June 14, 2013
— Gabriel Malor CBS released a statement:
A cyber security firm hired by CBS News has determined through forensic analysis that Sharyl AttkissonÂ’s computer was accessed by an unauthorized, external, unknown party on multiple occasions late in 2012. Evidence suggests this party performed all access remotely using AttkissonÂ’s accounts. While no malicious code was found, forensic analysis revealed an intruder had executed commands that appeared to involve search and exfiltration of data.This party also used sophisticated methods to remove all possible indications of unauthorized activity, and alter system times to cause further confusion.
CBS News is taking steps to identify the responsible party and their method of access.
Didn't she say it was both her home computer and her work computer?
Question: Could someone who is more savvy than me, explain this sentence? I've bolded the part that's catching me: "Evidence suggests this party performed all access remotely using AttkissonÂ’s accounts."
They remotely accessed her computer by using her accounts? Eh? Could they be talking about a virtual machine or some kind of remote secure login via, e.g., RSA token? Or could this be something like Windows Remote Assistance?
Posted by: Gabriel Malor at
07:06 AM
| Comments (313)
Post contains 197 words, total size 1 kb.
Posted by: real joe at June 14, 2013 07:07 AM (FBfTw)
You'll never catch us! We're far to stupid to leave behind any traces of our work.
Posted by: The NSA at June 14, 2013 07:08 AM (GaqMa)
Posted by: NSA Supervisor at June 14, 2013 07:08 AM (W6bkf)
Posted by: AllenG (Dedicated Tenther) at June 14, 2013 07:08 AM (/PCJa)
Case closed, amirite?
Posted by: NSA at June 14, 2013 07:08 AM (El+h4)
Posted by: NSA Supervisor at June 14, 2013 07:08 AM (W6bkf)
Posted by: AllenG (Dedicated Tenther) at June 14, 2013 07:08 AM (/PCJa)
Posted by: Brave Sir Robin at June 14, 2013 07:09 AM (qpah5)
Posted by: filbert. Just filbert. at June 14, 2013 07:09 AM (7vimm)
Posted by: perdogg at June 14, 2013 07:09 AM (oSdsj)
Posted by: no good deed at June 14, 2013 07:09 AM (mjR67)
Posted by: NSA Supervisor at June 14, 2013 07:09 AM (W6bkf)
Posted by: AllenG (Dedicated Tenther) at June 14, 2013 07:09 AM (/PCJa)
Didn't she say it was both her home computer and her work computer?
If she has a laptop, it could be that she uses it both at work and at home, which would require accessing the system through different networks.
Either way, ONE computer at the very least was hacked, and hacked by a very slick hacker. I think we can all guess where that hacking came from.
Posted by: MWR, Proud Tea(rrorist) Party Assault Hobbit [/s][/b][/u][/i] at June 14, 2013 07:10 AM (4df7R)
Posted by: AllenG (Dedicated Tenther) at June 14, 2013 07:10 AM (/PCJa)
Posted by: Niedermeyer's Dead Horse at June 14, 2013 07:10 AM (DPdf7)
Posted by: DOJ at June 14, 2013 07:10 AM (CqZmo)
Posted by: hello, it's me Donna at June 14, 2013 07:10 AM (9+ccr)
Those are pretty damn nasty and hard to find and remove. The only thing that's sure to do the job is to format and re-install.
Posted by: EC at June 14, 2013 07:11 AM (GQ8sn)
The Obama Administration did it. What are you going to do about it? You have no rights. The DOJ won't do anything about it. This is the new America.
Posted by: ejo at June 14, 2013 07:11 AM (GXvSO)
Posted by: Sharyl Atkinson at June 14, 2013 07:11 AM (AB86q)
Posted by: blaster at June 14, 2013 07:11 AM (W6bkf)
Posted by: Omar Little at June 14, 2013 07:12 AM (X4HxX)
Posted by: Chique d'afrique at June 14, 2013 07:12 AM (r+7wo)
Posted by: AllenG (Dedicated Tenther) at June 14, 2013 07:12 AM (/PCJa)
Posted by: filbert. Just filbert. at June 14, 2013 07:12 AM (7vimm)
Posted by: Flatbush Joe at June 14, 2013 07:13 AM (ZPrif)
Posted by: HoboJerky, Hash Hunter at June 14, 2013 07:13 AM (X4HxX)
Posted by: Vashta Nerada at June 14, 2013 07:13 AM (D5iHx)
Posted by: blaster at June 14, 2013 07:13 AM (W6bkf)
Posted by: hello, it's me Donna at June 14, 2013 07:14 AM (9+ccr)
Posted by: Sherry McEvil, Stiletto Corsettes C'est Magnifique at June 14, 2013 07:14 AM (kXoT0)
Didn't she say it was both her home computer and her work computer?
If she has a laptop, it could be that she uses it both at work and at home, which would require accessing the system through different networks.
Either way, ONE computer at the very least was hacked, and hacked by a very slick hacker. I think we can all guess where that hacking came from.
Posted by: MWR, Proud Tea(rrorist) Party Assault Hobbit at June 14, 2013 11:10 AM (4df7R)
She mentioned her home and computerS being hacked. Here's ace's post http://minx.cc/?post=340194 If the video of the interview doesn't load there it should on the first link that goes to Tepid Air.
Posted by: buzzion at June 14, 2013 07:14 AM (LI48c)
Posted by: AllenG (Dedicated Tenther) at June 14, 2013 07:14 AM (/PCJa)
Posted by: MSNBC at June 14, 2013 07:14 AM (CqZmo)
Posted by: Brave Sir Robin at June 14, 2013 07:14 AM (qpah5)
Posted by: zsasz at June 14, 2013 07:14 AM (MMC8r)
Posted by: Frank Zappa at June 14, 2013 07:14 AM (EZl54)
If you knew of an exploit, it would be trivial to embed your exploit code in a script that was sold as 'advertisement' if you had ads to cover up the exploit . . and you could target your exploit based on the likely political affiliation of the blogs where the ads were sold
Posted by: Skandia Recluse at June 14, 2013 07:14 AM (mjAW+)
It's refreshing to have a true hacking that did not involve photographs of anyone's privates.
