NSA

NSA bulk collection of US phone metadata reportedly ending next Monday

The National Security Agency's (NSA) bulk phone metadata collection program should come to an end on June 1 at 5pm Eastern time as the Obama administration has reportedly decided not to ask a secret court for a 90-day extension of Section 215 in the Patriot Act, an administration official confirmed to The Guardian on Saturday.

The controversial program was established as an effective, secret means of siphoning user data, not just from carriers but also from major technology companies like Apple, AT&T, Google, Verizon, and Microsoft, with or without their willing participation.

Apple outlines diagnostic capabilities in response to iOS ‘backdoor’ concerns

Forensic expert, and former jailbreak hacker, Jonathan Zdziarski caused quite a stir earlier this week when he published a report accusing Apple of building backdoors into iOS that could be used for government surveillance.

Apple of course came out and denied the claim, saying that these so-called 'backdoor services' are actually used for troubleshooting. But this wasn't a good enough explanation for a lot of users, so tonight it delved a little deeper...

Former jailbreak hacker accuses Apple of building surveillance backdoors into iOS

Former iPhone jailbreak hacker Jonathan Zdziarski recently gave a presentation at the HOPE/X conference regarding iOS device security. He said that the platform is reasonably secure from attacks by malicious hackers, but noted there are several backdoors built-in for surveillance.

In the presentation, called 'Identifying Backdoors, Attack Points, and Surveillance Mechanisms in iOS Devices,' Zdziarski detailed a number of undocumented high-value forensic services running on iOS devices, and suspicious design omissions in the OS, that appear to be for snooping... 

Apple to begin notifying users of info requests from law enforcement

According to a new report from The Washington Post tonight, Apple will join Google and other high-profile companies in updating their privacy policy to routinely notify users when a government or law enforcement agency requests information on them.

The move should appease user privacy rights activists, who believe it's unlawful for a government agency to have the power to access user data so discretely. The Justice Department, however, is concerned that the new routine could threaten investigations...

Timing of SSL bug fuels conspiracy theories about Apple and the NSA

By now you've probably already heard about the SSL bug that was discovered in iOS and OS X. Apple pushed an iOS update out on Friday to fix it, and it didn't sound like a big deal at the time, but we have since learned that it is an extremely serious security flaw.

The flaw leaves Apple devices open to what's called a man-in-the-middle attack, in where a malicious program poses as a trusted website to intercept communications or inject malware. And its existence has fueled conspiracy theories about Apple and the NSA...

Rovio denies wrongdoing in NSA’s snooping of Angry Birds players, but…

A report yesterday by The New York Times and other news organizations has provided yet another unsettling glimpse into the NSA's wide-ranging surveillance practices.

The speculation, based on information from documents provided by the NSA leaker Edward Snowden, suggests that the NSA and its British counterpart GCHQ have been collecting private user data from mobile apps, in real time, as it travels across the Internet.

Profile data being collected from popular games such as Rovio’s Angry Birds typically includes age, location and gender, the allegations go. And with games that show ads, the agencies are also able to intercept users' surprisingly detailed advertising profiles, mining it for new information...

Apple provides update on National Security Orders and account information requests

Apple has posted an update to information pertaining to national security and law enforcement orders, confirming that it's been working closely with the White House, the U.S. Attorney General, congressional leaders, and the Department of Justice to "advocate for greater transparency with regard to the national security orders we receive".

Apple CEO Tim Cook briefly touched on the topic in an interview with ABC’s David Muir, saying the NSA does not have access to Apple's servers as the snooping agency would have to “cart us out in a box” for that kind of access (those are his exact words)...

Tim Cook says NSA would have to “cart us out in a box” for server access

We're still a few hours away from ABC airing David Muir's interview with Tim Cook, but the network has been leaking tidbits of the discussion all day. Earlier we saw a clip of Cook talking about Apple's new sapphire plant in Arizona, and now this.

ABC has posted another preview of tonight's Cook interview. This time the CEO answers questions about Apple's position on the recent NSA surveillance scandal, saying the Agency would have to "cart us out in a box" to gain access to their servers...

Apple denies knowledge of NSA’s iPhone program

Yesterday, a trove of secret documents was released regarding the NSA and its ongoing spying on citizens both abroad and here in the US. One of the programs mentioned, called DROPOUTJEEP, is particularly scary as it can give the Agency complete control of any iPhone.

These are some pretty serious allegations made against the NSA and maybe more-so Apple, who either has several unknown security holes in its mobile OS or is consciously giving the NSA access. Well the company just responded to these claims, and it appears to be the former...

Leaked documents show the NSA can gain nearly complete access to your iPhone

In June of this year, Edward Snowden shocked the world by leaking a number of slides and documents and revealing that the NSA has backdoor access to the databases of 9 major tech companies, including Apple and Facebook. But as it turns out, its access may not be limited to software.

Since Snowden's initial outing, there has been a number of subsequent reports and leaks. And the latest to garner gasps from the security community is that the NSA has the ability to intercept the delivery of a new computer or mobile device—including iPhones—and build in a remote backdoor...

Short video from Obama’s recent meeting with Tim Cook and other tech execs

As we reported yesterday, Tim Cook and a number of other executives from prominent tech companies met with US President Barack Obama at the White House to discuss a wide range of government and tech-related topics.

Among the topics were said to be the recent struggles with the rollout of the healthcare.gov website and privacy concerns regarding government surveillance. And this afternoon, a short video of the meeting surfaced on the web...

President Obama meeting with Tim Cook and others over NSA and health care website

The White House has announced that President Obama is scheduled to meet with a number of tech executives tomorrow to discuss a wide range of subjects. Two of the big topics on the menu are said to be the NSA and the troubled HealthCare.gov website.

In addition, the group—which includes Apple CEO Tim Cook, Twitter's Dick Costolo, Netflix's Reed Hastings, and Dropbox's Drew Houston—will discuss ways the Obama administration can partner with the tech sector to create new jobs and grow the economy...