So, Uh, Did The NSA Get Hacked?

a reply to: Cauliflower

if you mean _NSAKEY that was a variable name discovered in one of the windows NT service packs.

im not sure which PGP key you are speaking of.

originally posted by: Vizzle
a reply to: Cauliflower

if you mean _NSAKEY that was a variable name discovered in one of the windows NT service packs.

im not sure which PGP key you are speaking of.

He probably means the same one because it was suspected to be a PGP key:

www.cypherspace.org...

Cryptonym found that there was a 2nd CAPI key in Microsoft's CAPI code, and that in NT SP4 they had forgotten to strip the symbols, and the symbol on the send key was _NSAKEY. Since then speculation has been that the key is the NSA's key to either allow them to insert trojaned crypto modules for info war purposes, or (less parnoidly) that they want to be able to use their own modules. Microsoft's cover story is that it was just a badly chosen variable name, and was actually just a backup key in case something happened to the private key for the first one.

Anyway since we now have a key which is suspected to be the NSA's public key, the obvious thing to do is format it as a PGP key, so that anyone who wants to indulge in voluntary key escrow can Cc their PGP encrypted messages to the NSA.

a reply to: Arbitrageur

yeah one and the same. I always seem to block out that PGP can be used for things other than email (and its not even user friendly at that!)

Those quoted in this article linked on Snowden's Twitter feed are quite sure it was a former NSA insider who mistakenly left the hacking tools exposed on the server or an insider who stole them and Russia should not be blamed.

Motherboard

originally posted by: tweetie
Those quoted in this article linked on Snowden's Twitter feed are quite sure it was a former NSA insider who mistakenly left the hacking tools exposed on the server and Russia should not be blamed.

Motherboard

Yea, it seems to be more logical that the code was found in the wild and not actually hacked from the NSA itself. And it is 3-years-old. They probably have new code that has evolved from this one.

According to ArsTechnica Kaspersky researches looking at the code noticed that it used RC5 and RC6 algorithms for encryption with a negative constant -0x61C88647 instead of the standard 0x61C88647, which appears to be a signature mark of other code found to be state sponsored (such as the Stuxnet worm.)

While there seems not to be much difference between the two, a negative may have helped hide it from detection. I don't know.

Some have pointed out that the only ones having information on the code seem to be Kaspersky and Snowden. (Aside from the Shadowbrokers). And both of them are inside Russia.

a reply to: Swills

Well not all hacks are internet mounted.

They only had to find a way to access some data. Unless the physical site where Equation Group were working was also harder to approach than the German firing line on D-Day, then I would say it is possible that someone might have found a way to hack them using non standard means. Doctored tech entering the premises, leveraging one of the Equation Groups family members, could be an inside job... The list of possibilities is fairly comprehensive.

It's possible. What remains to be seen is whether it is fact or fiction.

The NSA approved RSAREF was only used in early versions of PGP years before the Windows NT revelation.
At that time the internet was still new to the general public and security education probably seemed in order.
Why a lone wolf like Phil would be allowed to create a script with potential keys the size of Texas is another question?
There were some lawsuits and PGP was classified as a munition that could not be exported to foreign script kiddies outside the US. With the UK RIP bill, messages created by some versions of PGP might be considered contraband as they crossed the UK cables.

The ARS Technica article seems to authenticate the claims of the "shadow brokers" so it might be more than Malware in their possession. Could be an interesting study in what constitutes insider trading, certainly an omnipotent entity could produce the highest bid for the scripting.

a reply to: AdmireTheDistance

more news about the internet again??????

What I find truly laughable are articles like this:

www.cnn.com...

that allude to the Russians as being responsible for hacks into places like CNN and the NYTimes. CNN even has the nerve to say that 'intelligence sources say that news sites are a prime source for intelligence'! Who are they kidding? Most of the news that comes out of CNN or the NYTimes is complete propaganda, and mostly false. Witness the whole storylines put out on Syria and Assad as just ONE of many examples. Then there's the whole ISIS thing, and the hidden, but obvious to all of us that do our own research, fact that ISIS was basically created by the Obama administration, which is how they keep getting shiny new Red Toyota trucks and AR15s, which is a most definitely USA assault-type rifle, not manufactured in Russia at ALL.

So exactly WHAT would the Russians even 'uncover' by hacking into a NYTimes server? Who are they freaking kidding here? The most likely suspect would be someone who is looking to show the bias that is obvious to many, and to show a coordinated AGENDA of deliberately slanting the news. That's the only thing that 'hacking' places like CNN or the NYTimes would bare to the world.

What a freaking joke the mainstream is. If anyone wonders why this was Newsweek's LAST week of printing, look no further. The fact is, the American public is sick and tired of reading and watching LIES, so we've gone elsewhere, mostly, to find out what is going on in this country and the world.

SMH.

SPAM removed by admin