Warnings of Islamic State interest in "dirty bombs" - radiological dispersal devices (RDDs) that spread radiation over a target area - surface periodically, but are generally overshadowed by the terrorist group's use of "lone wolf attacks" like the one in London this week. Despite its increased reliance on terrorists-behind-the-wheel and weapons no more sophisticated than a … [Read more...]
First Take on CIA Vault 7 Leak – Dated & Dull
With the usual fanfare, Wikileaks fugitive-in-chief Julian Assange yesterday released the group's latest treasure trove of stolen secret documents: the CIA Vault 7 leak, comprising some 8,700 CIA documents describing, and in some cases providing specific code for, Zero Days, malware, Trojans, proxies and other forms of intrusive programs designed by the US's top intelligence … [Read more...]
Ransomware Targeting Police Goes Nationwide
One important incident largely overlooked in the lead-up to January's Presidential Inauguration in Washington, D.C.: Ransomware took control of the Metropolitan Police Department's CCTV system, leading to a three-day video surveillance blackout. Police in the capital of the world's most powerful nation were blind on video surveillance for three days. Fortunately for them, the … [Read more...]
Bulk Metadata Still Alive and Well in the USA
When President Barack Obama signed the USA Freedom Act into law in June 2015, his action was widely promoted as the end one of the most controversial aspects of government-run “bulk metadata collection” under Section 215 of the Patriot Act. The Act supposedly curtailed mass interception of U.S. citizens’ call data records, including CDRs for voice and data traffic. But as close … [Read more...]
Italy’s AREA SpA: Lesson in the Importance of Legal Awareness
When a company is in the business of serving law enforcement, generally it is inadvisable to act like a scofflaw. Yet such appears to be the case with Milan's AREA SpA, a well-established ISS vendor noted for its work in lawful intercept, mobile location, IP monitoring, data retention, and more recently "post-Trojan" surveillance involving work in the Deep and Dark Webs. For … [Read more...]