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Posted: 06 Sep 2015 05:27 PM PDT
 US Department of Justice agents now have to acquire a search warrant before utilizing a cell-site simulator, the department said, though the new policy allows for exceptions. The devices, known as ‘Stingrays,’ trick phones into connecting to them. The Department of Justice (DOJ) announced on Thursday that while the department’s agents have followed “appropriate legal authorizations” for cell-site simulators in the past, effective immediately, federal agencies must now get a search warrant supported by probable cause before using a cell-site simulator. The Harris Corporation’s ‘Stingray’ is the most well-known brand of the controversial spying technology, used by the FBI, the Secret Service, the Drug Enforcement Agency, and many state and local police agencies. By impersonating cell towers, the suitcase-sized devices force phones in the area to broadcast information that can be used to identify and locate users. The devices are able to indiscriminately collect and intercept data from hundreds of phones at once. The policy says federal agents cannot collect content from phones, including email, text messages, or GPS data, but they can monitor the general location of a tracked device. All data gathered and used to locate a device must be deleted as soon as it’s located, or no less than once per day. “Cell-site simulator technology has been instrumental in aiding law enforcement in a broad array of investigations, including kidnappings, fugitive investigations and complicated narcotics cases,” said Deputy Attorney General Sally Quillian Yates in announcing the new guidance. “This new policy ensures our protocols for this technology are consistent, well-managed and respectful of individuals’ privacy and civil liberties.” The guidance only applies to federal law enforcement, not state or local policing agencies, which have increasingly turned to Stingrays, not just for high-profile terror plots or other major criminal cases, but for routine police investigations. Read More Here The post Warrant now required for federal ‘Stingray’ surveillance use – DoJ appeared first on USAHM Conspiracy News.       |
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Posted: 06 Sep 2015 05:12 PM PDT
 A US internet security firm has discovered smartphone malware disguised as a free porn service that covertly takes pictures of users through the front camera and then demands ransom from them, threatening the victim with disclosure of personal information. A malicious program called ‘Adult Player’ masquerades as a video service offering free pornography, the American Zscaler internet security company found. After installation, if a front-facing camera is available, the malware takes a covert snap shot of the user. Then it locks the smartphone, displaying a ransom banner that is very difficult to bypass. The app demands $500 to release control of the device and reappears even after rebooting the smartphone. In their blog post the internet security specialists said that “this ransomware acts as a porn app named ‘Adult Player’ and lures victims who assume it is a pornographic video player.” “When the victim starts using it, the app silently takes a photo of the victim, which is then displayed on the ransomware screen, along with the ransom message,” they added. The message claims the phone has been locked “for safety reasons” and demands that a payment be transferred via PayPal. The malicious app has never been available on the official Google Play or Apple store but could be downloaded directly from a website. Zscaler experts said it was a new type of so-called ransomware, which extorts money from users by threatening to disclose the user’s private information or wipe data such as photos and documents from the device. An Intel Security report published in August stated that the number of ransomware programs targeting primarily personal computers and laptops has increased by 127% since 2014. “One of the reasons for the increase is that it’s very easy to make. There are people you can pay to do the work for you, and it pays really well. One group we tracked made more than $75,000 in 10 weeks,” Raj Samani, chief technology officer for Intel Security in Europe, told the BBC. “Apps like this rely on the embarrassment factor. If you don’t pay, your reputation is on the line. Ransomware is more prevalent on computers than phones, but this could be the start of a trend,” he added. ‘Adult Player’ is the second ransom smartphone app disguising itself as a free porn app. Earlier this year, another malicious program called ‘Porn Droid’ was uncovered that uses a similar strategy to extort people and demanded the same $500 to unlock the phone. The ‘Porn Droid’s’ warning message, which pretends to be from the FBI, states that the authorities have detected visits to “forbidden pornographic sites,” prompting the device to be blocked, as reported by Wired. Zscaler specialists advised any person that had downloaded ‘Adult Player’ to restart their smartphones in a safe mode, which would run only the device’s operating system without any external programs, thus allowing users to delete the malware. Read More Here The post Porn app secretly takes photos of users to ransom them appeared first on USAHM Conspiracy News.   |
