The CIA Campaign to Steal Apple’s Secrets

Researchers working with the Central Intelligence Agency have conducted a multi-year, sustained effort to break the security of Apple’s iPhones and iPads, according to top-secret documents obtained by The Intercept.

The security researchers presented their latest tactics and achievements at a secret annual gathering, called the “Jamboree,” where attendees discussed strategies for exploiting security flaws in household and commercial electronics. The conferences have spanned nearly a decade, with the first CIA-sponsored meeting taking place a year before the first iPhone was released.

The CIA Campaign to Steal Apple’s Secrets

I gotta say this: NSA and CIA are proving to be bad for American business interest in the computers and communications sectors of the economy, you know just about the biggest sector in the 21st century. These sorts of revelations seriously impact the entire United States because so many of us in the US are directly employed by this business sector. If we lose our jobs as a result of the actions of these spy agencies who exactly do we blame for it and kick out of office? Perhaps Senators Richard Burr, and Diane Feinstein should resign since they head up the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. These policies are short sighted in that the hurt important commercial players in the US.

Doesn't matter who you put on what committee, agencies like these are hard-wired to do this sort of thing. Only way to end it is get rid of these types of agencies. Clean house. Shut down (or burn down) the government and start with a clean slate.

a reply to: machineintelligence

It isn't like the CIA is going to come out with a better product. They are probably trying to stay one step ahead of cyber terrorists(like the ones that hacked into the apple cloud) as well as tips to help keep their own systems/servers from being hacked.

a reply to: Blackmarketeer

Shut down (or burn down) the government and start with a clean slate.

"Burn down" the government? All the buildings are stone.

How about we ignore them?

America is not the only country involved in these shenanigans. Just about everyone does it if they have the capability.

The thing that bothers me the most is how these monitoring capabilities are becoming commonplace. Embedding passive monitoring in things like gaming consoles ... or that new little BlackBox thingamajig you can't take out of your car. What's next? Our alarm clocks?

a reply to: machineintelligence

It is interesting that you mention this story now. because I heard today that apple's I-tunes was down today for I-Phone users.

I can personally say I will never buy an Apple product and will try to avoid any US products as much as possible since the faster US economically crashes. The faster the american citizen wakes up and do something about the problems US create. This is not just about the NSA. It is also about the puppet creating that CIA is involved in and the Military industrial complex.

This is a peaceful version of blow back.

originally posted by: Snarl
America is not the only country involved in these shenanigans. Just about everyone does it if they have the capability.

The thing that bothers me the most is how these monitoring capabilities are becoming commonplace. Embedding passive monitoring in things like gaming consoles ... or that new little BlackBox thingamajig you can't take out of your car. What's next? Our alarm clocks?

They are, and that's precisely the reason the NSA's current policy makes us less safe. They have more resources than anyone else and they are extremely good at what they do. When they break into our hardware and software, what do you think happens to the knowledge of how they did it? Through espionage it filters to other agencies around the globe and some of the nations it doesn't goto figure out the same weaknesses on their own. Sometimes these security holes goto private hackers instead of governments.

By discovering weaknesses in our technology and then hiding that knowledge the NSA makes us vulnerable to foreign governments and malicious hackers who have that same knowledge.

Instead they should behave the same way the antivirus industry behaves and publish the hacks, that way the producers of these goods are made aware and can fix the holes through software updates. When there is no such update such as the USB vulnerability we recently learned of, people can avoid using the technology.

With every hardware and software vulnerability we learn of, and it seems that we learn of a major one every couple months at this point. We find out just how unsafe we are because of a policy of obfuscation, shouldn't the NSA be making us more safe?

What does it really say when your government sits around and tries to find ways to break into all of your electronic devices?

a reply to: JHumm

I think it shows that information is the true power and weapon these days and it is vital that we stay informed.

a reply to: Aazadan

We may not agree on a lot of things ...

On this you're close to the the mark, but it's far more nefarious than you think. I've tried to spill some of it in a way that should be clear and digestible, but every time I do, I'm stonewalled and ridiculed by the folks who just want to call it evil.

a reply to: American-philosopher

My point is that the actions of the spooks agencies undermines billions of dollars in research and development investment as well as wasted money promoting US technology products when it is discovered that they are fully compromised government spy zombieware and people lose confidence in American manufactures.

originally posted by: machineintelligence
a reply to: American-philosopher

My point is that the actions of the spooks agencies undermines billions of dollars in research and development investment as well as wasted money promoting US technology products when it is discovered that they are fully compromised government spy zombieware and people lose confidence in American manufactures.

Where do you think those billion$ in R&D originate? Would you rather be spied on via an iPhone or a Galaxy?

Maintaining the status quo is _exactly_ why people's information is hoovered. What new laws have been drafted specifically to prevent collection ... in any way, shape, form, or fashion? What are the harsh penalties no government employee would dare risk ... even if they accidentally effed-up?

This whole business is a classic example of mis-direction ... and if you'll scroll upwards, you'll note not a single post I've made in this thread has been starred ... not even by you.

a reply to: JHumm
It says that they are doing their jobs. A necessary evil.

originally posted by: Snarl
a reply to: Aazadan

We may not agree on a lot of things ...

On this you're close to the the mark, but it's far more nefarious than you think. I've tried to spill some of it in a way that should be clear and digestible, but every time I do, I'm stonewalled and ridiculed by the folks who just want to call it evil.

I've always thought of it as another example of power corrupting. The end of that phrase is that absolute power corrupts absolutely and the NSA has pretty close to absolute power. At this point it's not so much about trying to do good (as I assume it started out as long ago) but more about trying to justify it's own existence. Once you can see everyones thoughts and you still can't find targets the only solution is to invent them by creating the mechanisms to frame people.

We have secret courts, that enforce secret laws, that try people for crimes, using secret evidence against them that the defendant never gets to see using charges that the person never even gets to hear. It's total corruption.

Unfortunately, it's already over for US tech companies unless they choose to "kiss the ring", which China is forcing ALL of them to do.

China is dumping all US created electronics and that is/was the goto market for growth for companies like Cisco and Apple.

a reply to: cenpuppie
Care to elaborate on China dumping US designed electronics? The US by far has some of the best ideas for new products even if we do not have the manufacturing base any longer.

a reply to: machineintelligence

Actually, Steve Job's Apple was full of Alien Tech from the CARMA program. So maybe the CIA thinks it was stolen. Who knows ...

www.philmug.ph...
STEVE JOBS AND ALIEN TECH FOR "CARMA" PROGRAM
This was a Deep Black program to give small, household Alien Tech to certain companies. Steve jobs went all in for "CARMA" - and came out with some astoundingly advanced computers a few years later.

(A hoax was sent out a few years ago that this program was called "CARET" with beautifully detailed "alien diagrams" - in Klingon. I ran this down as far as I could: CARET was a similar-sounding hoax; CARMA was/is the real program.)

www.abovetopsecret.com...
THE MYSTERY OF EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL TECHNOLOGY ... AND "CARET"

If you want, check out the second page in my discussion here:

a reply to: MKMoniker

I don't doubt that technology companies work in conjunction with the military -- I just don't know if they are evaluating and integrating alien technology.

Some of the capabilities the military needs may be of use to the civilian world, and I can honestly see the US military making off-the books money by having companies develop them.

a reply to: MKMoniker

It seems to me you are simply hijacking the thread to feed it into your unrelated thread. I am no moderator here but this seems transparent to me.