, and the possibility that VUPEN will show to claim the crown in zero days once again. Whether TaiG, VUPEN or another will emerge as Brutus to Apple’s Julius Caesar remains to be seen. One point worth remembering: Forget Shakespeare’s … [Read more...]
“All Greek to Them” – The Debate over Lawful Intercept Security
Greece’s recent subpoena of a former U.S. Embassy official with suspected ties to the CIA has revived a long-running debate over lawful intercept security. Do surveillance systems pose security risks via backdoors that can be opened by law enforcement, intelligence agencies -- or anyone? The answer: Given all the other ways to intercept mobile, why bother? Surveillance … [Read more...]
Next Week: SS8, Chinese Hackathon + Backdoor Man – CIA’s Role in Greek Vodafone Intercept
Next week C5IS travels 'round the planet for a close-up on some of the more intriguing players and events in the electronic surveillance sector. First up: a review of U.S. surveillance player, SS8. Widely known for its work in lawful intercept, analytics and social media monitoring, SS8 is a market leader going head-to-head with Verint and other big box providers. But what's … [Read more...]
Next Week: Social Media Monitoring, The New Jihad + Germany’s Utimaco
We're forever hearing about ISIS' use of social media to recruit Western malcontents and promote their uniquely twisted view of Islam, but what about the flip side -- the use of social media monitoring to keep tabs on terrorists, track their whereabouts, show their faces, and build connections of their followers, friends and bosses (including those who'd rather we … [Read more...]