The Security Threat in the New Wiretapping Law-A Gateway for Hackers

[babylonsister]

:argh: :argh:

A Gateway for Hackers
The Security Threat in the New Wiretapping Law

By Susan Landau
Thursday, August 9, 2007; A17

Current administration policy is replete with examples of quickly enacted efforts whose consequences led to the opposite effect. (Beware of what you wish for . . . .) With Congress caving last week, the National Security Agency no longer needs a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) warrant to wiretap if one party is believed to be outside the United States. This change looks reasonable at first, but it could create huge long-term security risks for the United States.

The immediate problem is fiber optics. Until recently, telecommunication signals came through the air. The NSA used satellites and antennas to pick up conversations of foreigners talking to other foreigners. Modern communications, however, use fiber; since conversations don't go through the air, the NSA wants to access communications at land-based switches.

Because communications from around the world often go through the United States, the government can still get access to much of the information it seeks. But wiretapping within the United States has required a FISA search warrant, and the NSA apparently found using FISA too time-consuming, even though emergency access was permitted as long as a warrant was applied for and granted within 72 hours of surveillance.

Avoiding warrants for these cases sounds simple, though potentially invasive of Americans' civil liberties. Most calls outside the country involve foreigners talking to foreigners. Most communications within the country are constitutionally protected -- U.S. "persons" talking to U.S. "persons." To avoid wiretapping every communication, NSA will need to build massive automatic surveillance capabilities into telephone switches. Here things get tricky: Once such infrastructure is in place, others could use it to intercept communications.

Grant the NSA what it wants, and within 10 years the United States will be vulnerable to attacks from hackers across the globe, as well as the militaries of China, Russia and other nations.

more...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/08/AR2007080801961_pf.html

[liberal N proud]

1. Oh Great, Another bu$h royal fuck up!

Under the guise of protecting the United States these assholes just gave the key to the bank robber.

[lynnertic]

2. watch what you say

before someone else has to

[liberal N proud]

3. I am sure agent Mike is already watching everything I say

Hi Mikey