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Want to Keep Messages From the Feds? Use iMessage

Posted by timothy on from the disinformation-brought-to-you-by-the-afl-cia dept.

According to an report at CNET, "Encryption used in Apple's iMessage chat service has stymied attempts by federal drug enforcement agents to eavesdrop on suspects' conversations, an internal government document reveals. An internal Drug Enforcement Administration document seen by CNET discusses a February 2013 criminal investigation and warns that because of the use of encryption, 'it is impossible to intercept iMessages between two Apple devices' even with a court order approved by a federal judge." The article goes on to talk about ways in which the U.S. government is pressuring companies to leave peepholes for law enforcement in just such apps, and provides some insight into why the proprietary iMessage is (but might not always be) a problem for eavesdroppers, even ones with badges. Adds reader adeelarshad82, "It turns out that encryption is only half of the problem while the real issue lies in the Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act which was passed in 1994.

13 of 153 comments (clear)

  1. Hmm... by T-Bucket · · Score: 5, Insightful

    If I had just figured out how to eavesdrop on imessages, this is JUST the sort of thing I would make public....

  2. A state where police work is easy... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    ... is also known as a "police state."

    1. Re:A state where police work is easy... by oh_my_080980980 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Hi, let me introduce you to the Patriot Act.

  3. Easy Police Work is not a Constitutional Right by ScottCooperDotNet · · Score: 5, Insightful

    A security hole left open for the good guys is also a security hole left open for the bad guys.

    1. Re:Easy Police Work is not a Constitutional Right by SirGarlon · · Score: 5, Interesting

      And "law enforcement" can be either.

      --
      [Sir Garlon] is the marvellest knight that is now living, for he destroyeth many good knights, for he goeth invisible.
  4. Re::D by John+Napkintosh · · Score: 4, Funny

    Hey, I'd like to buy some of those drugs. Hit me up on iMessage at 407-TOTALLY-NOT-A-COP.

    --

    Long signatures suck.
  5. Seriously now by fyngyrz · · Score: 5, Informative

    If you believe, even for a second, that the feds can't read iMessages, you are just the deathstick dealer they are looking for.

    Y'all know about this, right?

    Here a money quote from an article in Wired:

    the NSA made an enormous breakthrough several years ago in its ability to cryptanalyze, or break, unfathomably complex encryption systems employed by not only governments around the world but also many average computer users in the US

    Yeah... that really fits in perfectly with "can't read iMessages", lol.

    --
    I've fallen off your lawn, and I can't get up.
    1. Re:Seriously now by Old97 · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Technology available to intelligence agencies like NSA is not always made available to law enforcement.

      --
      Very often, people confuse simple with simplistic. The nuance is lost on most. - Clement Mok
    2. Re:Seriously now by hawguy · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Technology available to intelligence agencies like NSA is not always made available to law enforcement.

      Exactly, if the NSA does have the ability to crack encryption thought to be uncrackable by the rest of the world, there's no way they'd let that ability be used for any public law enforcement cases -- they'd keep it closely guarded and would only use it for top-secret intelligence gathering.

    3. Re:Seriously now by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

      None of which stops them from calling your LEO's office and saying, "Hi, this is your federal government; Joe Palooka, address such and such, is dealing drugs." Or whatever. At which juncture, you are now a POGI. The point is, your secrets... aren't.

      Yes of course, but you have to JIYE the YTSARD or who's going to GJS the KSDYI?

    4. Re:Seriously now by rhekman · · Score: 5, Interesting

      While nothing technical is stopping an intelligence agency from passing on criminal tips to LEOs, there are legal road blocks to doing so. At least in the U.S. there are supposed to be restrictions on federal agencies spying on private citizens. More importantly though, our federal Constitution, state laws, and over 900 years of English common-law heritage guarantee one's right to face your accuser. Unless the originating agency can prove where and how they intercepted some communication, and it wasn't obtained as part of an unreasonable search or seizure, any such evidence is "fruit of the poisoned tree".

      --
      I like teamwork. It's easier to assign blame that way.
  6. Jitsi, Retroshare by Hatta · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Don't rely on closed source to keep your secrets. Since we can't verify that the Feds haven't pressured Apple into giving them a back door, we have to assume they have. The article here could easily be propaganda encouraging people to use compromised software.

    Use something like Jitsi or Retroshare if you care about your privacy. Anything else should be considered the equivalent of standing on the street corner with a megaphone.

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    Give me Classic Slashdot or give me death!
  7. Creator of PGP Has Already Fixed This by FsG · · Score: 4, Interesting

    PGP Creator Phil Zimmerman has a new business, Silent Circle, that does proper encryption for voice and SMS on mobile devices.

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    I made a PHP/MySQL library that prevents SQL injection & makes coding easier!