Daily Archives: 6. August 2014


06.08.2014 - 22:34 [ Electronic Frontier Foundation ]

UNSEALED: The US Sought Permission To Change The Historical Record Of A Public Court Proceeding

On June 6, the court held a long hearing in Jewel in a crowded, open courtroom, widely covered by the press. We were even on the local TV news on two stations. At the end, the Judge ordered both sides to request a transcript since he ordered us to do additional briefing. But when it was over, the government secretly, and surprisingly sought permission to “remove” classified information from the transcript, and even indicated that it wanted to do so secretly, so the public could never even know that they had done so.

06.08.2014 - 20:15 [ ITAR-TASS ]

Deputy minister fired for breaking ban on public comments on government work

Russian Deputy Minister of Economic Development Sergei Belyakov was dismissed from his job on Wednesday for breaking a ban on public statements on the work of government agencies.

Federal legislation forbids civil servants to make public statements, judgements and assessments, including in mass media, on the work of government bodies and their heads, unless this is required by their official duties.

06.08.2014 - 18:26 [ New Eastern Outlook ]

HRW: Human Rights Watch or Hypocritical Representatives of Washington? (Part 2)

As I noted in Part 1 of this article, Human Rights Watch (HRW) is an integral part of the West’s propaganda machine. I noted that “HRW serves as intermediary between the facts on the ground, and the western public who rely on the organization (and similar NGOs such as Amnesty International) to accurately tell the story of a given conflict.”

06.08.2014 - 18:05 [ Consortiumnews ]

The Enduring Myth of Hiroshima

“We didn’t want MacArthur and others saying the war could have been won without the bomb,” Groves said.(..)
That most people in the United States still believe the “saved lives” rationale to be true is because of decades of this censorship and myth-making, begun by President Harry Truman, who said Aug. 6, 1945, “Sixteen hours ago an American airplane dropped one bomb on Hiroshima, an important Japanese Army base. … That was because we wished this first attack to avoid, insofar as possible, the killing of civilians.”

06.08.2014 - 14:13 [ Heise ]

Deutsche Überwachungssoftware für ägyptische Staatssicherheit?

(7. März 2011) Die „Allgemeine Staatsicherheit“ hatte nach Angaben der Frankfurter Allgemeinen Zeitung etwa 100.000 Mitarbeiter und unterhielt ein großes Netzwerk von Informanten. Bei der Suche nach Dokumenten, die die Folterungen von Regimegegnern belegen sollen, fand der Aktivist Mustafa Hussein eine Akte mit dem Vermerk „Streng geheim“, in der eine Gamma International der Staatssicherheit Mitte 2010 die Installation der Programmsuite Finfisher anbietet,

06.08.2014 - 14:09 [ ITNews ]

FBI used malware in criminal investigation

Reports from Europe suggest police forces are using commercial malware such as Gamma Group‘s FinFisher and also developing their own surveillance applications. FinFisher has been used by repressive regimes to target political opponents, some of which have filed a criminal complaint against the malware developer.

It is thought to be in use by the Australian Federal Police, which last year declined a Freedom of Information request related to FinFisher materials.

06.08.2014 - 14:03 [ Netzpolitik ]

FinSpyMobile 4.51 Release Notes

FinSpy Mobile iOS Target WhatsApp Module (bug fix)

WhatsApp changed the encryption technique of the
database. The module was changed appropriately to
support the new encryption. (…)

Phone Call Interception All
Live Phone Call recordings can only be done when the Provider allows conference calls for the Targets device. (…)

Connectivity All

When the provider does not allow direct communication for installed applications and an APN has to be configured this might prevent FinSpy Mobile targets from communicating with the FinSpy Master server unless the APN is configured. A database exists with common APN configurations for various providers but this database does not cover 100% of all providers world-wide.
When the APN is not inside the database, it needs to be
manually configured in the Target device to ensure the
device can communicate with the server. (…)

Android SMS Communication

One of the Trojan communication channels is SMS. Due to the new security developments on Android 4.4.x the SMS sent by the master cannot be removed anymore and is visible in the incoming SMS’ list.