Oh, we've got those of her as well.
Posted by: NSA at June 14, 2013 07:15 AM (lr3d7)
The president beats me.... because he loves me.
Posted by: The MFM at June 14, 2013 07:15 AM (32Ze2)
Late in 2012, eh? What was Ms. Attkisson focused on reporting about late in 2012?
Let's do a quick Google search (Hi, NSA!):
"Sources: Key task force not convened during Benghazi " (11/1/2012)
"House panel: State Dept. confirmed Libya threats" (10/4/2012)
"Sharyl Attkisson interviews Lt. Col. Andrew Wood" (10/9/2012)
"Emails detail unfolding Benghazi attack on Sept. 11" (10/23/2012)
One sees a pattern emerging.
Posted by: MWR, Proud Tea(rrorist) Party Assault Hobbit [/s][/b][/u][/i] at June 14, 2013 07:15 AM (4df7R)
Posted by: Mama AJ at June 14, 2013 07:16 AM (SUKHu)
Posted by: Cicero (@cicero) at June 14, 2013 07:16 AM (sK3w3)
Even those often won't work. A rootkit often buries itself in the boot-sector of the drive, which means a normal format & reinstall won't kill it.
Only way to be sure you've done it is to delete the partitions, zero-fill the drive, then repartition, format, and reinstall.
Sucky.
If I thought my computer was hacked, kill the hard drives with fire, and spend the couple hundred dollars for new ones.
Posted by: Brewer at June 14, 2013 07:16 AM (eV1I0)
Posted by: Barakhenaten I at June 14, 2013 07:16 AM (AB86q)
Posted by: zsasz at June 14, 2013 07:16 AM (MMC8r)
Posted by: Roy at June 14, 2013 07:16 AM (VndSC)
Posted by: steevy at June 14, 2013 07:16 AM (9XBK2)
Posted by: Eric Snowden at June 14, 2013 07:16 AM (R/fSi)
Posted by: from the tin foil hat at June 14, 2013 07:16 AM (D+lxs)
Posted by: Fourth Virginia at June 14, 2013 07:17 AM (wbmaj)
Posted by: JeffC at June 14, 2013 07:17 AM (A3tpD)
Posted by: Hillay Clinton at June 14, 2013 07:17 AM (GQ72I)
Posted by: NSA at June 14, 2013 07:17 AM (lr3d7)
Posted by: steevy at June 14, 2013 07:17 AM (9XBK2)
Posted by: MTF at June 14, 2013 07:18 AM (wXcOC)
You are probably right. I shudder to think what happens when people decide that, since the rules don't apply to the lawless Obama White House, why should they apply to them, either?
As has been said many times, I don't think the Leftists are going to like this new world they are creating nearly as much as they think they will.
And it will be richly deserved when they get EXACTLY what they deserve ...
(figuratively, of course)
Posted by: acethepug at June 14, 2013 07:18 AM (fXDVf)
Posted by: Gaff at June 14, 2013 11:07 AM (jPS2y)
More likely, CBS, actually. They did not like at all what she was doing.
Besides, I think even the wild accusations of what PRISM was doing wouldn't involve a "hack".
Hell, it could have been an "independent" Obamabot who saw one of her reports.
Posted by: AmishDude at June 14, 2013 07:18 AM (xSegX)
Posted by: Fourth Virginia at June 14, 2013 07:18 AM (wbmaj)
Posted by: tony redenzo at June 14, 2013 07:18 AM (OV5j8)
Posted by: Cicero (@cicero) at June 14, 2013 07:18 AM (sK3w3)
Posted by: blaster at June 14, 2013 07:18 AM (W6bkf)
Posted by: AllenG (Dedicated Tenther) at June 14, 2013 07:18 AM (/PCJa)
Those 1000 cuts put her on the ground its the boot to the throat and the head shot from this administration that finished her off.
Posted by: H Badger at June 14, 2013 07:18 AM (n/0Nw)
Posted by: HoboJerky, Hash Hunter at June 14, 2013 07:18 AM (X4HxX)
Odes to Obama
Love Sonnets From the Hawaiian
My Sharia Moor
Posted by: Sherry McEvil, Stiletto Corsettes C'est Magnifique at June 14, 2013 07:19 AM (kXoT0)
Posted by: Fourth Virginia at June 14, 2013 07:19 AM (wbmaj)
Posted by: Joe Biden at June 14, 2013 07:19 AM (sK3w3)
Posted by: steevy at June 14, 2013 07:19 AM (9XBK2)
Posted by: blaster at June 14, 2013 07:19 AM (W6bkf)
Posted by: MSNBC at June 14, 2013 07:20 AM (CqZmo)
Posted by: Burn the Witch at June 14, 2013 07:20 AM (ODLC/)
The SCOAMF MO is to let minions do the dirty work and pretend to float above it all so the rubes think he's pure.
Registered to Soros or the DNC or OFA or his brother's "charity" or someone in Pockeestan, OTOH...
Posted by: HeatherRadish™ braucht ein Bier at June 14, 2013 07:20 AM (ZKzrr)
Posted by: steevy at June 14, 2013 07:21 AM (9XBK2)
That "Reset" button doesn't do what you think it does.
Posted by: Dang at June 14, 2013 07:21 AM (Hx2XA)
Posted by: BignJames at June 14, 2013 07:22 AM (Sg0G/)
Posted by: Niedermeyer's Dead Horse at June 14, 2013 07:22 AM (DPdf7)
Gallup: AmericansÂ’ confidence in Congress at lowest level ever
Nine in 10 Americans say they have no confidence in Congress,ranking it last on a list of 16 institutions for the fourth straight year, Gallup said Thursday.
The 10 percent confidence level is the lowest level registered for any institution since Gallup began this poll in 1973, Gallup said.
Posted by: Marcus at June 14, 2013 07:22 AM (nlAr5)
Blair House. Biden did it.
Posted by: Blanco Basura at June 14, 2013 07:22 AM (4WhSY)
I suspect this is less about NSA hacking and more about DOJ hacking, ala James Rosen. In the case of Rosen they had a warrant to monitor his communications as a potential "co-conspirator." Vile.
