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Australian Cops and Anti-Corruption Agencies Keen On Hacking Team Malware

Posted by samzenpus on from the lets-see-what-you-have-there dept.

Bismillah writes: Although they've denied it in the past, Australia's federal and state police are very interested in Hacking Team's law enforcement spyware. There has also been recent interest from the Victoria state anti-corruption agency IBAC, leaked HT emails show. ITNews reports: "Emails leaked by attackers who infiltrated the systems of spyware provider Hacking Team this week reveal the Australian Federal Police was not the only local agency interested in the firm's suite of surveillance tools. Analysis of the leaked emails by iTnews reveals a number of agencies - including ASIO, IBAC and two local police forces - were also interested in the company's spyware."

27 comments

  1. If thou gaze long into an abyss .. by nickweller · · Score: 5, Insightful

    "He who fights with monsters should be careful lest he thereby become a monster. And if thou gaze long into an abyss, the abyss will also gaze into thee."

    1. Re:If thou gaze long into an abyss .. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      "Power corrupts; absolute power corrupts absolutely."

      "Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?"

      "Yakety yak. Don't talk back."

      "Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read."

    2. Re:If thou gaze long into an abyss .. by Demonoid-Penguin · · Score: 1

      "He who fights with monsters should be careful lest he thereby become a monster. And if thou gaze long into an abyss, the abyss will also gaze into thee."

      Curious - do you have a reference to something that shows the AFP, or ASIO have been using that software in breach of the law? I'm no fan of the police state - nor of hoods and hoodies.
      I note that the NSW Police was a user of Finn Fisher - but in that case also I've seen no evidence they misused it.

    3. Re:If thou gaze long into an abyss .. by firewrought · · Score: 4, Insightful

      I note that the NSW Police was a user of Finn Fisher - but in that case also I've seen no evidence they misused it.

      Of course you haven't... until the Hacking Team breach, you didn't know they were using it at all, am I right? With no transparency comes no accountability.

      Human nature is predictable. If you want to give me primae facia evidence that they aren't abusing it, then show me the warrants they've obtained for the use of the product. Show me the disclosure reports. Show me the convictions for those individuals who inevitably misused it (in exchange for a bribe or to spy on their girlfriend, for instance). Saying that nobody misused it whatsoever is like Russia claiming they don't have any handicap or gay people... just simply ridiculous.

      Western governments--those very countries which first embraced and first reaped the benefits of following sound democratic principles (limited government, human rights, due process, separation of powers, etc.)--are sliding into totalitarianism. I don't know how to fix it, but one thing we can all do is not be naive about human nature.

      --
      -1, Too Many Layers Of Abstraction
    4. Re:If thou gaze long into an abyss .. by Demonoid-Penguin · · Score: 0

      I note that the NSW Police was a user of Finn Fisher - but in that case also I've seen no evidence they misused it.

      Of course you haven't... until the Hacking Team breach, you didn't know they were using it at all, am I right?

      With no transparency comes no accountability.

      Human nature is predictable. If you want to give me primae facia evidence that they aren't abusing it, then show me the warrants they've obtained for the use of the product.

      You make the (spurious) claim - it's incumbent on you to provide the evidence, don't you think?

      Your rant is misplaced - you want the Youtuber comments section. And your logic schema is missing the elements required for a sane person to reach the claimed conclusion you try and pass as fact. Even if you are only 16 you still are woefully immature.

      The NSW Police do have warrants that would enable them to use Finn Fisher, they also did not buy the licenses from hidden slush funds (which is kind of telling). The absence of proof they don't misuse surveillance is not proof that they do. Nor is it proof that any misuse is of the sort of scale you imply with your 4chan-style rants.

      Your wilful failure to extrapolate is the reason why people burnt witches, and will do so again. Thanks for lowering the standard.

      Saying that nobody misused it whatsoever is like Russia claiming they don't have any handicap or gay people... just simply ridiculous.

      See - now you're just being stupid (and demonstrating your ignorance about Russia). The same deranged argument and damaged logic "proves" the existence of shape-shifting lizard people that run the world. Hopefully your mum keeps the pitchfork and matches safely locked away.

    5. Re:If thou gaze long into an abyss .. by firewrought · · Score: 1

      You asked for proof and I pointed out that we don't have the visibility necessary for proof. I then appealed to wisdom vis-a-vis human nature to establish concern. (Which was directed at first world countries in general, not NZ in particular, though granted I didn't spell that out. Hey, maybe the Kiwis have their act together... that's great if so! I'd love to be wrong.) The drumbeat of incremental power grabs is very telling though, at least to those of us who've seen a bit of history. But feel free to close your eyes and pretend you aren't boiling...

      --
      -1, Too Many Layers Of Abstraction
    6. Re:If thou gaze long into an abyss .. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The Russian comment was most likely referencing this (35 years ago) and this (a bit more recently).

    7. Re:If thou gaze long into an abyss .. by Demonoid-Penguin · · Score: 1

      You asked for proof and I pointed out that we don't have the visibility necessary for proof.

      Read again. You demanded proof. I replied that as you made the unsubstantiated claims it was, and still is, incumbent on you to provide proof. "The Moving Finger writes..."

      I then appealed to wisdom vis-a-vis human nature to establish concern.

      A specious claim. You tried to sell a false conclusion as a fact - and now you spew half-understood rhetoric in denial. I don't know whether you're a pro-panopticon shill trying to discredit those of us opposed to spying without transparent oversight (and review), or just over-excited and ignorant. Either way your claims help Five Eyes more than the hinder.

      [...] The drumbeat of incremental power grabs is very telling though, at least to those of us who've seen a bit of history.

