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Compare the NSA asking Google "please sign this update to signal". To the FBI asking Apple "please sign this this new OS that allows brute-forcing". The second
by rocqua 5y ago
Compare the NSA asking Google "please sign this update to signal". To the FBI asking Apple "please sign this this new OS that allows brute-forcing".
The second case was apparently feasible enough that the FBI thought it was worth trying in open court. I don't think the first case is that dissimilar. And I think there is a decent chance that the NSA/CIA has stronger pressure methods than what the FBI tried in the San-bernedino case.
And if not, it seems quite a bit more feasible for new legislation to be written that could be used to force google to cooperate with malicious update signing. It certainly fits with the theme of recent "we should be allowed to read your messages" legislation attempts. Heck, I think it would be one of the more reasonable ways to implement such legislation.
- UncleMeat 5y agoIf these cases are structurally the same and you assume (without evidence) that Google resists less than Apple - then why aren't you worried about OS updates for Android? You've never been able to trust any code running on an Android phone in this case. Hypothetical new legislation could require you to download a NSA rootkit on all of your devices too. Nothing about this feature is uniquely weak to arbitrary legislation.