In the case of Attkisson, who was not implicated in leaking any national security secrets (that we know of), that wouldn't be an option. So if this WAS the DOJ, their actions would be beyond merely vile and become straight-up illegal.
Posted by: MWR, Proud Tea(rrorist) Party Assault Hobbit [/s][/b][/u][/i] at June 14, 2013 07:22 AM (4df7R)
Posted by: Fourth Virginia at June 14, 2013 07:23 AM (wbmaj)
Posted by: booger at June 14, 2013 07:23 AM (E1tcO)
Posted by: Mama AJ at June 14, 2013 07:23 AM (SUKHu)
Posted by: Brave Sir Robin at June 14, 2013 07:23 AM (qpah5)
If we can't trust our top spook to lie convincingly, who can we trust?
Posted by: Hollowpoint at June 14, 2013 07:24 AM (SY2Kh)
Posted by: Jake.... at State Farm at June 14, 2013 07:24 AM (32Ze2)
Posted by: JackStraw at June 14, 2013 07:24 AM (g1DWB)
Posted by: steevy at June 14, 2013 07:24 AM (9XBK2)
Posted by: Fourth Virginia at June 14, 2013 07:24 AM (wbmaj)
And Obama is getting us into another cold war with Russia over Syria.
That "Reset" button doesn't do what you think it does.
Funny thing about resetting relations with Russia is that their default setting is paranoid, manipulative and protective of their sphere of influence.
Posted by: NSA at June 14, 2013 07:24 AM (lr3d7)
Posted by: Elijah Cummings at June 14, 2013 07:25 AM (32Ze2)
as you scroll down the list of comments here, on this blog, you get a 'flicker' of a pop up, a full screen pop up that is immediately erased. kinda like one of those iframe thingys except it's not an invisible pixel.
Something in the comments? Except comments here are heavily filtered, scripted, or something, as are most comments everywhere.
Or is it from another site, a cross site scripting exploit where you visit mashable, or techcrunch or thedailybeast, and then return to Ace bringing the exploit with you and have it triggered on specific sites. Is that even possible?
Posted by: Skandia Recluse at June 14, 2013 07:25 AM (mjAW+)
Posted by: Fourth Virginia at June 14, 2013 07:25 AM (wbmaj)
Posted by: WH Chief of Staff at June 14, 2013 07:26 AM (ZKzrr)
"They remotely accessed her computer by using her accounts?"
I read that as just saying they impersonated her, using her user name and password, which are: "ActualReporter" and "SicSemperTyrannis".
Posted by: Ray Van Dune at June 14, 2013 07:26 AM (Bn9/M)
Posted by: Niedermeyer's Dead Horse at June 14, 2013 07:26 AM (DPdf7)
Posted by: NSA at June 14, 2013 07:26 AM (AWmfW)
Posted by: zsasz at June 14, 2013 11:13 AM (MMC8r)
---
No, no more coverups. They are crushing dissent openly and blatantly now.
Posted by: real joe at June 14, 2013 07:26 AM (FBfTw)
Posted by: steevy at June 14, 2013 07:26 AM (9XBK2)
Posted by: Brave Sir Robin at June 14, 2013 07:26 AM (qpah5)
Posted by: Fourth Virginia at June 14, 2013 07:27 AM (wbmaj)
If that is true, how do they know anyone broke into her computer?
Posted by: cranky-d at June 14, 2013 07:27 AM (y1rgI)
I assume it is an illiterate editor trying to say that they accessed her email, etc., by using her actual account information (that is, her user ID/password) and did not, say, sneak in through the sort of hackery we see in movies.
Posted by: Matt S. at June 14, 2013 07:27 AM (m7EhJ)
Posted by: Niedermeyer's Dead Horse at June 14, 2013 07:27 AM (DPdf7)
Posted by: Bronco Bama at June 14, 2013 07:27 AM (hHgxI)
this means they used the remote access technology that Windows has built in. This is often disabled or blocked from usage, and you can enable it for certain parties, like Microsoft support or whatever Helpdesk folks in your company need to help you out.
I think it's similar to the tech for RDP (remote desktop protocol) where you can remotely take control of a computer so long as you have the rights to log in. This is indicating that they did so USING HER ACCOUNT.
Posted by: NSA at June 14, 2013 07:27 AM (El+h4)
Posted by: booger at June 14, 2013 11:23 AM (E1tcO)
Time stamps mean nothing. When I was getting my first computer science degree, they checked the time stamps on your programs, which you were allowed to write on other mainframes than that owned by the college. One of my friends was dating the systems manager of one of the great big banks in Tulsa. He power down one of the mainframes and IPL it with whatever date and time she needed to have on her printouts. She would run her little programs and he would restart the computer.
Posted by: Sherry McEvil, Stiletto Corsettes C'est Magnifique at June 14, 2013 07:27 AM (kXoT0)
Posted by: Preznint Say Stuff at June 14, 2013 07:28 AM (ULH4o)
Posted by: booger at June 14, 2013 07:28 AM (E1tcO)
Posted by: Burn the Witch at June 14, 2013 07:29 AM (ODLC/)
Posted by: Ian S. at June 14, 2013 07:29 AM (B/VB5)
Yeah, that's what i was thinking too, that if that's what they're going on it's not very solid.
Posted by: booger at June 14, 2013 07:29 AM (E1tcO)
My guess is that the article writer simply meant they didn't access it from her work station or actual computer.
But I was wrong once before, around '79 I think.
Posted by: Guy Mohawk at June 14, 2013 07:29 AM (g5YAm)
Posted by: Some poor schnook at June 14, 2013 07:29 AM (l3vZN)
Posted by: Reverend Darkness at June 14, 2013 07:29 AM (fkaxc)
Posted by: Fourth Virginia at June 14, 2013 07:29 AM (wbmaj)
honestly I'm going to need a shipment of tinfoil to cover my needs these day.
Posted by: willow-channeling all alphabet agency's at June 14, 2013 07:29 AM (nqBYe)
Posted by: jd at June 14, 2013 07:29 AM (lduvP)
Posted by: JackStraw at June 14, 2013 07:29 AM (g1DWB)
Posted by: eman at June 14, 2013 07:30 AM (cQ4xo)
Posted by: Dack Thrombosis at June 14, 2013 07:30 AM (V1ZIU)
Posted by: Preznint Say Stuff at June 14, 2013 07:30 AM (ULH4o)
Yeah, that's what i was thinking too, that if that's what they're going on it's not very solid.
