NSA helped with Windows 7 development - Uh oh!

This one is for Soma....

NSA helped with Windows 7 development - Uh oh!

The National Security Agency (NSA) worked with Microsoft on the development of Windows 7, an agency official acknowledged yesterday during testimony before Congress.

"Working in partnership with Microsoft and elements of the Department of Defense, NSA leveraged our unique expertise and operational knowledge of system threats and vulnerabilities to enhance Microsoft's operating system security guide without constraining the user to perform their everyday tasks, whether those tasks are being performed in the public or private sector," Richard Schaeffer, the NSA's information assurance director, told the Senate's Subcommittee on Terrorism and Homeland Security yesterday as part of a prepared statement.

"All this was done in coordination with the product release, not months or years later during the product lifecycle," Schaeffer added. "This will improve the adoption of security advice, as it can be implemented during installation and then later managed through the emerging SCAP standards."

Security Content Automation Protocol, or SCAP, is a set of standards for automating chores such as managing vulnerabilities and measuring security compliance. The National Institute of Standards and Technologies (NIST) oversees the SCAP standards.

This is not the first time that the NSA has partnered with Microsoft during Windows development. In 2007, the agency confirmed that it had a hand in Windows Vista as part of an initiative to ensure that the operating system was secure from attack and would work with other government software. Before that, the NSA provided guidance on how best to secure Windows XP and Windows 2000.

According to Marc Rotenberg, the executive director of the Electronics Privacy Information Center (EPIC), the NSA's involvement with operating system development goes back even farther. "This battle goes back to at least the crypto wars of the early '90s," said Rotenberg, who remembered testifying about the agency's role in private sector computer security standards in 1989.

But when the NSA puts hands on Windows, that raises a red flag for Rotenberg, who heads the Washington, D.C.-based public interest research center. "When NSA offers to help the private sector on computer security, the obvious concern is that it will also build in backdoors that enables tracking users and intercepting user communications," Rotenberg said in an e-mail. "And private sector firms are reluctant to oppose these 'suggestions' since the US government is also their biggest customer and opposition to the NSA could mean to loss of sales."

Rotenberg's worries stem from the NSA's reputation as the intelligence agency best known for its eavesdropping of electronic messaging, including cell phone calls and e-mail.

Andrew Storms, the director of security operations at nCircle Security, didn't put much credence in the idea that Microsoft would allow the NSA to build a hidden entrance to Windows 7. "Would it be surprising to most people that there was a backdoor? No, not with the political agenda of prior administrations," said Storms. "My gut, though, tells me that Microsoft, as a business, would not want to do that, at least not in a secretive way."

Roger Thompson, chief research officer at AVG Technologies, agreed. "I can't imagine NSA and Microsoft would do anything deliberate because the repercussions would be enormous if they got caught," he said in an interview via instant messaging.

"Having said that, I think we should understand that there is every likelihood that certain foreign governments are constantly looking for vulnerabilities that they can use for targeted attacks," Thompson continued. "So if they're poking at us, I think it's reasonable to assume that we're doing something similar. But I seriously doubt an official NSA-Microsoft alliance."

The NSA's Schaeffer added that his agency is also working on engaging other major software makers, including Apple, Sun and Red Hat, on security standards for their products.

"More and more, we find that protecting national security systems demands teaming with public and private institutions to raise the information assurance level of products and services more broadly," Schaeffer said.

Microsoft was not immediately available for comment on the NSA's participation in Windows 7's development.

SOURCE

This does not surprise me R, in fact nothing surprises me any more, they can all bite me and I hope they get rabies from it.

Haha

I'm pretty sure there was an NSA file found in XP aswell.

Actually the guy who made that sea sheperd I posted was the guy I mentioned who designed the the Naval network years ago whilst working for telstra who said to me that its more than possible that all network activity could be recorded.

I reckon that if a machine is reporting back home to the NSA via M$ then some hackers would be onto it as they would be anylising data packets to see what is being sent etc.

WIn7 is rocking for me for what its worth and if they're sending data back maybe they can organise my 20gigs worth of pics from my holiday for me along with all the documents I download from their buddys in the millitary They can leave sticky notes on them to highlight areas of interest hehehe

anyone who thinks there is privacy anywhere ..anymore..
just isn't paying attention

privacy is a myth

being totally exposed is getting us ready for group mind...
or whatever it will be called

Privacy? All in the past.

Gonna take some work on the telepathy. Ever been talking to someone and thought...Geez this person is boring....might get you in trouble in the future. I am not sure if I am ready to read peole's minds....

micjer wrote:

Privacy? All in the past.

Gonna take some work on the telepathy. Ever been talking to someone and thought...Geez this person is boring....might get you in trouble in the future. I am not sure if I am ready to read peole's minds....
]

Yikes that is scary!

I know people dont like my thoughts so much already

But I know deep down I am working pretty hard at doing my best to expose what is happening in OZ and will continue to do so :)

geeeeeee M..i wasn't going there..but it sure is something to think about..
and didn't i read somewhere that they had a machine to read brain waves so they could find "bad" guys faster?

i meant that who you are, where you are and what you are doing can be available within seconds to those tracking human society
well, of course, unless you are not working, only spend cash and don't need mail or phone service lol
otherwise..no privacy...

i try real hard for the lowest of profiles..but i also know the info is out there...my joy is found in that being 60 onpaper throws them a curve..hhe heh heh
i just luv to be underestimated..don't you

micjer wrote:

Gonna take some work on the telepathy.

Micjer practice with your wife. If I'm up at the supermarket shopping away on my own and I've forgotten to add an item to the list my partner zaps the required item telepathically. I'm cruising through the aisles and them pop I get an urge to grab it. Kinda like kramer snapping his head back in Seinfeld.

