U.S. Congress Tries to Prevent NSA from Hacking Routers

[MadeFromDust]

More power to them on this!

http://www.vox.com/2014/6/20/5826482/the-house-just-overwhelmingly-voted-to-rein-in-the-nsa

Excerpt: "The legislation also effectively bars the NSA or the Central Intelligence Agency from forcing device manufacturers to install technical "backdoors" in their products."

[ZenMaster]

It's amazing that a security organ has grown so big that the governemt has to make new laws in order to control it.

[KevinNYC]

It's amazing that a security organ has grown so big that the governemt has to make new laws in order to control it.

Actually, this is pretty much the standard way reforms happen. And if you read the article, you see that Congress made a law to expand the NSA's powers 6 years ago.


In 2008, Congress passed the FISA Amendments Act (FAA), which expanded the government's warrantless surveillance powers.

Also, note that 2008 law is still in place, this just modifies it.

[KevinNYC]

More power to them on this!I don't think the language of this law prevents hacking routers.
The legislation also effectively bars the NSA or the Central Intelligence Agency from forcing device manufacturers to install technical "backdoors" in their products.

To my knowledge, that's not what the NSA was doing. They have exploited vulnerabilities in hardware that existed with the NSA doing anything at all, that is routine security issues that affect all computer devices

The NSA hacking tends to work this way. They get their hands on specific equipment headed for specific national security targets and hack those specific pieces of equipment.

http://banter.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/nsa_stealthy_routers.jpg

[MadeFromDust]

All that doesn't fit on a subject line + it says tries, doesn't say how good or accurate the effort

[MadeFromDust]

http://collapse.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/nsa-pwn-cisco-640x373.jpg

[ZenMaster]

Actually, this is pretty much the standard way reforms happen. And if you read the article, you see that Congress made a law to expand the NSA's powers 6 years ago.



Also, note that 2008 law is still in place, this just modifies it.


This security service is so big and out of control because nobody runs it but themselves, if you read the article you'd have seen this:


Julian Sanchez, a senior fellow at the Cato Institute, argues that the vote is a rebuke to the House Permanent Select Intelligence Committee. That body is supposed to serve as a watchdog over NSA surveillance, but in recent years it has more often acted as a defender of NSA policies. The vote, Sanchez says, "demonstrates pretty dramatically that the gatekeepers in the Intelligence Committee are out of synch with the sentiment of the broader House."

[KevinNYC]

http://collapse.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/nsa-pwn-cisco-640x373.jpg
Do you think the mss does that to every router headed overseas? Or just ones bought by specific targets?

[KevinNYC]

By the way, this was one of those amendments to the defense bill, so it basically is a one year law and they would have to renew it next year.

Here's some of the other ammendments (http://www.lawfareblog.com/2014/06/the-key-amendments-to-the-defense-appropriations-act/)


Guantanamo
Prohibit the use of funds to transfer or release detainees at Guantanamo Bay to Yemen.

Status: Passed, 238-179

Ban the use of funds to transfer or release Guantanamo detainees to any foreign country.

Status: Passed, 230-184

Allow the military to return 77 Guantanamo detainees cleared for release to their home countries and transfer those detainees not cleared for release to the United States for prosecution.

Status: Failed, 163-249

Bans the use of funds to detain, without conviction, any person at Guantanamo for more than 15 years.

Status: Failed, voice vote

Arming the Syrian Rebels
Bar the use of funds to provide man-portable air defense systems (MANPADS) to the Syrian rebels.

Status: Passed, voice vote

Ban the provision of weapons to any entity in Syria.

Status: Failed, 167-244

End of the AUMF
Prevent the use of funds pursuant to that AUMF after December 31, 2014, which is the current date for the end of combat operations in Afghanistan.

Status: Failed, 157-260

Prohibiting the Department of Defense from making available to local enforcement certain military equipment, including drones, missiles, and armored vehicles.

Status: Failed, 62-355

If you follow the link, you can see how each party voted on these ammendments.

[KevinNYC]

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jun/27/nsa-queries-phone-data-2013-report