Microsoft Behind Recent Wikileaks & Cryptome Closings?

Originally posted by Portugoal
reply to post by kosmicjack What information does this hold that gives people power? To know what information is kept?

Um, no. We have a right to know what information is shared, why and when.

This topic needs a lot more attention! I'm going to present the following series of events and why I feel like this is a red flag of things to follow.

- We just saw a cyberattack simulation within the past week or so.
- The gov has admitted that there has been a previous attack on a wide network in 2006(?).
- This is all being done as the Cybersecurity act is being dragged through the political process.
- Microsoft's COFEE app is now circulating around the internet, offering new and invaluable tools for hackers to hide their data or to extract it from users machines.
- Microsoft is now attempting to hide a document that potentially exposes illegal activities across multiple governmental organizations and the sharing of information. This can have a serious impact on their public relations/stocks and userbase.

With the new tools ability to potentially expose vulnerabilities within the Microsoft OS and potentially others as well. We may see a huge wave of cyber attacks and an even stronger push to close Internet 1.0 as most computers can be vulnerable to attack.

Even in the event that the COFEE software cannot be reverse engineered to expose serious vulnerabilities, it may be used to aid hackers in getting away with more heinous acts. With this app, the attackers can allegedly sweep up the evidence as they leave.

With Internet 1.0 potentially being exploited on a larger and un-detectable scale, this may leave an open avenue for Google and Internet2 to swoop in and save(?) the day.

Any thoughts?

edit:grammar.

[edit on 25-2-2010 by patmac]

reply to post by patmac


Beautifully said. I see COFEE as a pretty powerful tool and was wondering about its potential use for hackers. The Handbook, as devildogUSMC proposed to me, may be tied in with COFEE because COFEE allows searches to be done on computers FAST and effectively, going after SPECIFIC things and doing SPECIFIC things. The Handbook talks about what law enforcement can do in searching for these things and how they go about it.

Both leaks therefore do pertain to the same subject matter and can point to Microsoft being the reason both whistle-blower sites were shut down.

Originally posted by Portugoal
And why does Wikileaks say the Handbook was designed for police and intelligence services when it looks more like a in-house thing.

It doesn't look that way to me. Instead it looks like "Officer, if you request our records, here's what you'll get and here's what it means and how to interpret them", that's not an in-house document.

reply to post by Arbitrageur

You're right. It does say for law enforcement only. However, the beginning I thought was more a manual on what information is being kept and how to read it. Only at the end does it make it obvious that it is for law enforcement.

Any thoughts on the fact that Microsoft is forcing sites that try to inform the people to shut down?

reply to post by patmac


What a load of nonsense. First of all COFEE has been circulating the nether regions of the net for a couple of years, and there is nothing to it that cannot be had in "off the shelf" solutions. Any real black hat worth his salt wouldn't be caught dead using it, they already have a far more advanced arsenal of tools at their disposal.

Second, what exactly about his document is illegal? When you sign up for any of these types of services you accept certain things. One of those will be that you give Microsoft permission to share your data with third parties. It's something you agree to. There is not questionable legality when you have already given your full consent.

Example;

In particular, we may access or disclose information about you, including the content of your communications, in order to: (a) comply with the law or respond to lawful requests or legal process; (b) protect the rights or property of Microsoft or our customers, including the enforcement of our agreements or policies governing your use of the service; or (c) act on a good faith belief that such access or disclosure is necessary to protect the personal safety of Microsoft employees, customers or the public

Microsoft Service Agreement


[edit on 25-2-2010 by fumanchu]

reply to post by fumanchu


Does the fact that both sites would rather risk being shut down over leaking M$ documents not make you wondering exactly what is going on? I think Patmac's ideas do have something behind them. The fact that they hold out information is no suprise to anyone, i don't think. It's the fact that the sites are leaking this (what seem to be) useless Handbook and risking shut down. Why to prove a point? Has to be more than that. You prove a point over something that matters. Obviously then, this matters.

reply to post by Portugoal


And then there's the Streisand Effect. It's getting a lot more attention (which is good) now than it would have if they had let it remain on Cryptome without any controversy. You would think people would get that by now...

reply to post by Portugoal


Not in the least. They are both entitled to post what they like but on the same token where those postings infringe the rights of others, those others are within their rights to address the issue in whichever way they see fit within the scope of the applicable laws. Are you suggesting that Microsoft has broken the law in some way? Because from where I'm sitting the only ones who may have committed any illegality are those who posted a document protected by copyright. If you're going to play with fire, expect to get burnt.

