Ride the Lightning
Cybersecurity and Future of Law Practice Blog
by Sharon D. Nelson Esq., President of Sensei Enterprises, Inc.
Can the NSA Impersonate Facebook? Infect Millions of Computers?
March 17, 2014
It was hard to keep up with the NSA news last week.
It was reported that the NSA has the capacity to infect millions of computers with malware through a process that is now largely automated (called Turbine). It was also reported after review of the same set of documents released by Mr. Snowden that the NSA has masqueraded as a fake Facebook server, using the social media site as a launching pad to infect a target’s computer and extract files from a hard drive. Other eavesdropping tactics referenced in the report include sending out spam e-mails with malware that can be set up to record audio from a computer’s microphone and take snapshots with its webcam
In today's world, none of this is hard to believe. We even had the comedy of Mark Zuckerberg calling the President to express his frustration over what appeared to be interference with the privacy of Facebook users. Many took to the Net to express their amusement that Facebook was worried about users' privacy.
Remarkably, the NSA answered the allegations. Here is a portion of what it said:
“Recent media reports that allege NSA has infected millions of computers around the world with malware, and that NSA is impersonating U.S. social media or other websites, are inaccurate. NSA uses its technical capabilities only to support lawful and appropriate foreign intelligence operations, all of which must be carried out in strict accordance with its authorities."
This does refute the allegation that the NSA has masqueraded as Facebook, but it certainly does not dispute the charge that the NSA has "the capacity" to infect millions of computers with malware. And what the NSA calls "lawful and appropriate" is surely in the eyes of the beholder.
The NSA has a serious credibility problem when folks who lecture on cybersecurity, including me, depict the NSA in their presentations as Pinnochio – with a nose far larger than than the Disney version.
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