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Russian Officials Dump iPads For Samsung Tablets Over Spy Fears

Posted by timothy on from the putin-actually-invented-it dept.

wiredmikey writes: "Russian government officials have swapped their iPads for Samsung tablets to ensure tighter security, the telecoms minister told news agencies on Wednesday. Journalists spotted that ministers at a cabinet meeting were no longer using Apple tablets, and minister Nikolai Nikiforov confirmed the changeover "took place not so long ago." He said the ministers' new Samsungs were "specially protected devices that can be used to work with confidential information." This isn't the first time Russian powers have had concerns over mobile. In August 2012, Russia unveiled a prototype tablet with its own "almost Android" mobile OS that has the remarkably familiar feel of an Android but with bolstered encryption. In an even more paranoid move, this past July a Russian state service in charge of safeguarding Kremlin communications was looking to purchase an array of old-fashioned typewriters to prevent leaks from computer hardware."

18 of 198 comments (clear)

  1. Someone will make money by gnasher719 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    What are the odds that someone high up has a company that offers expensive software to protect Android from spies and makes a ton from this?

    1. Re:Someone will make money by Stan92057 · · Score: 3, Interesting

      But..why should we trust them? we already know if its made by an American company the US government will force them to make a hole....or... collect the data for the Government? Just saying... And lets say an Mexico software company made the software what guarantees the Mexican government didn't force the company to collect data, for the Mexican Government??

      --
      Jack of all trades,master of none
  2. In Soviet Russia by ArcadeMan · · Score: 5, Funny

    iPads use YOU!

    --
    Get free satoshi (Bitcoin) and Dogecoins
  3. Paranoia? by FuegoFuerte · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Just because they're paranoid doesn't mean we aren't out to get them.

  4. Samsung? For Security!!! by Jeremiah+Cornelius · · Score: 5, Informative

    What?! :-)

    You mean proven "hardware backdoor" Samsung?

    I don't know about Cook & Ives shuck and jive, since the passing of Jobs... But I'm pretty sure the iOS crypto flaws are lower risk than ANYTHING those gangsters make at Samsung. I won't let them land an icebox in my house!

    --
    "Flyin' in just a sweet place,
    Never been known to fail..."
  5. Fart in a hurricane by benjfowler · · Score: 3, Insightful

    If certain Western intelligence agencies want to attack certain devices belonging to certain people, they'll find a way in, regardless of which mass market POS they're using. They're wasting their time. This is just a pointless gesture.

  6. Re:Zero info in article by confused+one · · Score: 4, Interesting

    But they can do this... Whereas with the iPad they have to take Apple's word for it. This may be the limitation that drove them to Android and Samsung

  7. Re:Why Samsung? by barlevg · · Score: 3, Interesting

    If they were really concerned about spying, shouldn't they go with a Nexus that runs Cyanogenmod?

    FTFY. Cyanogenmod, IIRC, has no proprietary or closed-source components.

  8. Pussy riot by PopeRatzo · · Score: 4, Funny

    One can only surmise that the widespread anti-gay sentiment in the Russian government has something to do with them dumping their iPads in favor of Samsung tablets.

    Just saying.

    --
    You are welcome on my lawn.
  9. Globalization by jellomizer · · Score: 4, Insightful

    The iPad: The OS Designed in America, Built in China shipped worldwide.
    Samsung Tablet: The OS Designed in America, Built in China and shipped world wide.

    The only difference is which CEO gets the Cut The one in America or the one in Korea.

    NSA to Apple: Add spying to your OS or you will not be allowed to sell it world wide.
    NSA to Google: Add spying to your OS or you will not be allowed to sell it world wide.
    NSA to Samsung: Insure the spying features in your OS are not disabled unless you will not be allowed to sell in the US.

    --
    If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
    1. Re:Globalization by Vlad_the_Inhaler · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Russia is upset about the NSA and the US + EU's reaction to them taking over the Crimea.
      China is upset about the NSA and is backing Russia over Crimea.
      Android is open source.
      Both countries have the resources to go through Android with a fine toothed comb. This looks pretty much like the best short-term option they had - lets see if someone now buys up Symbian, it comes from a Finnish company and could be a good starting point.

      --
      Mielipiteet omiani - Opinions personal, facts suspect.
    2. Re:Globalization by tlhIngan · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Android is open source.
      Both countries have the resources to go through Android with a fine toothed comb.

      And AOSP != Android. In fact, who knows what code that Samsung tablet is running. There can be plenty of proprietary code on Android that's binary only, and no amount of analysis of AOSP will find them because that's not the code running on the tablet.

      Code for the GPU is often closed-source. As is camera code, DSP code (for audio), etc.

      And hell, If it's Samsung, it probably ships with Google apps as well, powered by root-owned Google Services Framework.

      They'd actually be better off dumping iPads for those chintzy $100 tablets - those tend to be practically pure Google and very little of it is proprietary.

      Those proprietary blobs will will you.

  10. "Paranoid" by pr0nbot · · Score: 5, Insightful

    In the post-Snowden world, I think we can replace most instances of the word "paranoid" with "reasonable".

  11. Re:Zero info in article by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Except they have to take now Google and Samsung's word for it.

  12. Re:Zero info in article by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Interesting

    So.. Why would you trust Samsung over Apple? Samsung is a Koren Chaebol, the largest of 5 companies that contol 90% of the SK economy. They pretty much own the SK Govt. Samsung also has a history of gaping security holes.. Baked right in to their custom ARM cpus. (Ask the cyanogen devs what they think of Samsung's SoCs.. But put in earplugs first.)

    This has nothing to do with security and everything to do with Putin's extremely aggressive propaganda. This non-story and the only reason you see it is because it's being pushed by their state media and western media outlets.

  13. Soviets have no style by RR · · Score: 5, Funny

    As the evil Soviet Union rises again, they're back to their old form, rejecting stylish devices from the USA and adopting clunky copycat devices.

    --
    Have a nice time.
  14. Re:Typewriters? by timeOday · · Score: 4, Informative
    They already did something much more sophisticated than that in the 1970's. Operation GUNMAN:

    The monograph reveals that beginning in 1976, the KGB successfully installed sophisticated miniaturized electronic eavesdropping equipment and burst transmitters inside 16 IBM Selectric typewriters used by the staffs of the Moscow embassy and Leningrad consulate, which copied everything being typed on the machines, then periodically broadcast their take to KGB engineers manning listening posts just outside.

    The KGB bugs were discovered eight years later in 1984 by a NSA operation codenamed Project GUNMAN

    Here is the NSA's own writeup. Anybody who thinks the Russians are being "paranoid" is a real fool.

  15. Re:Zero info in article by LDAPMAN · · Score: 4, Insightful

    A $100 developer license is "impenetrable"? I can run anything I like on my iPad and I can deploy anything I like to the devices in my company.