The CIA Built a Fake Software Update System To Spy On Intel Partners (theverge.com)

Documents published by Wikileaks reveal a secret project to siphon out data through its technical liaison service, dating back to 2009. The Verge reports: The program, called ExpressLane, is designed to be deployed alongside a biometric collection system that the CIA provides to partner agencies. In theory, those partners are agreeing to provide the CIA with access to specific biometric data -- but on the off-chance those partners are holding out on them, ExpressLane gives the agency a way to take it without anyone knowing. ExpressLane masquerades as a software update, delivered in-person by CIA technicians -- but the documents make clear that the program itself will remain unchanged. Instead, the program siphons the system's data to a thumb drive, where agents can examine it to see if there's anything the partner system is holding back. If the partners refuse the phony update, there's a hidden kill-switch that lets agents shut down the entire system after a set period of time, requiring an in-person visit to restore the system.

Comments

Lol

[Jesus H Rolle]

Guess who's going to prison... nobody!

What would you expect in Putin's Russia?

[Anonymous Coward]

This would never happen in the US of A!

Re:What would you expect in Putin's Russia?

[BlueStrat]

Allegedly it's intelligence and counter-terrorism. But more and more it feels like counter-intelligence and terrorism.

It's basic human nature at work. You give a group of people (government) power over another group (citizens), and it will be abused. The more power the first group has over the second, the more and the harsher the abuse. It's the reason in a nutshell why the US Constitution was written to be almost entirely about restricting the Federal government to narrowly-defined & limited powers and duties.

Remember boys and girls, since nation-states became a thing, more citizens have died at the hands of their own government than have died in all the wars by a huge margin. Be careful what you wish for...you just may get it!

Strat

Oh, Intelligence Partners?

[Anonymous Coward]

Intel... PCI Express Lanes... why's the CIA spying on Intel and its partners?

Re:Oh, Intelligence Partners?

[msauve]

"why's the CIA spying on Intel and its partners?"

So they can use Intel's Management Engine to spy on the rest of us.

Why are our intel secrets being leaked like this?

[execthis]

These leaks are really alarming. Why has this been happening? Who is accountable for it? Did this occur under Obama's watch (or failure thereof)?

Re:Thanks Obama.

[meerling]

Pretty much all I've seen is trumpets blaming everything on either obama or hillary, whether it happened after obama was out of office, during his 2 terms, or things that happened before for that matter. They've really got some serious issues, but I don't think even freud could help them!

Re: Why are our intel secrets being leaked like th

[ewanm89]

Yes! These damning leaks need to stop, how can we commit abuses against our own citizens otherwise. Don't worry, I'm sure the CIA only used this on foreign Intel partners in this case. We are already trying to work out who is responsible for leaking the document do we can charge them with espionage and treason.

Oh! *intelligence* partners.

[ross1160]

I was wondering why the CIA were involved in domestic industrial espionage

Re:Oh! *intelligence* partners.

[campuscodi]

Nothing in the US makes sense anymore

I am not shocked

[cpbright]

I am not shocked. Trusting the government is like trusting the scorpion on your back while swimming across the river.