January 15, 2014 – TECHNOLOGY – The
U.S. National Security Agency is reported to have implanted malicious
software in nearly 100,000 computers worldwide, allowing the U.S. to
conduct surveillance on those machines while creating a digital highway
for launching cyber attacks. The New York Times reported that the N.S.A.
inserts most of the software by gaining access to computer networks,
but has also increasingly made use of a secret technology that enables
it to enter and alter data in computers even if they are not connected
to the internet. The report, which cites N.S.A. documents, U.S.
officials and computer experts, said the technology relies on a covert
channel of radio waves that can be transmitted from tiny circuit boards
and memory cards physically inserted into the computer. The Times also
said that the N.S.A. has successfully implanted the software into such
targets as Russian military networks, systems used by Mexican police and
drug cartels, trade groups inside the European Union, and
anti-terrorism partners such as Saudi Arabia, India and Pakistan. The
newspaper claimed that there is so far no evidence the N.S.A has
implanted its software or used the radio frequency technology inside the
United States. The details of the N.S.A.’s surveillance efforts are
part of the scores of documents leaked by former N.S.A. contractor
Edward Snowden that created a firestorm of criticism. President Barack
Obama will deliver a speech Friday outlining what steps he will take to
reform the agency’s practices. -VOA
Electronic Police State:
“The surveillance of our society is everywhere and will become
increasingly more so with time…cameras, eavesdropping, digital message
intercepts and flying overhead drones, blimps and satellites will
saturate the planet. Federal officials regularly pool information about
individuals from popular websites, social networking sites, banks,
internet service providers, as well as a variety of other consumer
websites that might be linked to your email address…in many ways, we are
already flirting with the idea of an electronic police state.”
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