Posted by: booger at June 14, 2013 11:29 AM (E1tcO)
It's not what they're going on. It's just one thing they found.
forensic analysis revealed an intruder had executed commands that appeared to involve search and exfiltration of data.
This party also used sophisticated methods to remove all possible indications of unauthorized activity, and alter system times to cause further confusion.
Posted by: MWR, Proud Tea(rrorist) Party Assault Hobbit [/s][/b][/u][/i] at June 14, 2013 07:30 AM (4df7R)
Posted by: Fourth Virginia at June 14, 2013 07:31 AM (wbmaj)
I read that sentence to mean that some unauthorized person accessed her computer from some other computer, but it was done using her username and password. So, the system simply allowed the access because they used the proper username/password, and the system was setup to allow such remote access. Therefore, the "hack" simply involved getting the username/password, and then trying to erase any record of said access.
Another possibility is that such remote access was NOT authorized, so they somehow "fooled" the computer into thinking this was not being done remotely. I am not sure if that is even possible, but I'll leave that one to the experts...
Posted by: Tex Lovera at June 14, 2013 07:31 AM (wtvvX)
Posted by: RWC at June 14, 2013 07:31 AM (eP0ww)
Posted by: Fourth Virginia at June 14, 2013 07:32 AM (wbmaj)
Posted by: Joe Biden at June 14, 2013 11:19 AM (sK3w3)
----
Joe, try this: you have to reach in and firmly grab those blades while it's still running. I guarantee you won't be bothered by the machine turning itself on anymore.
Posted by: real joe at June 14, 2013 07:32 AM (FBfTw)
Posted by: Fourth Virginia at June 14, 2013 07:32 AM (wbmaj)
Posted by: Niedermeyer's Dead Horse at June 14, 2013 07:33 AM (DPdf7)
That sounds dirty.
Posted by: JackStraw at June 14, 2013 11:29 AM (g1DWB)
She was a gorgeous blue eyed blonde and he was putty in her hands. He wrote the programs too. They eventually married after a couple of years of begging on his part. When she divorced him, he quit his job and moved to Alaska.
Posted by: Sherry McEvil, Stiletto Corsettes C'est Magnifique at June 14, 2013 07:33 AM (kXoT0)
Posted by: MWR, Proud Tea(rrorist) Party Assault Hobbit [/s][/b][/u][/i] at June 14, 2013 07:33 AM (4df7R)
Posted by: jgs at June 14, 2013 07:33 AM (y7MHL)
Posted by: Niedermeyer's Dead Horse at June 14, 2013 07:33 AM (DPdf7)
Posted by: MSM at June 14, 2013 07:34 AM (bS6uW)
Posted by: MWR, Proud Tea(rrorist) Party Assault Hobbit [/s][/b][/u][/i] at June 14, 2013 07:34 AM (4df7R)
No, I think it was one of the mainline PC's. Windows has remote access functionality built in (Windows XP and later) which is ONLY supposed to be used by a tech person helping you troubleshoot. Whenever this happens, they will request that you give them access to remotely take control of the computer.
It would make sense that Microsoft has made a legal way for the government to log in as the user themselves. The only problem is the changes they might make would leave footprints in timestamps.
Posted by: RiverC at June 14, 2013 07:35 AM (El+h4)
Posted by: real joe at June 14, 2013 11:32 AM (FBfTw)
----
I did that with the ceiling fan already. Got sick and threw up all over the carpet. Dr Jill says I shouldn't do it again.
Posted by: Elijah Cummings at June 14, 2013 07:35 AM (32Ze2)
Posted by: Minnfidel at June 14, 2013 07:35 AM (DLwhg)
Meh, could be a lot of things. There are legions of script kiddies out there who maybe found a way into her firewall (assuming she had one that was up to date). Or if she was using Remote Desktop Protocol that's another way in, but RDP would require some specialized knowledge of the target.
Remember, this is CBS that is telling us the details. Keep the Gell-Mann Amnesia Effect in mind when you read it.
Posted by: @JohnTant at June 14, 2013 07:36 AM (eytER)
Posted by: willow at June 14, 2013 07:37 AM (nqBYe)
Posted by: RiverC at June 14, 2013 11:35 AM (El+h4)
You mean like how Microsoft, as a "trusted partner," provides the gubmint with information about system bugs before releasing that same information to the general public? And how hardware and software "trusted partners" also work with the government to make sure the gubmint knows about and how to exploit any weaknesses in their technology? To catch terrorists, of course.
Posted by: MWR, Proud Tea(rrorist) Party Assault Hobbit [/s][/b][/u][/i] at June 14, 2013 07:37 AM (4df7R)
Don't be a Sharyl Attkisson. We can access all your research and writings at will and you can do nothing about it.
Posted by: Sherry McEvil, Stiletto Corsettes C'est Magnifique at June 14, 2013 07:37 AM (kXoT0)
I don't understand the "didn't she say it was both of her computers that were hacked?" Nothing in this article precludes, or even suggests, that it was only her work computer. Presumably, CBS was willing to pay for an extensive analysis, which she probably didn't want to pay for for her personal computer before she had some evidence on her work computer.
I understand the "trust but verify" logic, but I don't think there is anything contradictory here.
Posted by: boone at June 14, 2013 07:37 AM (dNx7B)
Posted by: zsasz at June 14, 2013 07:37 AM (MMC8r)
I wish someone would hack Pixy's access to AOSHQ and correct the formatting on this site. I'm tired of having to double space between words just to make sure they don't run together.
Itsamess.
Posted by: polynikes at June 14, 2013 07:37 AM (m2CN7)
Could be, but won't be.
At most, it'll be a "rogue low-level employee" that gets blamed. More likely they'll never be able to prove who it was.
Posted by: Hollowpoint at June 14, 2013 07:38 AM (SY2Kh)
Posted by: Elijah Cummings at June 14, 2013 11:35 AM (32Ze2)
------
Different technique for the ceiling fan. Use your head.
