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Submission + - XKEYSCORE: NSA'S Google for the World's Private Communications (firstlook.org)

Submitted by Advocatus Diaboli
Advocatus Diaboli writes: "The NSA’s ability to piggyback off of private companies’ tracking of their own users is a vital instrument that allows the agency to trace the data it collects to individual users. It makes no difference if visitors switch to public Wi-Fi networks or connect to VPNs to change their IP addresses: the tracking cookie will follow them around as long as they are using the same web browser and fail to clear their cookies. Apps that run on tablets and smartphones also use analytics services that uniquely track users. Almost every time a user sees an advertisement (in an app or in a web browser), the ad network is tracking users in the same way. A secret GCHQ and CSE program called BADASS, which is similar to XKEYSCORE but with a much narrower scope, mines as much valuable information from leaky smartphone apps as possible, including unique tracking identifiers that app developers use to track their own users."

also

"Other information gained via XKEYSCORE facilitates the remote exploitation of target computers. By extracting browser fingerprint and operating system versions from Internet traffic, the system allows analysts to quickly assess the exploitability of a target. Brossard, the security researcher, said that “NSA has built an impressively complete set of automated hacking tools for their analysts to use.” Given the breadth of information collected by XKEYSCORE, accessing and exploiting a target’s online activity is a matter of a few mouse clicks. Brossard explains: “The amount of work an analyst has to perform to actually break into remote computers over the Internet seems ridiculously reduced — we are talking minutes, if not seconds. Simple. As easy as typing a few words in Google.”

Comment Re:Oh (Score 1) 28

by smittyoneeach (#50024847) Attached to: The Kevlar Kandidate, Blowing in the Breeze
I mean, of course I'm ashamed of my sin. As for you, personally: you blew up the benefit of the doubt long ago. Nothing about morality requires I be a doormat, and I've stood falsely accused enough by you that I always figure that you're setting me up.
Sure, I forgive you. For the past. But the idea that I have some "moral kick-me" in place is specious. Pre-judging you? Only of being human, sir.

Comment Re:Oh (Score 1) 28

by smittyoneeach (#50024271) Attached to: The Kevlar Kandidate, Blowing in the Breeze
Morality is wholly positive; prejudice, negative. Thus, I deem "moral prejudice" an oxymoron.
Morality is fertilizer for the soul. Amorality is nihilism. As C.S. Lewis answered your piffle: “Atheism turns out to be too simple. If the whole universe has no meaning, we should never have found out that it has no meaning"

Comment Re:Oh (Score 1) 28

by smittyoneeach (#50023253) Attached to: The Kevlar Kandidate, Blowing in the Breeze
Oh, I guess the fact that the unborn life can't consent to its murder makes it OK?
My point being, once you've made pleasure the only guide, arbitrary rationalizations are simply a matter of creativity. No one's responsible for anything, least of all their own behavior. Huxley uber-goober.

Comment Also not funny: the IRS (Score 1) 1

by smittyoneeach (#50023233) Attached to: The clown car is funny and all...
Daily, my suspicion that the exposure of Lerner's emails would kind of blow away the GOP elite grows just a little bit.
That elite is key to getting JEB nominated, so that the #NoMasBush crowd will help us #PartyLikeIts1992.
Look for a bomb to drop as soon as JEB has the lock.

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