[edit on 25-2-2010 by fumanchu]

well i definately think that there is something going on here, maybe this manual is part of a bigger picture and we just need the right info to put the pieces together!!!

reply to post by kosmicjack


You're right. Had Cryptome not been shut down and Wikileaks respond by posting it up themselves, we would have never heard nor cared for the Handbook. Microsoft is making itself look bad by getting Cryptome shut down and having its privacy document leaked.

Cryptome had a backup site up and running almost immediately , but if you go there you'll get one of those red WOT warnings . I wonder if they are starting to use WOT to dissuade people from going to sites , not because they contain viruses, but because they contain information certain parties do not want you to access.

reply to post by fumanchu


I understand what you are saying. But again, Cryptome was warned beforehand that it was going to be 'burnt' as you put it. Yet they kept 'playing with fire.' Microsoft has its things leaked and seems to be the only company pursuing it by way of shut down. I'm not saying other companies don't care, but other companies have never effectively threatened copyright infringment claims and were successful in shut downs of these sites.

Put the pieces together. People are always complaining about Microsoft. Here's another reason to complain.

That's not true, I post info from cryptome quite freqently, and have posted the COFFEE and DECAF programs in RATS.

Also, I have a copy of the microsoft doc, and also the NITRO program used by Secret Service for network intrusion.

The micro soft doc, is not different than the yahoo, skye or AT&T or any of the other legal spy docs published by cryptome.

The differenc is, this time, one of those companies had enoguh money to influence the service provider.

Mind you , cryptome is not the source of the leaked or published info, they are a collectoint point. The info was already on the net, and was just gathered up.

reply to post by fumanchu


I think it's worth noting that when most people consent to terms and conditions of use they don't conceive of all the ways the information could be used, traded, sold, subpoenaed, hacked, whatever. Most people naively think their internet use is some sort of anonymous playground.

The main issue I have is the ever-degrading rights to privacy and protection against unreasonable searches. A lot of the collusion/cooperation between companies and government seems more like casting a wide net just to see what they can catch, whether it's information or people.

this is off the Microsoft site-

COFEE

""Live" evidence, such as active system processes and network data, is volatile and may be lost in the process of turning off a computer...."

And COFEE is being provided—at no charge—to law enforcement around the world.

If it's vital to government, it's mission critical to Microsoft.

Like I said earlier, COFEE and DECAF are both available on ATS in RATS.

[edit due to terms of service]

[edit on 25-2-2010 by ADVISOR]

reply to post by kosmicjack


To be honest, most people don't even read terms of service. They probably should be they don't. And to see that M$ holds all this information on its users is scary, and obviously they share it with the government. Microsoft wanted this Handbook to stop being shared and instead, the news of Cryptome closing has meant that moer people know about it now than they would.

People are always going on about how much the hate Microsoft and now they have more of a reason to do so. Keep spreading the word.

Cryptome is back up, check it out for yourselves;

We would like to notify you that Microsoft has contacted us regarding www.cryptome.org. Microsoft has withdrawn their DMCA complaint. As a result www.cryptome.org has been reactivated and this matter has been closed. Please allow time for the reactivation to propagate throughout the various servers around the world.
Cryptome

Nice...

A copy of the email...which I found interesting...

To: "DMCA"
Cc: "internet4[at]microsoft-antipiracy.com"

Dear Ms. Larsen:

I am outside counsel to Microsoft Corporation. I am writing to confirm my telephone message left with your nighttime operator at 7:45 PST this evening to withdraw Microsoft's takedown request with respect to the file available at cryptome.org... which is the subject of the correspondence below.

While Microsoft has a good faith belief that the distribution of the file that was made available at that address infringes Microsoft's copyrights, it was not Microsoft's intention that the takedown request result in the disablement of web acess to the entire cryptome.org website on which the file was made available.

Accordingly, on behalf of Microsoft, I am hereby withdrawing the takedown request and asking that Network Solutions restore internet access to http: cryptome.org as soon as possible.

I can be reached at [Phone Number Omission] if you wish to discuss this request.

Sincerely,

Evan Cox
Counsel to Microsoft Corporation

Link

Good Times, relatively speaking...