Literally.
Posted by: real joe at June 14, 2013 07:38 AM (FBfTw)
Posted by: Blacksheep at June 14, 2013 07:38 AM (bS6uW)
Not trying to be overly dramatic, but If true, this could be huge.
It's real. And it's Spectacular!
Posted by: garrett at June 14, 2013 07:38 AM (AB86q)
Posted by: marco rubio at June 14, 2013 07:38 AM (VDovR)
Posted by: Niedermeyer's Dead Horse at June 14, 2013 07:38 AM (DPdf7)
Meh, could be a lot of things. There are legions of script kiddies out there who maybe found a way into her firewall
To what end? The cyber security firm claims to have found no malicious code, so there wasn't a keylogger or anything. Whoever accessed her computer did it to retrieve information. If this was just some random Anonymous dipshit, why would they bother?
Posted by: MWR, Proud Tea(rrorist) Party Assault Hobbit [/s][/b][/u][/i] at June 14, 2013 07:39 AM (4df7R)
The Guardian understands that the NSA approached those companies and asked them to enable a "dropbox" system whereby legally requested data could be copied from their own server out to an NSA-owned system. That has allowed the companies to deny that there is "direct or indirect" NSA access, to deny that there is a "back door" to their systems, and that they only comply with "legal" requests – while not explaining the scope of that access.
Twitter was not mentioned in the Prism programme because it declined to comply with the NSA's dropbox proposPosted by: willow at June 14, 2013 07:40 AM (nqBYe)
But, the modern reporter thinks that they must have a laptop or iPad to function.
Posted by: Sherry McEvil, Stiletto Corsettes C'est Magnifique at June 14, 2013 07:40 AM (kXoT0)
So maybe the WH is hiring the Geek Squad to spy on their enemies?
Posted by: PJ at June 14, 2013 07:41 AM (ZWaLo)
MWR, Proud Tea(rrorist) Party Assault Hobbit at June 14, 2013 11:39 AM (4df7R)
I'm taking the CBS reporting with a grain of salt, since on technical matters MSM outlets tend to get so many major details wrong.
Just because CBS says someone didn't find malicious code doesn't mean it was never there.
Posted by: @JohnTant at June 14, 2013 07:41 AM (eytER)
Posted by: Niedermeyer's Dead Horse at June 14, 2013 07:42 AM (DPdf7)
Posted by: Jon in TX at June 14, 2013 07:42 AM (KTdmJ)
Posted by: zsasz at June 14, 2013 07:42 AM (MMC8r)
Its less important how they accessed than what that means. Since she was the only journalist investigating F and F and Benghazi with any gusto, it means that the WH directed the snooping specifically on her. No it can't be proved, but yes you would be absolutely obtuse to think otherwise.
They wanted to know her sources and how.
Posted by: Guy Mohawk at June 14, 2013 07:42 AM (g5YAm)
Posted by: Starboardhelm at June 14, 2013 07:42 AM (hHgxI)
Posted by: baldilocks at June 14, 2013 07:43 AM (Su0W2)
Whatever the true story about what was really going on in Benghazi must be pretty bad.
They were afraid that she was going to spill the beans and monitored her computer, and I am sure phone calls, etc.
Posted by: Cheri at June 14, 2013 07:43 AM (G+Wff)
I suspect the Chinese hacked her system thru an Obama contract.
Posted by: Fritz at June 14, 2013 07:43 AM (UzPAd)
Invent throw away laptops similar to the throw away cell phones.
Posted by: polynikes
***
Wayyyyyy ahead of you.
Posted by: E-Machines at June 14, 2013 07:43 AM (+aCe4)
When are we going to find out about an Agriculture Department Scandal..... or is Pigford their scandal? I am so confused. Anyone start a roster or a score card so we can keep track of all this?
Posted by: Truck Monkey at June 14, 2013 07:43 AM (32Ze2)
Posted by: RiverC at June 14, 2013 07:43 AM (El+h4)
Posted by: [/i][/b][/s]akula_51 at June 14, 2013 07:44 AM (Vgn84)
This is their basic question regarding all of the administration's crimes since the first inauguration.
Michele should pay for her crimes.
Posted by: Mr. Blackwell at June 14, 2013 07:44 AM (AB86q)
Posted by: blaster at June 14, 2013 07:44 AM (W6bkf)
Posted by: Blacksheep at June 14, 2013 07:44 AM (bS6uW)
In other words, they are simply saying her login/password was hacked.
Posted by: Chi-Town Jerry at June 14, 2013 07:44 AM (f9c2L)
Posted by: RiverC at June 14, 2013 07:45 AM (El+h4)
Posted by: jakeman at June 14, 2013 07:45 AM (96M6e)
Posted by: polynikes at June 14, 2013 11:39 AM (m2CN7)
Google beat you to it. They have one for a couple of hundred bucks. Not that I would trust a Google laptop more than a Microsoft, etc. They all have built in handles.
One of the most realistic computer crimes books I ever read had the villain buying computers 10 or 15 at a time. He would hole up in a hotel room, use one computer for 30 minutes, destroy it, use the next, and so on. He was in a metroplex like NYC or Chicago where he would switch hotels daily and just have new computers deliverd by Best Buy. The point was to be always on the move with new hardware.
Posted by: Sherry McEvil, Stiletto Corsettes C'est Magnifique at June 14, 2013 07:45 AM (kXoT0)
Posted by: zsasz at June 14, 2013 11:42 AM (MMC8r)
Net Talkers
Posted by: polynikes at June 14, 2013 07:46 AM (m2CN7)
It's America... you are allowed to be wrong.
Remote access using a user's own account information is easy in Windows, but it typically leaves behind a noticeable 'malware' footprint. The ease of access itself makes obfuscation more difficult. Most of the time, though, remote Windows access would be with a "system" or "administrator" account, not with the user's own account.
Remote access on a Mac is a little harder, but once you have a user's account information, or you have information for any account on the machine, you can get in. Obfuscation of the access is much easier, especially when it comes to writing false data to system logs.
I'll bet a shiny nickel that it's a Mac.