      Then you are seriously deluded if you people won't read all of your posts and conclude your claim to have "seen a bit of history" extends beyond 16 years of watching Fox "News" (which your rhetoric and hyperbole echoes) and snatches of the History Channel. "Russia claiming they don't have any handicap or gay people" - yeah, that's an accurate piece "bit of history" - worthy of a Fox "News". About as accurate as me saying "America is opposed to gay marriage".

      But feel free to close your eyes and pretend you aren't boiling...

      If stupid was worth 1c a gram you'd be worth millions. Five minutes of reading my posting history (for someone whose lips don't get to sore the read beyond the length of a Twitter post) would show I believe no such thing.

      The NSW Police force has a long history of corruption - but it doesn't follow that all NSW cops are corrupt. It's been demonstrated that some have abused their access to the police databases - but again, not all of them. As with any position of power, misuse is a predictable occurrence. The intelligent solution is to continually police the police - and punish those the abuse their positions. The stupid reaction is to punish, or accuse, all of them. That's just throwing the baby out with the bathwater.

      Someone too stupid to extrapolate the obvious would oppose police having the ability to monitor communications, or even stupider, propose we don't need police or intelligence agencies. Like the libertarian idiots who take libertarian to the extremes and believe they can do fine without police - because they have guns (a "bit of history" shows that for the dangerous naivety that it is)

    8. Re:If thou gaze long into an abyss .. by Demonoid-Penguin · · Score: 1

      Perhaps you meant "misreferencing? I figured that was the sort of "information" he(?) was grasping at. Misrepresented and unsubstantiated references to try and support damaged logic and false conclusions. The same sort of bullshit the NSA and FBI trots out to support their excesses. Different dog, same leg action.

      The Russian comment was most likely referencing this (35 years ago)

      But somehow disregarded the [citation needed]

      and this (a bit more recently).

      " Amid swirling anti-gay sentiment in Russia, Sochi’s mayor claims there are no gay people in his city.

      “It’s not accepted here in the Caucasus where we live. We do not have them in our city,” Anatoly Pakhomov told BBC Panorama in an interview."

      He then "went on to say that he was not sure if there are gay people in Sochi."

      A little further on the same article quotes Putin "individuals of non-traditional orientation cannot feel like second-rate humans in this country because they are not discriminated against in any way,”

      Of course what those crafty Reds mean is because there are no "individuals of non-traditional orientation" - they therefore "cannot feel like second-rate humans". Cunning. Very cunning indeed if you've ever visited Moscow - the extent they go to is astounding. If you haven't just Google to check the degree they're willing to go to so they can convince us in the West they really do have gays.

      As for the handicapped... that's laughable. They have holograms of handicapped people to lecture Rimmers about using handicapped parking spaces.

      Which Russian politician claims they don't know of the effects of Afghan and Chechen landmines?

    9. Re:If thou gaze long into an abyss .. by AntiSol · · Score: 1

      Oceania has always been at war with Eastasia

    10. Re:If thou gaze long into an abyss .. by Demonoid-Penguin · · Score: 1

      Oceania has always been at war with Eastasia

      One (short) war since they were the same land mass does not always make.

    11. Re:If thou gaze long into an abyss .. by AntiSol · · Score: 1

      Whoosh!

  2. hands up by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    if the security agency hasn't told a lie in front of parliament/congress/whatever and found out about and got away with it.

    1) Belgium, Eddy Testelmans

    1. Re:hands up by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      2) Germany, Ronald Pofalla

  3. Heuristic analysis vs synchronisation? by AHuxley · · Score: 2

    Just wondering how good behavioral and heuristic analysis or an out going firewalls would have to be on a new open/closed OS?
    How good would a surveillance platform have to be when facing different updated OS's and EU, Russian and US anti-virus technology?
    A unique product per individual platform to ensure that "Synchronisation" kept working and was not detected next random software upgrade?

    --
    Domestic spying is now "Benign Information Gathering"
  4. The feel associated by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    From the old tv show 'MASH' :
    That's not an oral thermometer.

  5. Re:Australia is for cows. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Funny

    Muy cowliente.

  6. These asshats probably missed the part... by Chas · · Score: 1

    Where it was shown that Hacking Team's software WAS BACK DOORED!

    Stupid fucking twits.

    --


    Chas - The one, the only.
    THANK GOD!!!
    1. Re:These asshats probably missed the part... by Megol · · Score: 1

      Where it was shown that Hacking Team's software WAS BACK DOORED!

      Stupid fucking twits.

      How is this relevant to this story? This is about the agencies listed being interested in using the hacking software (the deployment of which isn't a malware per se). Not about the quality of hacking team software nor the reliability of hacking team as a partner to law enforcement.

      Law enforcement have more rights than common people, as long as they keep within those extended rights I don't see a problem. If one thinks they are allowed to do things they shouldn't be doing there are mechanisms available to (attempt) correcting that.
      Democracy isn't a very good system but it is better than the alternatives...

    2. Re:These asshats probably missed the part... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Law enforcement have more privileges than common people

      FTFY

    3. Re:These asshats probably missed the part... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Law enforcement can break the law.

    4. Re:These asshats probably missed the part... by Chas · · Score: 1

      Sure, because only idiots would use a tool that they KNOW compromises their own systems as well.

      --


      Chas - The one, the only.
      THANK GOD!!!
    5. Re:These asshats probably missed the part... by Megol · · Score: 1

      Probably.
      Where are your proof that the agencies in question knew about this backdoor (assuming it exists)?

  7. Not just Australia by QuasiSteve · · Score: 1

    I suspect that there will be information on most countries having some group interested in this.

    Dutch police: http://www.nu.nl/internet/4083...
    Dutch IRS: http://tweakers.net/nieuws/104...

  8. Windows only ? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    "Australia's federal and state police are very interested in Hacking Team's law enforcement spyware."

    Windows only I presume ?