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

Posted by samzenpus on from the a-surprise-to-nobody dept.

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."

3 of 79 comments (clear)

  1. I presume they get warrants for this. by Ruedii · · Score: 5, Funny

    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*

  2. to catch bad guys? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    "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""

  3. Bad guys by overshoot · · Score: 5, Insightful

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

    --
    Lacking <sarcasm> tags, /. substitutes moderation as "Troll."