Posted by: Reverend Darkness at June 14, 2013 07:46 AM (fkaxc)
Posted by: zsasz at June 14, 2013 07:47 AM (MMC8r)
Posted by: CBS News Reporting at June 14, 2013 07:47 AM (32Ze2)
RE using AttkissonÂ’s accounts."
Means they had her logins and remotely accessed her PC's, something you can do very easily if you now the external IP address or naming scheme on a network.
Alsop, as she is a journalist, her password was probably 123456, or password.
Just sayin
Posted by: trippy64 at June 14, 2013 07:47 AM (hafwJ)
Posted by: Sherry McEvil, Stiletto Corsettes C'est Magnifique at June 14, 2013 11:45 AM (kXoT0)
My ability to become rich is always being thwarted. Curses!!
Posted by: polynikes at June 14, 2013 07:47 AM (m2CN7)
Posted by: That Guy at June 14, 2013 07:47 AM (EMye6)
Posted by: zsasz at June 14, 2013 11:42 AM (MMC8r)
**
Heheh...spit take.
Posted by: dananjcon at June 14, 2013 07:48 AM (jvd3N)
US Agencies Said to Swap Data with Thousands of Firms
Bloomberg News: http://tiny.cc/h4aoyw
Thousands of technology, finance and manufacturing companies are working closely with U.S. national security agencies, providing sensitive information and in return receiving benefits that include access to classified intelligence, four people familiar with the process said.
These programs, whose participants are known as trusted partners, extend far beyond what was revealed by Edward Snowden, a computer technician who did work for the National Security Agency. The role of private companies has come under intense scrutiny since his disclosure this month that the NSA is collecting millions of U.S. residentsÂ’ telephone records and the computer communications of foreigners from Google Inc (GOOG). and other Internet companies under court order.
Many of these same Internet and telecommunications companies voluntarily provide U.S. intelligence organizations with additional data, such as equipment specifications, that donÂ’t involve private communications of their customers, the four people said.
Makers of hardware and software, banks, Internet security providers, satellite telecommunications companies and many other companies also participate in the government programs. In some cases, the information gathered may be used not just to defend the nation but to help infiltrate computers of its adversaries.
Along with the NSA, the Central Intelligence Agency (0112917D), the Federal Bureau of Investigation and branches of the U.S. military have agreements with such companies to gather data that might seem innocuous but could be highly useful in the hands of U.S. intelligence or cyber warfare units, according to the people, who have either worked for the government or are in companies that have these accords.
Microsoft Corp. (MSFT), the worldÂ’s largest software company, provides intelligence agencies with information about bugs in its popular software before it publicly releases a fix, according to two people familiar with the process. That information can be used to protect government computers and to access the computers of terrorists or military foes.
Redmond, Washington-based Microsoft (MSFT) and other software or Internet security companies have been aware that this type of early alert allowed the U.S. to exploit vulnerabilities in software sold to foreign governments, according to two U.S. officials. Microsoft doesnÂ’t ask and canÂ’t be told how the government uses such tip-offs, said the officials, who asked not to be identified because the matter is confidential.
Frank Shaw, a spokesman for Microsoft, said those releases occur in cooperation with multiple agencies and are designed to give government “an early start” on risk assessment and mitigation...
Just sayin'.
And yes, I have my tinfoil hat on. Several, actually.
Posted by: MWR, Proud Tea(rrorist) Party Assault Hobbit [/s][/b][/u][/i] at June 14, 2013 07:48 AM (4df7R)
Posted by: zsasz at June 14, 2013 07:48 AM (MMC8r)
Posted by: LiveFreeOrDie at June 14, 2013 07:48 AM (6eu/y)
Posted by: Barney Frank, Lover of Men and All Around Cocksman at June 14, 2013 07:49 AM (ZWvOb)
Posted by: Bronco Bama at June 14, 2013 07:49 AM (hHgxI)
Posted by: chuck schumer's bitch aka marco rubio at June 14, 2013 07:49 AM (VDovR)
In our corporate world, individuals have one or more "accounts" that control access to physical and virtual machines. There are several layers of security, dependant upon how the corp IT sets things up, but there can be one to access the encrypted hard drive, one to access the PC itself (which can be someone else's legitimate account), one to establish a VPN connection to the corporation's virtual world and subsequent accounts for the various applications which she would use.
The significance of accessing her machine via her own accounts is that a great deal of homework had already been done, possibly by way of sniffing while she's logging on to her machine via a laptop, embedding a keystroke logger (which I believe may be one of the specific things that the Patriot Act enabled as a no-notice type of search) or other nefarious method.
Basically, she was being spied upon by someone with a lot of patience, skill and with a goal in mind that goes beyond credit card theft.
Posted by: Daniel at June 14, 2013 07:50 AM (wFwCH)
Being mostly ignorant about computers it always freaks me out when my IT department in NJ remotely accesses my computer and I see them operating it while sitting at my desk in Houston.
So yes, I'm thinking my IT department knows how much time I spend on the internet. Ah screw em.
Posted by: polynikes at June 14, 2013 07:50 AM (m2CN7)
And yes, I have my tinfoil hat on. Several, actually.
Posted by: MWR, Proud Tea(rrorist) Party Assault Hobbit at June 14, 2013 11:48 AM (4df7R)
Yes, they take a bit of getting used to at first. I am thinking that printing them in a nice comfortable pattern on a 3D printer may be the way to go....
Posted by: Sherry McEvil, Stiletto Corsettes C'est Magnifique at June 14, 2013 07:50 AM (kXoT0)
Posted by: President Skroob at June 14, 2013 07:51 AM (MMC8r)
Posted by: RiverC
..............
Yes, but you are not running under the user's credentials. You have elevated a process that now runs under a completely separate security context and logs activity to that elevated account - usually an admin.
I had an admin running our installs and software on the phone yesterday who couldn't figure out why everything ran ok as an admin, but regular users failed. Then he showed me that logged in as a regular user when he went to run one of our modules it was prompting him for admin credentials! Doh! He was essentially logged in as the admin for the "session" of that module running.
Posted by: Chi-Town Jerry at June 14, 2013 07:51 AM (f9c2L)
scaring actual journalists trying to find information ? a beautiful side affect.
