[Diogenesis]

I used to like the NSA until they ignored the Boston terrorists.

How many more of the Islamic beheadings, rapes, and murders,
and wildfires by Islamic terrorists, did the NSA
have prior knowledge of AND THEN IGNORED IT
... or ERASED IT??

[FroggyTheGremlim]

Don’t use Windows. Never used any version of that crapware.

[proxy_user]

And Linux?

[ConservativeMan55]

My first thought.. Sharyl Atkinnsons computer..

[Buckeye McFrog]

all the lids are starting to blow-off now

[Abathar]

If they were let into Windows you just know Apple made room for them with open arms also.

[Red Steel]

Do ‘puter search for “ADVAPI.DLL”

[Zathras]

I remember back in the 90’s when the discussion came up on encryption and backdoor keys.
The talk was that encryption was getting so good that the gov. needed backdoor access.
Funny how the timing on this kind of matches the lawsuits against Microsoft back in the ‘90s.
hmmmm...

[Cvengr]

Analysis of the driver revealed that one was labeled KEY while the other was labeled NSAKEY

The most sophisticated cryptologists in the world have cleverly labeled their XML backdoor key as 'NSAKEY'. Subtle,...very subtle.....

We should all explain our vocabulary very carefully, to lessen the risk of semantic heterogeneity in our posts.

[GOP Poet]

bookmark

[Errant]

What we need here Class, is Action...

[bigbob]

Disney has a backdoor into my PC too, I just found a file called “mouse.dll”

[bigbob]

a bit of history of the AVDAPI.dll “threat” from the golden-oldie pre-Y2K year 1999:

http://cryptome.org/jya/msnsa.htm

[Rio]

From 1999 LINK

Careless mistake reveals subversion of Windows by NSA.

A CARELESS mistake by Microsoft programmers has revealed that special access codes prepared by the US National Security Agency have been secretly built into Windows. The NSA access system is built into every version of the Windows operating system now in use, except early releases of Windows 95 (and its predecessors). The discovery comes close on the heels of the revelations earlier this year that another US software giant, Lotus, had built an NSA "help information" trapdoor into its Notes system, and that security functions on other software systems had been deliberately crippled.

• 
• 

The first discovery of the new NSA access system was made two years ago by British researcher Dr Nicko van Someren. But it was only a few weeks ago when a second researcher rediscovered the access system. With it, he found the evidence linking it to NSA.

Computer security specialists have been aware for two years that unusual features are contained inside a standard Windows software "driver" used for security and encryption functions. The driver, called ADVAPI.DLL, enables and controls a range of security functions. If you use Windows, you will find it in the C:\Windows\system directory of your computer.

ADVAPI.DLL works closely with Microsoft Internet Explorer, but will only run cryptographic functions that the US governments allows Microsoft to export. That information is bad enough news, from a European point of view. Now, it turns out that ADVAPI will run special programmes inserted and controlled by NSA. As yet, no-one knows what these programmes are, or what they do.

More info at the link.

[ShadowAce]

[RJS1950]

Being open source there are plenty of back doors they can sneak into the Linux flavors as well. Apple also collaborated with them as well.

Boys and girls, this has been going on for quite a while, not new. Whenever you have an open rather than closed and isolated system you are open to all kinds of things like viruses, trojans, snooping, etc.

If hackers can find ways around your security and firewalls and openings in your OS then the Fed with all its years of experience spying and cracking systems can do it easily.

Do any of you honestly believe that MS OS machines are the only ones they are interested in or can crack?

[Carry_Okie]

Does Linux have this “feature” too?

[Da Coyote]

er...given Microsoft’s solid reputation for rock solid operating systems...(sarc)...methinks anyone using their stuff had pretty much given up on all thoughts of privacy around twenty years ago.

And yes, there are security holes in every operating system...it’s just that Microsoft has established the standard below which no company operates.

[Steely Tom]

Does Microsoft protect its Windows own computers from US Government penetration?

If so, how?

If not, wouldn’t their shareholders be interested?

[Steely Tom]

This I know for sure: if this situation ever begins to be taken seriously by Joe Sixpack (which I doubt will ever happen) you’ll know because it will all be blamed on George Bush.