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Apple Denies Helping NSA Subvert iPhone
New submitter aissixtir sends word that Apple has responded to allegations that the NSA has backdoor access to iPhones. Apple said,
"Apple has never worked with the NSA to create a backdoor in any of our products, including iPhone. Additionally, we have been unaware of this alleged NSA program targeting our products. ... Whenever we hear about attempts to undermine Apple’s industry-leading security, we thoroughly investigate and take appropriate steps to protect our customers. We will continue to use our resources to stay ahead of malicious hackers and defend our customers from security attacks, regardless of who’s behind them."
What makes you think they could stop the NSA?
Don't believe you.
It's now proven most American companies can't be trusted.
Well, since Apple is aware that whatever they claim can be sooner or later verified by checking Snowden data, they could be telling the truth.
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#\ @ ? Colonize Mars
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But I can't.
They didn't say there was *not* an NSA backdoor. All they said was that they didn't work with the NSA to create one.
Because, of course, when your domestic intelligence agency asks you to do something, and you comply, you then also admit to it the first time someone questions your integrity.
It's almost as useful as government departments (esp. intelligence agencies) issuing press releases declaring that they only do what's in their mandate and according to the law.
Trust no one, but assume innocence until proven guilty. So, while nobody should trust Apple devices with sensitive data, any direct accusation must be backed up with evidence. It's then up to Apple to defend itself by attacking the evidence. What we have here is neither.
They should say there is no backdoor, not that they did not help making one.
This rogue agency will destroy billions upon billions of dollars worth of American commerce before its done.
quiquid id est, timeo puellas et oscula dantes.
I seem to recall Apple recently acquired a certain type of government security approval. I wonder if any of that is related.
This could be part of the reason the Whitehouse waived the patent decision against them.
Working with the NSA most likely comes with a caveat: "you follow this gag order or we will put you in jail for interfering with national defense and releasing classified information." In other words, something almost as bad as giving aid to the enemy.
I hate conspiracy theories, but it is plausible that they are under a secret order from a secret court ordering them to deny everything. This is precisely why in the US we should never every have secret courts.
Don't believe you.
Rhetorical question: why not?
If the "amateurs" can compromise iOS security, the professionals shouldn't have much of a problem:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pwn2Own
Physical access to the iPhone was mentioned, so that's not surprisingly that the NSA can get at the data.
Blackberrys were also mentioned in the "Spiegel" article, but that was actually about getting at the e-mails via compromising the BES server. So it looks like in the case Blackberry, the crypto (both over-the-air and on-device) is secure. Which isn't too surprising given that RIM/Blackberry owns Certicom and uses ECC crypto (which the NSA has been pushing with Suite B), and given that BB has EAL 4+ certifications (and iOS does not):
https://www.google.ca/search?q=blackberry+EAL
However, in Pwn2Own BBs were compromised by visited exploit-filled websites.
Page 16/272: Acknowledgments
Apple would like to thank the National Security Agency, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and the Defense Information Systems Agency for their assistance in creating and editing the client and server security configuration guides for Mac OS X Snow Leopard.
"Apple has never worked with the NSA to create a backdoor in any of our products, including iPhone."
... Whenever we hear about attempts to undermine Apple’s industry-leading security, we thoroughly investigate and take appropriate steps to protect our customers."
Translation: "the NSA did all the work and we didn't have to work with them."
"Additionally, we have been unaware of this alleged NSA program targeting our products."
Translation: "we weren't aware they were supposedly trying to hack our products because we already allowed them carte blanche access."
"
Translation: Our customers are best-protected by us having a lot of money and not being in secret courts all day so we comply with government organizations' suggestions.
"We will continue to use our resources to stay ahead of malicious hackers and defend our customers from security attacks, regardless of who’s behind them."
Translation: since the NSA are not malicious hackers but our best buddies, we will happily focus our efforts on black-hat bad guys. Nothing to see here.
You know... if one of these companies would just say "there are no backdoors in our software. We do not allow the NSA or any other organization access to customer data or communications under any circumstance. These are not new policies and go back to the inception of our iOS line of products", then I could take them seriously. Instead their lawyers draft these PR statements that use such mind-deadening language that it's trivial to poke fun at them.