Posted by: willow at June 14, 2013 07:52 AM (nqBYe)
Posted by: polynikes at June 14, 2013 11:50 AM (m2CN7)
Yes, most companies are too lazy to do much about it. Mine tracks it and therefore, I use a smart phone to access the Internet when I am in the office. I never go to a political site on my work computer. NEVER.
Posted by: Sherry McEvil, Stiletto Corsettes C'est Magnifique at June 14, 2013 07:52 AM (kXoT0)
Posted by: zsasz at June 14, 2013 11:48 AM (MMC8r)
*
She shot herself, downed an entire bottle of aspirin, checked her e-mail, and died.
Fify
Posted by: dananjcon at June 14, 2013 07:53 AM (jvd3N)
they might want to check their computers as well.
No kidding. All of the media should just assume they are co-conspirators in leak cases.
Posted by: no good deed at June 14, 2013 07:53 AM (mjR67)
Yeah? Who is going to prosecute it?
Posted by: blaster at June 14, 2013 11:44 AM ......As someone else mentioned. Reporters consider themselves waaay above us commoners. And you don't mess with them. Enough of them would go beserk if it's true. The problem is going to be proving who did it. I am not a techie so I don't know but from what I am hearing they could prove she was hacked but I doubt they could find the perp. Maybe a moron with some knowledge could set me straight on that.
Posted by: Minnfidel at June 14, 2013 07:54 AM (DLwhg)
Posted by: Barney Frank, Lover of Men and All Around Cocksman at June 14, 2013 07:54 AM (ZWvOb)
Posted by: Tobacco Road at June 14, 2013 07:55 AM (4Mv1T)
Posted by: Starboardhelm at June 14, 2013 07:55 AM (hHgxI)
Posted by: Jay at June 14, 2013 07:55 AM (iJBvZ)
Posted by: RWC at June 14, 2013 07:56 AM (eP0ww)
Posted by: [/i][/b][/s]akula_51 at June 14, 2013 07:57 AM (Vgn84)
Posted by: wooga at June 14, 2013 07:57 AM (OZJKM)
Posted by: Alberta Oil Peon at June 14, 2013 07:57 AM (fNpC1)
Posted by: Warden at June 14, 2013 07:58 AM (0DlnM)
Certainly, Gabe.
The author of the article doesn't know squat about IT.
You're welcome.
( My secretary will be sending the bill for the full hour, BTW. )
Posted by: weft cut-loop [/i] [/b] at June 14, 2013 07:58 AM (SX6wc)
Posted by: tony redenzo at June 14, 2013 11:18 AM (OV5j
----------------------------------------------------
Change "citizenry" to "conservatives" and you have an even truer statement
Posted by: Marybeth at June 14, 2013 07:58 AM (Ks0w4)
Posted by: wooga at June 14, 2013 07:59 AM (OZJKM)
Bronco Bama, 2016!
"YES WE SCAN!"
Posted by: Tobacco Road at June 14, 2013 11:55 AM (4Mv1T)
Thank you for your support. I'm looking forward to my permanent presidency.
Posted by: Bronco Bama at June 14, 2013 07:59 AM (hHgxI)
Posted by: JackStraw at June 14, 2013 07:59 AM (g1DWB)
Posted by: zsasz at June 14, 2013 08:00 AM (MMC8r)
She shot herself, checked her e-mail, and died.
Posted by: zsasz at June 14, 2013 11:48 AM (MMC8r)
*
She shot herself, downed an entire bottle of aspirin, checked her e-mail, and died.
Fify
Drove herself to the park while locked in the trunk, dug a shallow grave, covered her dying body with leaves, tied her arms behind her back, and died.
Posted by: Vince Foster....Who knows about these things at June 14, 2013 08:01 AM (0IhFx)
Posted by: phoenixgirl at work... at June 14, 2013 08:01 AM (WQXuu)
Posted by: RWC at June 14, 2013 08:02 AM (eP0ww)
Posted by: JackStraw at June 14, 2013 11:59 AM (g1DWB)
Heh! I was asking for that, wasn't I? LOL
Posted by: Alberta Oil Peon at June 14, 2013 08:03 AM (fNpC1)
Posted by: blaster at June 14, 2013 08:04 AM (W6bkf)
Snowden the ged grad , and not so smart tech, (given a great job btw accidently, which he didn't deserve because he must be stupid) while showing his boxers in His rebellious moment also hacked CBS journalist.
Posted by: willow at June 14, 2013 08:04 AM (nqBYe)
Posted by: rockhead at June 14, 2013 08:06 AM (jtTKf)
Posted by: Alberta Oil Peon at June 14, 2013 11:57 AM (fNpC1)
Yes, there are a few, though the names escape me at the moment. I'm thinking Kasperski has one. You run them like an anti-virus scan. I'm also thinking the big name anti-virus companies have included scans for rootkits in their windows products.
There are online products that appear to be legit, but running them is like using TOR for anonymity because you don't know who the vendor is other than a name on a website. You can also get free online scans, but the same suspicion applies; the guy who gives you a free online scan also embeds an exploit.
Posted by: Skandia Recluse at June 14, 2013 08:07 AM (tl3Na)
Posted by: Travis at June 14, 2013 08:07 AM (/gUgY)
Posted by: willow at June 14, 2013 08:07 AM (nqBYe)
Posted by: Sherry McEvil, Stiletto Corsettes C'est Magnifique at June 14, 2013 08:08 AM (kXoT0)
: "Evidence suggests this party performed all access remotely using AttkissonÂ’s accounts."
Its called Remote Desktop Protocol. If you have the user account and password of the original user account, which defaults to admin status... then you can RDP in 'IF' you can find that computer on the internet.
We have software on every computer we maintain to do just that...
Posted by: Romeo13 at June 14, 2013 08:09 AM (lZBBB)
Posted by: CBS News Management at June 14, 2013 08:11 AM (vAiDn)
So what's the response going to be? Choose from:
1. "I only found out about this from reading the newspapers."
2. "What does it matter?"
3. "I'm outraged, and have tasked AG Holder with getting to the bottom of this, just like the NBP matter."
And that hardy perennial,
4. "Bush did it."