06.08.2014 - 13:37 [ Netzpolitik.org ]

FINFISHER: FinSpy 3.00 User Manual

2.2.5.1.2 Hiding Techniques
It is possible to activate an advanced hiding method which allows the FinSpy Trojan to be more stealth and extremely hidden.

The following actions are taken if the FinSpy Trojan runs in User-Mode:
– Hides the network connections
– Hides the registry entries
– Hides the Trojan processes

The following actions are taken if the FinSpy Trojan runs in Admin-Mode:
– Hides the network connections
– Hides the Trojan processes

If the Active Hiding is activated it is more
likely to be discovered by some rootkit detectors, due to its
aggressiveness within the system.

2.2.5.1.3 Infection Self-removal
Computers which never go online may become infected by mistake and spread an infected application through an organization. To avoid keeping offline computers infected still
recording data, the FinSpy Target can remove itself.

– Scheduled Removal: Date on which the FinSpy Target
removes itself from the infected computer
– Time Out Removal: Time after which the FinSpy Target removes itself from the infected computer, if communication with the FinSpy Master fails (even if there is a functional internet
connection). This renewal will be disabled once the FinSpy Target contacts the FinSpy Master for the first time.

06.08.2014 - 12:32 [ Netzpolitik ]

Finfisher – Cyber solutions for the fight against crime

FinSpy PC
Monitors security-aware targets that regularly change location, use encryption and travel extensively

FinSpy Mobile
Monitors most smartphones of security-aware targets

FinFly USB
Deploys remote monitoring solution on insertion

FinFly Exploit
Installs remote monitoring solution on target system using a software exploit

FinFly LAN
Deploys remote monitoring solution on target system through a Local Area Network

FinFly ISP
Deploys remote monitoring solution on target system through the Internet Service Provider

FinFly Web
Deploys remote monitoring solution on target system through websites

FinFly NET
Deploys remote monitoring solution on target system in „friendly“ LAN environment

06.08.2014 - 12:21 [ Netzpolitik ]

Gamma FinFisher: Twitter-Account veröffentlicht interne Dokumente über weltweit eingesetzten Staatstrojaner

Seit ein paar Tagen werden auf dem Twitter-Account @GammaGroupPR interne Dokumente der Trojaner-Produktfamilie FinFisher/FinSpy aus dem Hause Gamma veröffentlicht. (Zur Erinnerung: Das ist die offensive Überwachungstechnologie aus deutsch-schweizerischer Produktion, die in Schurkenstaaten eingesetzt und vom Bundeskriminalamt getestet wird.)

06.08.2014 - 12:00 [ Mondo Weiss ]

Rightwing Jews who want to destroy Muslim holy site in Jerusalem raise funds on Indiegogo

righting fundamentalist org, the Temple Institute, is raising money on Indiegogo to draft plans to build the third temple on the holy mount in occupied Jerusalem. They’ve raised nearly $17,000 out of a hoped-for $100,000, using the messianic video above that pictures the remade temple in its last frames.

06.08.2014 - 10:23 [ Jimmy Carter, Mary Robinson / Foreign Policy ]

How to Fix It – Ending this war in Gaza begins with recognizing Hamas as a legitimate political actor.

There is never an excuse for deliberate attacks on civilians in conflict. These are war crimes. This is true for both sides. Hamas‘s indiscriminate targeting of Israeli civilians is equally unacceptable. However, three Israeli civilians have been killed by Palestinian rockets, while an overwhelming majority of the 1,600 Palestinians killed have been civilians, including more than 330 children.

06.08.2014 - 10:22 [ Ynet ]

Jimmy Carter calls on US, EU to recognize Hamas

„Hamas cannot be wished away, nor will it cooperate in its own demise. Only by recognizing its legitimacy as a political actor – one that represents a substantial portion of the Palestinian people – can the West begin to provide the right incentives for Hamas to lay down its weapons,“ Carter writes.

