NSA Planned To Hijack Google App Store To Hack Smartphones

Advocatus Diaboli writes: A newly released top secret document reveals that the NSA planned to hijack Google and Samsung app stores to plant spying software on smartphones. The report on the surveillance project, dubbed "IRRITANT HORN," shows the U.S. and its "Five Eyes" alliance: Canada, the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Australia, were looking at ways to hack smartphones and spy on users. According to The Intercept: "The top-secret document, obtained from NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden, was published Wednesday by CBC News in collaboration with The Intercept. The document outlines a series of tactics that the NSA and its counterparts in the Five Eyes were working on during workshops held in Australia and Canada between November 2011 and February 2012."

Comments

Re:Why only Android?

[Chrisq]

Why not also the iPhone, or has this already been hacked?

They obviously already have a hack, or more likely an access deal with Apple

Re:And most don't care

[Noryungi]

That's because it doesn't affect most people. Besides, in relative terms it isn't too bad. Yes, pervasive surveillance infringes people's rights[1], and (speculatively) a small number of people who haven't done anything wrong get hurt by that. But the US (and the rest of the 5 eyes) aren't China, or North Korea, or ISIS. They aren't actively killing or seriously repressing large numbers of their own people. All this stuff just doesn't impact on the life of Joe Ordinary, so he doesn't care.

Some people within the United States may disagree with you. Pot, meet Kettle. Kettle, meet Pot.

Re:Unintended consequences

[pscottdv]

We moved our EU data to EU servers because EU law requires it.