FBI using hacker techniques to spy on Americans
■ In yet another revelation of illegal spying on Americans by the US government, reports last week detailed the use by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) of hacker techniques, including spyware, to gain access to information protected by encryption tools and other communications technologies. In law enforcement terminology, use of such technology to secure communications against interception is known as “going dark.”
■ The FBI has been building teams of hackers and arming them with cyber-weapons. Unnamed former officials told the Wall Street Journal [“FBI Taps Hacker Tactics to Spy on Suspects,”] that the FBI’s hacking activities are led by a group called the Remote Operations Unit. According to a former FBI cyber division official, the bureau “hires people who have hacking skill, and they purchase tools that are capable of doing these things.”
■ Hacking techniques enable the FBI to smuggle spyware into computers and laptops. The Journal reported that the FBI has been using “web bugs” since at least 2005 to extract data from targeted computers. According to a US official cited by the Journal, the FBI is even able to activate microphones in telephones using Google Inc.’s Android software.
■ The FBI has sought to conceal these activities from the public. As a US official commented to the Journal, the bureau “is loath to use these tools when investigating hackers,” fearing that computer savvy targets will figure out what is going on and report the use of hacker methods to the public.