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NSA Director Says Agency Shares Most, But Not All, Bugs It Finds
Trailrunner7 writes: When the National Security Agency discovers a new vulnerability that looks like it might be of use in penetrating target networks, the agency considers a number of factors, including how popular the affected software is and where it's typically deployed, before deciding whether to share the new bug. The agency shares most of the bugs it finds, NSA Director Mike Rogers said, but not all of them.
Speaking at an event at Stanford University, Rogers said that the NSA has been told by President Barack Obama that the default decision should be to share information on new vulnerabilities "The president has been very specific to us in saying, look, the balance I want you to strike will be largely focused on when you find vulnerabilities, we're going to share them. By orders of magnitude, when we find new vulnerabilities, we share them," Rogers said.
Speaking at an event at Stanford University, Rogers said that the NSA has been told by President Barack Obama that the default decision should be to share information on new vulnerabilities "The president has been very specific to us in saying, look, the balance I want you to strike will be largely focused on when you find vulnerabilities, we're going to share them. By orders of magnitude, when we find new vulnerabilities, we share them," Rogers said.
That sounds good. Except for one tiny thing:
I DON'T BELIEVE YOU.
By orders of magnitude, when we find new vulnerabilities, we share them
Number is irrelevant compared to severity, and you can be damn sure they keep the severe ones to themselves.
So I assume all the deliberately introduced vulnerabilities are excluded from the tally because they technically "did not find them" ?
Do you have a citation for that?
Yes. Mike Rogers said they din't do that. Which is tantamount to proof of the contrary.
I'm pretty sure that the guy could end world poverty just by acknowledging its existence.
"(TS//SI//REL) DEITYBOUNCE provides software application persistence on Dell PowerEdge servers by exploiting the motherboard BIOS and utilizing System Management Mode (SMM) to gain periodic execution while the Operating System loads."
"(TS//SI//REL) This technique supports multi-processor systems with RAID hardware and Microsoft Windows 2000, 2003, and XP. It currently targets Dell PowerEdge 1850/2850/1950/2950 RAID servers, using BIOS versions A02, A05, A06, 1.1.0, 1.2.0, or 1.3.7."
"(TS//SI//REL) Through remote access or interdiction, ARKSTREAM is used to reflash the BIOS on a target machine to implant DEITYBOUNCE and its payload (the implant installer). Implantation via interdiction may be accomplished by nontechnical operator through use of a USB thumb drive. Once implanted, DEITYBOUNCE's frequency of execution (dropping the payload) is configurable and will occur when the target machine powers on."
https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2014/01/nsa_exploit_of.html
So there was an explot on the BIOS of Dell Power Edge servers, and it allowed them to re-flash the bios with their own code, and they didn't disclose that, they kept it secret to use for themselves, and every semi-tech country like China and Russia to use, undermining Dell, one of the major US exporters.
Well f*** you, NSA.
Look at the lastest disclosure, GCHQ can spy on Americans via commercially obtained data and access to the NSA database, NSA must be aware of this and does nothing because GCHQ is in 5-eyes and so they get the data too. So regardless of how Congress and the Courts rules, NSA can bypass that decision.
What's happening within the NSA is they follow a cult, the cult of General Alexander, and so there is the laws of the USA, and the laws of the EU and there is the cult, and the cult trumps to the laws, and in doing so it trumps the democracy. The NSA and GCHQ staff need to get their shit together and think for themselves and realize they pose the biggest threat to the free world.
In that yes, if a vulnerability does not afford strategic value internationally, yeah, release it if it'll increase public security. But i'm inclined to believe we'd all agree that there's a cost benefit going on.
If it lets you spy on the iranians... or you know, cause their centrifuges to spin themselves apart. I don't want my intelligence agencies to release that vulnerability until they've spun those fuckers down.
It's really not in the NSA's job description to be exposing vulnerabilities in public systems so much as exploiting them. We don't have an agency whose job description touches cyber security.
To what standard do you hold the US government as opposed to other governments?
The standard it proclaims for itself about being a beacon of freedom oh and that whole "Land of the free. Home of the brave" stuff.
You can be damn sure that every other intelligence agency is doing exactly the same thing... but you're criticizing NSA why exactly?
Because the US holds itself up as being morally superior to others? Because its Head of State is proclaimed to be the "Leader of the Free World" in hilariously Orwellian doublespeak.
My government protects me as I expect your government to protect you.
Dictatorships always proclaim this. That they only do what they do for the "good of the people".
I laughed at the Merkel spying thing... as if they didn't expect us to get as much information as possible, and as if we didn't expect them to return the favor.
Will you continue laughing when your allies no longer want to come to your aid because you treat them no differently than enemies?
Doubtful.
Have you seen the economy of the rest of the world? Europe makes US manpower look practically 3rd world, and their energy costs are through the roof. Asia is starting to get expensive for manpower, and the environmental problems they're having are making it hard to attract and retain top global talent because nobody wants shitty water and air. Are you going to go to Russia to avoid domestic spying, 'cause that's not really the first place I think of when I list free and open discourse on privacy matters. Africa...yeah, right.
The US is the worst place to do business, except when you count just about everywhere else in the world. In which case it turns out to be pretty high on the list. And, honestly, it's not really dropping in the rankings.
Is it just my observation, or are there way too many stupid people in the world?
If it lets you spy on the iranians... or you know, cause their centrifuges to spin themselves apart. I don't want my intelligence agencies to release that vulnerability until they've spun those fuckers down.
You do realize that your statement here completely misses their point, right? How naive are you that you think only the NSA knows about these vulnerabilities? You really think criminals and other countries like China don't also know them and aren't using them against corporations and individuals in the US?
It's really not in the NSA's job description to be exposing vulnerabilities in public systems so much as exploiting them. We don't have an agency whose job description touches cyber security.
Hahahaha. That's so wrong it's hilarious. A central tent of the NSA's mission is to protect the security of the networks in this country.