4 ms·

FBI paid renegade developer $180k for backdoored AN0M chat app

tommica 5y ago
No need to break encryption if everyone uses your own backdoored app. Quite an impressive story.
- belter 5y ago
  So called drugs lords were relatively low level. Maybe a misdirection operation to convince everybody they cannot break encryption... :-)
hamiltont 5y ago
For their objectives, that was undoubtedly a good return on investment. Even ignoring the ROI, the absolute cost seems quite reasonable given the feature set and target market. Someone picked a good CHS or did a good job with avoiding scope creep. While I applaud them for their understanding and use of technology, it is a strange feeling to see the FBI start to think like the NSA. Given the positive PR of this approach+result other teams will most assuredly try to replicate it
- junon 5y ago
  Which is fine, if you ask me. This app was created for criminal dealings, specifically. It was handed over to them by a criminal. They had an op to specifically distribute the compromised app only to the crime networks. They didn't take over good-faith services. They didn't try to spy on civilians. They didn't try to blanket-surveil the public. It was a clever, successful and seemingly by-the-books operation.
oliverx0 5y ago
I wonder why the FBI would reveal this information? Surely they could continue under the radar for as long as possible and continue catching criminals?
- viro 5y ago
  Are you from the States? The discovery process probably made keeping it a secret any longer nearly impossible.
  - oliverx0 5y ago
    I am not! Thanks for the insight.
- foxyv 5y ago
  Government agencies like the FBI are subject to the Freedom of Information Act and cannot keep stuff like this a secret once they start making arrests. Once they go public it's all subject to scrutiny. This may be why they did all these arrests at once in a large wave. https://www.foia.gov/ https://www.foia.gov/
SheinhardtWigCo 5y ago
Yet everyone who got Signal from an app store thinks they’re totally fine?

No need to break encryption if everyone uses your own backdoored app. Quite an impressive story.

belter 5y ago
So called drugs lords were relatively low level. Maybe a misdirection operation to convince everybody they cannot break encryption... :-)

For their objectives, that was undoubtedly a good return on investment. Even ignoring the ROI, the absolute cost seems quite reasonable given the feature set and target market. Someone picked a good CHS or did a good job with avoiding scope creep. While I applaud them for their understanding and use of technology, it is a strange feeling to see the FBI start to think like the NSA. Given the positive PR of this approach+result other teams will most assuredly try to replicate it

junon 5y ago
Which is fine, if you ask me. This app was created for criminal dealings, specifically. It was handed over to them by a criminal. They had an op to specifically distribute the compromised app only to the crime networks. They didn't take over good-faith services. They didn't try to spy on civilians. They didn't try to blanket-surveil the public. It was a clever, successful and seemingly by-the-books operation.

oliverx0 5y ago

I wonder why the FBI would reveal this information? Surely they could continue under the radar for as long as possible and continue catching criminals?

viro 5y ago
Are you from the States? The discovery process probably made keeping it a secret any longer nearly impossible.
- oliverx0 5y ago
  I am not! Thanks for the insight.
foxyv 5y ago
Government agencies like the FBI are subject to the Freedom of Information Act and cannot keep stuff like this a secret once they start making arrests. Once they go public it's all subject to scrutiny. This may be why they did all these arrests at once in a large wave. https://www.foia.gov/ https://www.foia.gov/

SheinhardtWigCo 5y ago

Yet everyone who got Signal from an app store thinks they’re totally fine?