In his op-ed, the former president accuses Israel of „deliberate attacks on civilians,“ saying these are war crimes.

06.08.2014 - 09:54 [ Radio Utopie ]

Die “Neurussland”-Falle

(28. Juni 2014) die Lage des neuen, vom Westblock mit brutaler Skrupellosigkeit in Kiew eingesetzten rechtsradikalen Putsch-Regimes ist Ende Februar katastrophal.

Nun aber naht dessen Rettung – aus Moskau. (…)

So wie ich das sehe, spult sich hier folgendes Drehbuch ab:

– Contras und Doppelagenten auf beiden Seiten, sowohl den divergierenden Milizen des Putsch-Regimes, als auch bei den Separatisten und Aufständischen (von denen 99 % überhaupt keine Ahnung haben wozu sie benutzt werden und was da eigentlich vor sich geht), sorgen mit immer neuen Angriffen dafür, dass Verhandlungen und Waffenruhen immer wieder scheitern,

– die mittlerweile aus dem Westen aufgerüstete ukrainische Armee greift schließlich mit allem was sie hat den Osten an und richtet ein Blutbad an,

– Russland “kann gar nicht anders” und marschiert ein.

Da fällt mir ein: Was macht der Bundesnachrichtendienst so? Hallo Chausseestraße. Geht´s euch gut?

06.08.2014 - 08:20 [ Radio Utopie ]

Spionage und Informationskontrolle: Der technologische Quantensprung in 1943

(20. Juli 2014) Wen sich nun an diese Szene aus populärem und mit gewaltigem Aufwand (und sorgfältiger Neutralisierung kultureller Konkurrenten) Milliarden von Menschen vor Augen geführten Filmschauspiels “Matrix” erinnert fühlt: imperiale bzw imperialistische Kräfte und Strukturen zeichnen sich maßgeblich durch mehrere Eigenschaften aus, an denen wiederum sie zu identifizieren sind. Dazu gehören Kenntnis der Bedeutung von Propaganda, unbedingter Glaube an dessen Erfolg (durch entsprechende Kenntnisse vom Ablauf der Historie), bräsige Selbstüberschätzung, sowie maximaler Zynismus und Gemeinheit.

06.08.2014 - 07:45 [ Mondo Weiss ]

UK activists shut down Israeli arms factory

For nearly a month, Israel has bombarded Gaza from land, sea and air. More than 1800 Palestinians have lost their lives and war crimes have been committed. To our collective shame, the UK government has not only failed to take action to pressure Israel to stop its massacre, but has refused to take steps to end the material support it provides to Israel’s brutal regime of apartheid and colonialism. When governments support crimes against humanity, grassroots movements must take direct action.

06.08.2014 - 07:44 [ Techdirt ]

Documents Show 100 Officers From 28 Law Enforcement Agencies Accessed A Photographer‘s Records

The Department of Homeland Security apparently felt Gray was enough of a „threat“ that it opened an investigation on him. After scrutinizing publicly-available information (like Gray‘s own YouTube account), it came to the conclusion that his activities were completely protected… it just didn‘t like the way he acted.

„This subject is exercising his first amendment rights, however the manner in which he lures the officers in is concerning.“ (…)

Now, Gray has obtained more information that shows law enforcement officers are still trying to find some way to shut down his protected activities.

06.08.2014 - 07:38 [ thejournal.ie ]

“We must take action”… Senators call for Ireland to strengthen stance on Gaza

(31. Juli) Norris — who, of course, is well known for his outspoken contributions in the chamber — was among the first few speakers to reply.

He said Ireland’s decision to abstain from last week’s UN vote had been “shameful, absolutely shameful” — and condemned US President Barack Obama “for his utter inaction” in bringing about a peaceful solution.