Once again the FBI is raising the alarm on Capitol Hill, citing surveillance laws so outdated that law enforcement is “Going Dark” in the fight against crime and terrorism. Officials paint a world where evildoers leverage encryption and P2P services to get away without a trace. Confined by laws designed in bygone pre-Internet days, frustrated agents watch cases go cold. It’s … [Read more...]
Big Data Bubble: Surveillance and the Coming Market Shakeout
Two years have passed since analytics guru Ravi Kalakota penned his now famous screed lampooning Big Data hype & the profusion of market entrants -- and soothsaying the inevitable bursting of the Big Data Bubble. Hasn’t happened yet, but that doesn’t mean Big Data analytics providers and government clients shouldn’t keep an eye open. In his Big Data Fatigue and Company … [Read more...]
Bulk Metadata: It’s About the Analytics, Dummy!
Passing the one-year anniversary of his remarks proposing to abolish bulk metadata collection, President Obama late yesterday took baby steps to curtail U.S. surveillance powers. The usual media uproar ensued, with privacy advocates bewailing the Administration’s “weak” response to their demands for reform. NSA and FBI spokespersons by and large bit their tongues and went along … [Read more...]
Uroburos Malware: Russia’s Answer to Stuxnet
C5IS doesn't usually review cyberwarfare, but the case of Uroburos -- Russian malware used to disrupt and spy on Western industry and intelligence -- merits an exception. Uroburos, a family of malware variants with distinct ties to Russian intelligence, constitutes a greater threat to the security of Western nations than Al Qaeda, ISIL, lone wolf and all the other Islamic … [Read more...]
NSA Decryption: New Snowden Leak is Ancient History
A breaking Der Spiegel story on NSA decryption challenges aroused little interest in the U.S. this week, raising doubts whether source Edward Snowden remains relevant and if stolen files dating back many months still hold news value. While it's SOP in the media business that anything never before reported is still news, the same principle doesn't apply in the electronic … [Read more...]