Posted by: Jay Guevara at June 14, 2013 08:12 AM (Z2Bkq)
Posted by: Typical Democrat fascist shitstain at June 14, 2013 08:12 AM (7xeJQ)
Posted by: Baldy at June 14, 2013 08:15 AM (tyDFN)
Posted by: Typical Democrat And/Or RINO fascist shitstain
New! And Improved!
Posted by: weft cut-loop [/i] [/b] at June 14, 2013 08:15 AM (SX6wc)
Unlikely. They would have found it and, furthermore, the statement explicitly states they found no malicious code.
It sounds like the attacker either used a clever side-channel attack or perhaps knew enough to guess at her log-in for whatever remote desktop she uses from work. Work would be a likely vector for getting the background info on what's used in CBS IT for work from-home (say, vmware client or whatever).
Make sure you zap the master boot record too. A normal format doesn't overwrite it.
Haha! That's a little far. MBR is only 512bytes in size and filled with entries. But if you're reformatting, or changing filesystems it's useful. DBAN is fantastic for diskwiping.
Posted by: Uriah Heep at June 14, 2013 08:20 AM (jhI6f)
Since then, many other schemes have come along too.
If you don't want someone busting into a machine when you're away, hard power it off and disable any wake-on-LAN capability in the BIOS and OS.
Posted by: Purp[/i][/b][/u][/s] at June 14, 2013 08:23 AM (/gHaE)
Disagree. They're saying the computer was accessed using her accounts. To me that means they keylogged her, or got her password by observation of some sort (camera or visual).
After that, you need to get on her network (weak wifi password?), then you can log on using Remote Desktop Protocol or Apple Remote Desktop, whatever her OS is. You could also log in using explorer eg \\COMPUTER-NAME\c$ (Windows) to access the c:\ drive.
Posted by: bonhomme at June 14, 2013 08:25 AM (yKTI2)
Posted by: Typical Democrat fascist shitstain at June 14, 2013 12:12 PM (7xeJQ)
...
..
Ahm so glad that awl them shitstains are over thar in the democritic pawrty.
Posted by: The Brave Soldiers Who Answer to the Commander in Chief at June 14, 2013 08:26 AM (KdyqO)
Posted by: SOMEASSHOLESTOLEMYPEN at June 14, 2013 08:30 AM (n8115)
Posted by: The Brave Soldiers Who Answer to the Commander in Chief at June 14, 2013 08:30 AM (KdyqO)
Posted by: Ernst Blofeld at June 14, 2013 08:41 AM (XZWie)
Posted by: Rick at June 14, 2013 08:44 AM (9hNHR)
They explicitly state they didn't find any malicious code, which rules this out.
In general, this isn't overly complicated. Password entropy is usually very low and there are psychological aspects: people reuse common numbers from their timelines/lifes, etc. Or they exploited a known side-channel attack against whatever remote desktop she uses or leaves open in Windows.
So, you search and find out what software CBS's deploys, what rules their IT dept allow -- which is easy to find. Then, given what you have to work with, you start looking into her history and particulars. You can do it.
PS. For the common user, who just uses a windows-login and doesn't encrypt their HDDor use TPM -- you can just plug-in a flashdrive with *nix or bootable windows on it and read the entire HDD partition contents. No traces, nothing. Looks like just another time the computer was used. That is, if you have physical access to the PC.
Posted by: Uriah Heep at June 14, 2013 08:44 AM (jhI6f)
Posted by: Bosk at June 14, 2013 08:44 AM (n2K+4)
Posted by: Bosk at June 14, 2013 08:47 AM (n2K+4)
Posted by: Ernst Blofeld at June 14, 2013 08:49 AM (XZWie)
@ 294
My fellow Senate Republicans and I will go along with the Democrats to make sure no one is prosecuted. You know, for the good of the country. Because the government is your friend.
Posted by: chuck schumer's bitch aka marco rubio at June 14, 2013 08:51 AM (VDovR)
I think you're following post is very illuminating. She was reporting during that period on domestic issues: Fast & Furious, Green Energy Waste. These aren't issues -- albeit, I'm not a lawyer or have any solid graph of the legal system -- which would generally suffice for a wiretap rational.
Domestic rules out the Intel Community. IMHO: Highest probability is an outsider with Obama loyalties: Think of that punk bartender at the Romney fundraiser with a camera. More cynically, a Nixon redux, perhaps someone loosely affiliated with the campaign but high deniability, etc.
Posted by: Uriah Heep at June 14, 2013 08:55 AM (jhI6f)
Depends. Even on linux there is proprietary code. There are also very deep theory sections that only very few people venture into because it takes years of study to fully understand what's going on.
There are code obfuscation contests. If you ever think you really REALLY know code, try to read through some of the better examples to see what it does before you run it.
Posted by: bonhomme at June 14, 2013 08:56 AM (yKTI2)
Not exactly. It's possible they put a keylogger on her computer, then once they were in, deleted it. Who knows how good CBS's forensic people are. Maybe they missed it once it was gone.
Second possibility: A physical keylogger was installed between keyboard and the PC. Once they got the password, they removed the physical keylogger.
It's also possible, as you say, that there was never a keylogger. Maybe they got her password by observation.
Posted by: bonhomme at June 14, 2013 09:03 AM (yKTI2)
Posted by: [/i][/b][/s]akula_51 at June 14, 2013 09:06 AM (Vgn84)
Yes, agreed. I recommend diceware for password selection. Basically you roll five dice a few times. Each roll of five dice gets you a word. Combine the words for a phrase. You get high entropy and it's usually more memorable than a short string of random characters.
Posted by: bonhomme at June 14, 2013 09:06 AM (yKTI2)
Posted by: [/i] [/b] [/u] [/s] Joltin Joe Biden at June 14, 2013 09:25 AM (ylhEn)
Posted by: JS at June 14, 2013 10:04 AM (jNIQD)
Posted by: Jean at June 14, 2013 10:47 AM (CMlD4)
Posted by: Gov Weenie at June 14, 2013 10:58 AM (B/weO)
Posted by: Leichendiener at June 14, 2013 11:18 AM (Xv7f/)
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Posted by: Truck Monkey at June 14, 2013 07:07 AM (32Ze2)