I don't honestly believe Apply has allowed a back-door, but their statement just sucks.
"Oh no... he found the
Hi JS,
Try watching a few of the new 30C3 vids to get an overview of contractor and gov visions for phone tracking.
30C3 To Protect And Infect - The militarisation of the Internet
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZYo9TPyNko
30c3 To Protect And Infect, Part 2 (at ~30 min in for the cell phone question more at 43 min for ~DROPOUTJEEP too)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0w36GAyZIA
30C3 Backdoors, Government Hacking and The Next Crypto Wars
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xLT7ao1V8vY
Domestic spying is now "Benign Information Gathering"
With all the deliberatedly worded non-denial denials we've seen in response to NSA revelations, you'd think that Apple's PR firms would know to make an absolute denial if that was their intent.
I see these overly-specific denials as a signal that they're under a gag order.
My God, it's Full of Source!
OUTSIDE_IP=$(dig +short my.ip @outsideip.net)
I work in a relationship role for a large firm that most people have heard of. Let me fill all of you in on exactly what was said here.
First time poster as I am normally not interested however I felt that most of the comments were not addressing the whole verbiage of the defense.
"Apple has never worked with the NSA" ----- We did not have a contract with or resources sharing agreement with the NSA. We have friends though. ... Whenever we hear about attempts to undermine Apple’s industry-leading security, we thoroughly investigate and take appropriate steps to protect our customers.
"to create a backdoor in any of our products, including iPhone" ----- Whatever was created was not called a backdoor or we did not create it. Someone else did.
"Additionally, we have been unaware of this alleged NSA program targeting our products..." ----- THIS alleged program. We were given a different name or aware of others.
"
----- Apple will and probably does investigate breach attempts. But this is not a breach. It was a voluntary. So we aren't doing anything.
"We will continue to use our resources to stay ahead of malicious hackers and defend our customers from security attacks, regardless of who’s behind them." ------ Malicious hackers, Security Attacks, as stated above this was voluntary. We will continue not using resources to patch the vulnerabilities.
In summary Apple did not deny. It is simply used double speak/meaning to say, it was not officially worked, we didn't refer to it by this name, we did not personally create the vulnerabilities and we aren't going to fix them. The NSA would be like a vendor to a large company in this instance. The company can sit back and say they did not personally take malicious action. However, they can't get away from the fact that it happened under their watch so they must respond and deny, which as pointed out by others can be proven by subsequent revelation by Snowden or others, or they can type a paragraph which is true and doesn't admit guilt while misguiding others into making their own conclusion.
Remember, you are the one they have to convince, not themselves. The executives are not going to let someone like government or shareholders just waltz in and destroy what they've spent years building. They will lie or mislead and if caught, after years of arbitration and lawsuits, can settle for a small lump sum that pales in comparison to the money they could have made in the meantime. Look at BP and the trust fund they setup for the Gulf Oil Spill Cleanup. They made a profit on the interest and reinvestment of that money.
Believe me or not it's entirely up to you. I work in an area who has written quite a few of these and trust me it works to divide and conquer individuals who have different interpretations of literary/writing style. Either way, most people are not paying attention... and that's a fact.
It's not even in the same ballpark. Likening a the idea of a company checking out apps before you install them is nothing like having a government entity, with no accountability, recoding you every time you take a shit.
Get real.
SJWs are the new boogeyman. -Me
Additionally, we have been unaware of this alleged NSA program
How could they be aware? I mean, it's only been widespread news for the last year or so!
Their statement is 100% lawyer-drafted weasel language crafted to tell enough truth that they don't get in trouble, while still lying about whatever it is they're lying about. Next it'll be something like "We're really sorry you think there are security flaws in our product, and we're working hard to change that perception."
That I'm right, and you don't like it, doesn't mean I'm a troll.
"harming the country"...along the same lines of harming a child molester by turning them in...he's only harming the security apparatus...said security apparatus already caused massive harm, they just kept it covered up until now.
Complete and utter BS.
I always local sync and backup my iOS devices via USB with OS X and continue to do so in Mavericks.