And ya does the shopping as well!

That's it R, I would like a geneticist somewhere to take a scrapping for your DNA and see if he can fast track a clone of you, only make him somewhere in my age vicinity.

This would be quite nice for Biggsy.

Oh ya my wife and I quite often say the same thing at the same time or finish each others sentences. Really weird.

I certainly know when she is p o 'd also. That doesn't necessarily take telepathy.


Geez my wife would freak out if I offered to do the shopping. I could and would but don't.

Well actually we usually do it together every saturday morning but on the odd occasion I get the shopping privileges.

Now I know exactly what you mean on finishing each others sentences.

My wife and I are practically telepathic in some instances, but it is not reliable yet. So we still need to use CB's when working on distant parts of the farm !!!

Windows 7 is a what Vista should have been, but I would not assume that the government would not have installed some backdoors.

I would definately avoid using Internet Explorer from now on - or any other communications technology that comes bundled with Windows 7.

The back door, if it is there, will be based on steganography and will be very hard to detect. Funnily enough the more secure the channel, the easier it is to embed a stego stream undetected - however it needs the collaboration of both ends of the link. That is why you can trust Windows 7 - provided you dont use the MS protocol stacks and applications to communicate in "secret"

If you really need to keep secrets - use a home built version of Linux that is built from source-code.

A..

Home built version of Linux that is built from source-code.

No worries A, Biggsy can build that in a flash down in the basement. It will only takes us but an hour or two to whip a couple in fact.

Biggles wrote:

Home built version of Linux that is built from source-code.

No worries A, Biggsy can build that in a flash down in the basement. It will only takes us but an hour or two to whip a couple in fact.

Could you do one for me too?

Oh yeah Mic, I could whip a few of them in but a couple of hours. :laughter:

Intel wants a chip implant in your brain

2009 11 25
From: physorg.com

Computer chip maker Intel wants to implant a brain-sensing chip directly into the brains of its customers to allow them to operate computers and other devices without moving a muscle.

Intel believes its customers would be willing to have a chip implanted in their brains so they could operate computers without the need for a keyboard or mouse using thoughts alone. The implant could also be used to operate devices such as cell phones, TVs and DVDs.

The chip is being developed at Intel's laboratory in Pittsburgh, USA. It would sense brain activity using technology based on FMRI (Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging). The brain sensing chips are not yet available, but Intel research scientist Dean Pomerleau thinks they are close.

Theoretically, different people thinking of the same word or image would have the same activity in their brains, but since no one really knows exactly how the brain works, this is not certain. Pomerleau and his team have used FMRI to scan the brains of volunteers to see if brain patterns match when they are thinking of similar things, and so far the results look promising.

Pomerleau said that with human beings and machines converging in many ways, people will want to give up the need for an interface such as a keyboard, mouse or remote control and operate the devices using their brain waves. Pomerleau believes that some time within the next decade or so people will be "more committed" to the idea of the brain implants.

Pomerleau said a headset incorporating brain sensing technology to operate a computer is close, and the next step is to develop the tiny brain implant, which would be much less cumbersome for the user.

Associate Professor Charles Higgins of the University of Arizona predicts people will be using hybrid computers using a combination of living tissue and technology within 10 to 15 years. Researchers at his University have successfully built a robot guided by the eyes and brain of a moth. Researchers with Toyota are also working in the area, have developed a wheelchair controlled by brain waves.

While it seems unlikely many people would volunteer for the Intel chip implant at present, it could have applications for people who are unable to move, such as quadriplegics.

SOURCE

The first thing that came to my mind was this would be ideal for people who cannot move and there are lot with diseases besides quadriplegics but having said that if they have the tech to do this then why cant they come up with something to bypass damaged nerves and get quadriplegics and up on their feet again. Mmmh. If they can darn well go to mars etc and have supposed high covert tech then they must have the knowledge now to help spinal injured people back up walking.

Also what about someone with brain injuries? Could something be applied to this.

As far as the rest of us concerned, yeah right as if we're going to accept this. There goes those pigs flying past the window with their little rain coats on again.

Biggles wrote:

The first thing that came to my mind was this would be ideal for people who cannot move and there are lot with diseases besides quadriplegics but having said that if they have the tech to do this then why cant they come up with something to bypass damaged nerves and get quadriplegics and up on their feet again. Mmmh. If they can darn well go to mars etc and have supposed high covert tech then they must have the knowledge now to help spinal injured people back up walking.

Also what about someone with brain injuries? Could something be applied to this.

As far as the rest of us concerned, yeah right as if we're going to accept this. There goes those pigs flying past the window with their little rain coats on again.

I totally agree!

If all this time and money was spent on the latent talents we are prebuilt with then say goodbye to most uses for this technology.

Sadly though when you think about handsfree kits for mobile phones and the like I can see people jumping for joy to get their nano chip to make life easier for them, and I guess it would. I am not even thinking about any conspiracy of the ID aspect of such an implant and only viewing it as what some may see as an enhancement.

Wouldn't it be nice if we lived in a world where RV was taught from early an early age as thats a proven technique which could easily be implemented.

This brings up so many what ifs and its friday night/ Sat morning here and the mech has left the Soma LOL

Friday night/Sat morning, LOL, dont imbibe too much mate.

Hi Bigz.

How's the thinga ma gig coming. Looks like you and a couple others are the only one playing in the sandbox the last couple of days. Everyone is either busy with Thanksgiving or something. I am almost done corn drying so I hope to be on more next week. Keep well.

Hi Mic,

Mmmh, I think it could be a while before that thing is done, nevermind hope things go well with the corn.

Waving at ya mate.