Backdoors in RIM, Nokia & Apple hardware?

[lak611]

By Adrian Kingsley-Hughes | January 8, 2012, 8:01am PST

Summary: Fakery, a black helicopters conspiracy theory, or is could it be for real?

Hackers claim to have uncovered documents that claim mobile handset makers RIM, Nokia and Apple provided the Indian intelligence services with backdoor access to spy on communications. But is there any substance to this claim

My ZDNet colleague Manan Kakkar has the details, along with copies of the documents, but for your convenience I’ll pick out the two excerpts of interest:

To help you keep up, MM stands for ‘mobile manufacturers’ and RINOA stands for RIM, Nokia and Apple. I also believe that ‘MI’ stands for ‘Mobile Infrastructure.’

So, is this a fakery, a black helicopters conspiracy theory, or is could it be for real?

Well, for starters, these are random documents from an unknown source, so that instantly makes my BS detector tingling. The hacking group, which go by the name of Lords of Dharmaraja,’ that released these documents also claim to have the source code for the Norton Antivirus product, and while they’ve posted some information over on Pastebin (now deleted but a Google cache copy still exists). While Symantec has confirmed that the source code released was indeed part of an older Norton product (around four or five years old), none of that does anything to prove the validity of the documents released.

But would Apple, RIM or Nokia put backdoors into their hardware? We simply don’t know. The rules regarding lawful interception vary the world over and it is entire possible that the Indian intelligence services did ask for backdoors, and that these backdoors were made available. After all, India is a big market and no player would want to be shut out.

Make sense, right? Yes, but making sense and being true are two entirely separate things.

I’m also automatically wary of backdoor stories. They’re not new and are almost always sensationalist nonsense without a shred of proof. If I believed them all, I’d never touch an electronic gadget every again!

The truth is that unless we can be shown something concrete that this backdoor exists - a single line of code would do me - it’s all speculation. We’re building a house of cards based on a document of dubious origins, released by an unknown group of people who may or may not have a hidden agenda.

That’s not much to go on.

Backdoors in RIM, Nokia & Apple hardware? | ZDNet

[deRusett]

Well I love BlackBerry's hardware Back Door personally

[lak611]

I agree with the author here,

"I’m also automatically wary of backdoor stories. They’re not new and are almost always sensationalist nonsense without a shred of proof. If I believed them all, I’d never touch an electronic gadget every again!

The truth is that unless we can be shown something concrete that this backdoor exists - a single line of code would do me - it’s all speculation. We’re building a house of cards based on a document of dubious origins, released by an unknown group of people who may or may not have a hidden agenda.

That’s not much to go on."

[addicted44]

We know that the US government was spying on American phone calls for many years. We know that the US government had printer manufacturers secretly place an identifier in every document they printed. After 9/11 (and correspondingly, several terrorist attacks in India) I would be really shocked if governments are NOT spying on your calls. In fact, governments have publicly demanded the ability to do this.

[Rickroller]

Originally Posted by deRusett

Well I love BlackBerry's hardware Back Door personally

Lol..good thing you threw "hardware" into that sentence

[emirozmen]

Originally Posted by deRusett

Well I love BlackBerry's hardware Back Door personally

Click to view quoted image

Thats pure genious.

[boldkeyboardholic]

Originally Posted by addicted44

We know that the US government was spying on American phone calls for many years. We know that the US government had printer manufacturers secretly place an identifier in every document they printed. After 9/11 (and correspondingly, several terrorist attacks in India) I would be really shocked if governments are NOT spying on your calls. In fact, governments have publicly demanded the ability to do this.

the US gov does that not only with us citizen but with almost every one. i guess they have also a lot data from me when i flight to us etc (europe)

[maam]

The government have all the power eh, if they want it, they will get it one way or another.

Posted from my CrackBerry at wapforums.crackberry.com

[EvilmasterMMA]

Standard government policy with ALL mobile phone manufacturers used all around the world. This kind of thing has been going on since mobile devices were created. Same thing goes for desktop and server based computer operating systems from Microsoft and Apple. And also software applications such as anti virus programs. From what I understand, Symantec products have some especially crazy invasion of privacy capabilities, like remote file search capability, uploading and downloading and modification of files, remote desktop etc etc...

This is just how it is. If you don't want to be listened to, then don't own a phone. If you don't want people accessing your computer files, then don't connect your computer to the internet. Govern yourself accordingly and understand how the technology works before you use it.

And don't be cyber sexing with your girlfriend over your phone or computer. Because the two of you might not be the only people watching.

[lnichols]

Just like if the US government want's to be able to access information and gets it, RIM has to provide the same things if requested by another government.

[DannyAves]

There is a case currently before the US Supreme Court, US vs Jones, which is going to determine if police officers have the right to plant GPS tracking devices on a suspect's' car without a warrant. This case stems from a nightclub owner, Antoine Jones, who was suspected of drug smuggling. Law enforcement officers attached a GPS tracking device to his car for 28 days so his movements could be tracked. His legal team argued before the supreme Court that his 4th Amendment right which guaranteed him protection against invasive searches were violated. Lawyers for the Obama administration argued that Jones did not have a legitimate expectation of privacy because his car was in a public place and that tracking him by this GPS tracking device was no different than tailing him, which has always been legal.

If the Supreme Court agrees with the government, this could be the beginning of mass unwarranted surveillance of suspects using GPS devices, but since your phone already contains a GPS device, law enforcement no longer has to physically plant a device on a suspect's car, they can use mobile tracking software unless the Supreme Court bans all warrantless surveillance when they deliver their verdict in the Jones case.

[Tõnis]

To me, a backdoor in a BlackBerry would be remote capability of turning gps on. (Mine is off.) Let's hope that doesn't exist, and that it never will on RIM's products.

[nah.uhh]

Originally Posted by Tõnis

To me, a backdoor in a BlackBerry would be remote capability of turning gps on. (Mine is off.) Let's hope that doesn't exist, and that it never will on RIM's products.

If you look in the escreen, gps is never truly off. It switches from on to e911 only. Meaning you can be located if it is off.

[Tõnis]

Originally Posted by nah.uhh

If you look in the escreen, gps is never truly off. It switches from on to e911 only. Meaning you can be located if it is off.

Simply located or movements tracked real time?

[CanuckBB]

Originally Posted by Tõnis

Simply located or movements tracked real time?

What's the difference???

If i can locate it, I can locate it every second. That is real time tracking.