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Nice one, but i guess if this whole operation was still a secret, we could pull this trick over and over again? Now will be hard to disguise an app like that.

Nice one, but i guess if this whole operation was still a secret, we could pull this trick over and over again? Now will be hard to disguise an app like that. Probably the next season of the "StartUp" TV series

Cederfjard 5y ago
Presumably it would’ve come out during legal proceedings anyway.
WJW 5y ago
This is already the third or fourth such app that was either infiltrated by the police, taken over by the police or outright constructed by them. Criminals have a vested interest in getting access to encrypted communications and they know that all of the common phone OSes and chat apps are compromised, so they will be looking to join such secure networks. This need for security is what makes the continued use of these operations by law enforcement viable, since criminals have no choice but to seek out these encrypted apps.
- usrusr 5y ago
  My impression is that in all those cases the root weakness was that those criminals liked to feel sophisticated, "in the know". So those special apps (special, from our perspective, as in euphemism for birth defect) could spread by fashion. The smalltimes like to imitate the big ones while the big ones try to stay ahead of the curve, eager to pick up anything new from upstarts before they become big. It might be my Hollywood education speaking, but criminal networks are supposed to lean strongly on status and respect (how could they not, given the absence of law enforcement which makes trust the only option) and this makes them vulnerable to fashion as a malware vector.
  - WJW 5y ago
    I think it is also just a natural "feature of the terrain". Criminals need to communicate with their customers and each other to coordinate, but they cannot use "normal" apps because those can be presumed to be compromised by the police. This creates a natural funnel where criminals are driven to these custom apps, similar to how old-time armies would fight over things like river crossings and mountain passes because the opponent had no choice but to go there if they wanted to invade at all.
  - Scoundreller 5y ago
    That’s what I’m thinking too. A lambo looks faster, but in reality the beat up Toyota will get you around faster. You can park it in the sketchiest neighbourhood, go over 3’ potholes without slowing down, take a dirt road, park 1’ away from the next car and bash your door against it to get out, etc.

Cederfjard 5y ago

Presumably it would’ve come out during legal proceedings anyway.

WJW 5y ago

This is already the third or fourth such app that was either infiltrated by the police, taken over by the police or outright constructed by them. Criminals have a vested interest in getting access to encrypted communications and they know that all of the common phone OSes and chat apps are compromised, so they will be looking to join such secure networks. This need for security is what makes the continued use of these operations by law enforcement viable, since criminals have no choice but to seek out these encrypted apps.

usrusr 5y ago
My impression is that in all those cases the root weakness was that those criminals liked to feel sophisticated, "in the know". So those special apps (special, from our perspective, as in euphemism for birth defect) could spread by fashion. The smalltimes like to imitate the big ones while the big ones try to stay ahead of the curve, eager to pick up anything new from upstarts before they become big. It might be my Hollywood education speaking, but criminal networks are supposed to lean strongly on status and respect (how could they not, given the absence of law enforcement which makes trust the only option) and this makes them vulnerable to fashion as a malware vector.
- WJW 5y ago
  I think it is also just a natural "feature of the terrain". Criminals need to communicate with their customers and each other to coordinate, but they cannot use "normal" apps because those can be presumed to be compromised by the police. This creates a natural funnel where criminals are driven to these custom apps, similar to how old-time armies would fight over things like river crossings and mountain passes because the opponent had no choice but to go there if they wanted to invade at all.
- Scoundreller 5y ago
  That’s what I’m thinking too. A lambo looks faster, but in reality the beat up Toyota will get you around faster. You can park it in the sketchiest neighbourhood, go over 3’ potholes without slowing down, take a dirt road, park 1’ away from the next car and bash your door against it to get out, etc.