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Shadowy Tech Brokers Deliver Data To the NSA
An anonymous reader notes an article about a group of companies whose business is to wiretap various ISPs (with permission) to gather data in response to federal subpoenas. Many smaller ISPs don't have the resources to deal with the flood of data requests from agencies like the NSA, so they outsource compliance and collection in order to keep costs down. The article profiles one of these companies, called Neustar:
Neustar can in many cases execute the warrant from anywhere within the U.S., keeping within the bounds of the country's surveillance law. But when a wiretap device is needed, they are not hard to come by. Most networking equipment makers sell devices that can be used to collect data, or used to inspect data — so-called deep-packet inspection devices, which can also be used to prevent piracy, the spread of malware, and website access, all at the Internet provider level. Once a FISA warrant is issued, so-called "tasking" orders, which contain selectors — like a phone number or an email address — are often sent electronically to the ISP. These tell the ISP or phone company, or third-parties like Neustar, exactly where to wiretap and what data to collect to hand back to the requesting authority.
It's not censorship when it's not the government doing it.
It's not oppression when it's not the government doing it.
It's not fascism when it's not the government doing it.
It's not a Constitutional violation when it's not the government doing it.
Wouldn't a "New Star" (Neustar) be similar to "New World". So if you place an order with Neustar, is that a New World Order?
Let's make like a bird... and get the flock outta here.
Now I'm half expecting Commander Shepard to show up at the NSA seeking information on the Shadow Broker.
so-called deep-packet inspection devices, which can also be used to prevent piracy, the spread of malware, and website access, all at the Internet provider level....
Er, no, that is not what full packet capture devices are used for AT ALL.
Full packet capture devices are typically used for digital forensics. For example, your company gets hacked using an APT and you know that probably data was exfiltrated, but you don't know exactly what data was taken and you don't know how these guys got into your system. A full packet capture device can help here. Another way they are typically used is to produce evidence for court cases where employees steal company data and so forth, or browse child porn at work, etc.
They are NOT typically used to "prevent piracy" or "spread of malware" or "website access", I don't even see the use case here. I think the OP is confusing full packet capture with layer 7 application state firewalls, which ARE used for the above.
What "smaller ISPs"? Are there many left? Haven't most merged into competition-free oligopolies already?
Table-ized A.I.
By "where", I assume the article means San Francisco. And "whom" (if it were mentioned) would mean everyone in the damn country.
NSA, I hope you die badly in a fire.
local law contracts out for "revenue enhancement". in this case, the GubMint overwhelms for "data enhancement". low hanging fruit. yum yum.
The real dark nightmare isn't the NSA as a government agency.
It's the fact that the NSA is really a cartel of private companies that, as private companies do, work for the good of their bottom line first, and everything else second. They will do everything they can do to get them more business. When their business is undermining your right to privacy guess what the fuck is going to happen?
Welcome to the "Security Services Complex" - Dark budgets. Secret courts. No oversight. They make money and you lose. It's a gigantic scam and nobody, not even Congress or the President really has the ability to audit them.
And really, what incentive do they have? What happens if a headless, unaccountable NSA doesn't feel like having their budget slashed? They really could do anything they wanted to intimidate/blackmail/smear/disappear an inconvenient politician and no one would be the wiser.
Don't forget about Snowden. What's important about Snowden really isn't the leaked information. It's the fact he was just some flunky working for a private contractor. He was able to do what he did because he was walking out of an office building with flash drive. National security reduced to a run of the mills business IT security social engineering attack.
Data collection and spying are going to force society to take all kinds of steps. As the ability to detect increases the number of violations will become ever more obvious. So now we are left with a very serious issue. It is impossible to enforce the laws when you can catch all the violations. Suppose as a simple example that we can catch ten million Americans cheating the IRS. There is simply no way to process and convict ten million people with any kind of fair judicial system. So most people would effectively be allowed to continue cheating while others would be punished. How does nepotism, racism, bribery and all manner of wrong do under such conditions.? We already detect far more people than we dare imprison and imagine what cops can do simply by sweeping up people and demanding even more people be reported by those detained ? I have already seen a situation in which a drug house was untouchable operated on the border of a public high school. The cops as well as the school were all very aware of the busy drug house and it was simply untouchable. It had reached the point at which an arch shaped window was in stalled so buyers could by dope in a drive through in plain view of everyone. Why authorities allowed that drug house to operate in plain sight I do not know but if they arrested everyone that purchased drugs in that drive through it might have bankrupted the city. What will happen when the slumbering public becomes aware that society gives some criminals a free pass?
Please don't call FISA directives "warrants." They aren't issued upon probable cause of suspicion of a crime. NSA defenders love calling them that because it gives them a false veneer of legality.
Our CALEA vendor deployed their own router to create a VPN from the core of our ISP to their network. When a subpoena was issued, they had pre-configured access via SNMP to the core routers to enabled/disable "lawful intercept" duplication of interesting traffic which then flowed over the vpn to their data collection servers. From there, they parse and interpret and forward on to the requesting agency. SSL protected traffic? Useless...
"Lawful intercept" is a feature set built into all core router images sold to ISPs, since as an ISP you are compelled by law to provide intercept upon request. Guess what you want to attack if you're a hacker?
Just gave you the big red barn...go knock on the door.
no, retard, if you had read it at all, it's very specific, not the dragnet that certain people are claiming. The ability is to catch everything, the warrants are for specific things.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/N...
Neustar also operates the authoritative directory for U.S. Common Short Codes, part of the short messaging service (SMS) relied upon by the U.S. wireless industry, and provides solutions used by mobile network operators to enable mobile instant messaging for their end users.
"If any question why we died, Tell them because our fathers lied."
Neustar is a huge corporation responsible for a lot of IT infrastructure in the US including acting as the registry for the .US top level domain and all phone number registrations in the US. I would imagine they're helping with wire taps just because they have the experience. I'd like to hate on companies that violate our privacy but this post seems pretty bs.