FBI Admits It Uses Stingrays, Zero-Day Exploits (arstechnica.com)

An anonymous reader writes: Amy Hess, the head of the FBI's science and technology division has admitted that the FBI sometimes exploits zero-day vulnerabilities and uses stingrays to catch bad guys. Ars reports: "The admission came in a profile published Tuesday of Amy Hess, the FBI's executive assistant director for science and technology who oversees the bureau's Operational Technology Division. Besides touching on the use of zero-days—that is, attack code that exploits vulnerabilities that remain unpatched, and in most cases are unknown by the company or organization that designs the product—Tuesday's Washington Post article also makes passing mention of another hot-button controversy: the FBI's use of stingrays."

Comments

I presume they get warrants for this.

[Ruedii]

I'm sure they get the proper warrants and everything for doing this. After all, these things should be considered wiretaps.

I'm sure the FBI would never violate anyone's civil rights. *bleeding sarcasm intended*

Re:I presume they get warrants for this.

[geekmux]

I'm sure they get the proper warrants and everything for doing this. After all, these things should be considered wiretaps.

I'm sure the FBI would never violate anyone's civil rights. *bleeding sarcasm intended*

A head of a Federal organization just stood up and admitted they use a wiretap device illegally with a what-the-fuck-are-YOU-gonna-do-about-it-civilian attitude.

And we'll dismiss just how powerless We the People are by bringing out half-hearted humor and sarcasm about it, as if that's the correct response instead of asking for their dismissal and calling for a full investigation.

Not trying to compare tragedies, but a a black minor is gunned down in Chicago by police, and they're even calling for the mayors resignation. They already have the Police Superintendents, so don't tell me citizens can't get results. We can, when we want it bad enough.

We're not going to get our Rights back by using sarcasm.

Re:I presume they get warrants for this.

[geekmux]

You've accomplished nothing with a resignation, unless the person who fills the void is actually working towards your goals.

Wrong. This establishes precedent. If a young police officer, politician, or other elected leader just starting his or her career now understands that the threat of losing their job or entire career is now fucking real, they might think twice about their actions while in office.

Otherwise this is exactly the point of politicians - you've bought into the lie that one of them is better than another.

While this is true, I stand on my first point. Much like a Chicago police officer recently being charged with murder, this establishes precedent, and helps drive the point that law enforcement and our elected leaders are not untouchable, and can lose their jobs or careers like anyone else when they break the law.

And we need that precedent more than ever.

to catch bad guys?

[Anonymous Coward]

"Amy Hess, the head of the FBI's science and technology division has admitted that the FBI sometimes exploits zero-day vulnerabilities and uses stingrays to catch bad guys"

That assumes they are guilty. Whole reason for the Bill of Rights is to stop the state from going on fishing expeditions through the drawers of the state's critics (remember Thomas Drake?) or people on the wrong side of powerful business interests (remember Citizens United?) So once you drop the presumption of guilt from OP's byline, it takes on a whole new meaning:

"Amy Hess, the head of the FBI's science and technology division has admitted that the FBI sometimes exploits zero-day vulnerabilities and uses stingrays to spy on citizens who may not have done anything wrong, because "If you give me six lines written by the hand of the most honest of men, I will find something in them which will hang him""

Bad guys

[overshoot]

The FBI has a long history of keeping an eye on bad guys. Martin Luther King, Jr., political protesters, Black Lives Matter, ...

Re:Bad guys

[Nidi62]

I don't think the issue is quite so simple here. Certainly all lives matter and only the most egregious racists would argue otherwise. The reason that we have a black lives matter movement right now is because of a perception (real or imagined, but I certainly see the validity) that black lives aren't being given the same value in our society as other lives. The hope is to draw attention to that disparity.

The issue with that is that there is the appearance that not even blacks care about black lives. Where were all the protests and outcry when this happened? Or this? There is a saying that goes "practice what you preach". Why should people care about your lives when you don't even give the appearance of caring about your own life? How can "black lives matter" if Tyshawn Lee's father would rather stick to his gang culture than give the police information that might help them catch the people that executed his son? How can they matter when black kids are killing each other everyday and not only is it condoned but often celebrated by their own community? Just as people won't respect you until you respect yourself, people won't put value on your life until you do.

Re:Bad guys

[thoromyr]

So the misdeeds of the few condemn the entire race?

I don't suppose an Italian with mob ties ever refused to cooperate with a police investigation: that would be unthinkable. And proof that Italians don't put the same value on life.

Thanks for telling us

[JustAnotherOldGuy]

Thanks for telling us what we already knew.

Seriously, this is somewhat interesting but hardly qualifies as "news".

The only news in this admission is that they're admitting to doing it, not that they're doing it.

Re: oh wow really

[fred911]

' there's a degree of aceptableness. '

Um, domestic use without a warrant is in no fucking way acceptable. It's a fucking crime and deserves as diligent a prosecution as they make. Licensed, authorized professionals need to be held to a higher standard or suffer stricker punishments. For shit sakes, how hard would it be to have a judge bless it, less they're just fishing.

  Before calling "black-ass" best make sure your's is clean.

Re: Now combine that with parallel construction

[PPH]

What the opponents of parallel construction seem to be arguing is that anything that results from anonymous tips is fruit of the poison tree and should be inadmissible until proven otherwise.

Not really. Courts have ruled that evidence gathered in violation of Constitutional protections is fruit of the poisoned tree. Acting on tips is a gray area and resulting evidence may or may not have been collected illegally. That's an issue for the court to decide on a case by case basis. But parallel construction is essentially lying to the court. It impedes the judiciaries ability to properly vet the evidence collected.