• SteefLem@lemmy.world
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    6 months ago

    I think i read somewhere that the cia said they dont install bugs anymore because now ppl do that themselfs.

    • Mostly_Gristle@lemmy.world
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      6 months ago

      Yeah, I’ve read a bunch of articles over the last few years about how a lot of law enforcement agencies are finding that instead of getting a warrant and doing a bunch of surveillance they can just buy people’s private data from a data broker and get more info than they would have been able, or allowed, to gather if they’d gotten the warrant.

    • T156@lemmy.world
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      6 months ago

      It’s also a lot easier to do it in software, since you don’t need to splice wires and leave physical traces like you would have had to do in the day.

      A well-configured charger or Flash drive can do that job for you, and can spread itself.

        • T156@lemmy.world
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          6 months ago

          Yes, since most modern chargers and cables have internal chips to communicate capabilities with for things like fast-charging. It is not difficult to have the chip identify itself as something else, and execute a payload.

          A common attack method is to have it show up as a keyboard, and execute a series of key-sequences when connected to a computer (like opening and executing things through a command prompt).

          It is also why you should try and avoid plugging random USB cables/chargers into your phone/computer when out and about, since you don’t exactly know if the other end is what it appears to be.

    • Grandwolf319@sh.itjust.works
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      6 months ago

      So I’m pretty averse to getting new apps and giving them location permissions.

      Just cause of this comment I went it and looked at the location permissions, holy shit so many apps had it that shouldn’t have. Like Apple home… wtf does it need location for, it uses wifi…