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Microsoft engineer exploits Google Maps to intercept FBI and Secret Service calls

27 points by LaSombra 13y ago

rbanffy 13y ago
It seems Bing Maps is also vulnerable to the same kind of exploit.
- adrianlmm 13y ago
  Citation needed.
  - rbanffy 13y ago
    It took me a couple seconds to reach this page: http://ubuntuone.com/2MqJu4Oa0rh0RHKLoZkkQY http://ubuntuone.com/2MqJu4Oa0rh0RHKLoZkkQY From there, it seems like I could have changed the phone number rather easily. I don't know what kind of verifications Microsoft does, but I have no reason to assume they'd be much more thorough than Google. Except that from now on, I am sure they will be very thorough.
SchizoDuckie 13y ago
A hero? hah. More like a vandal. Since when is that the response you get from secret service and FBI? Does that mean that white hat hackers will get the same treatment?
draugadrotten 13y ago
He will never fly again.
- walshemj 13y ago
  I suspect that certain Mr Gibbs will be having a word :-)
kyuu 13y ago
Even given that Vallywag/Gawker is the source cited for this blogspam, the title is still inexcusable. Some spammer who allegedly used to work for Microsoft created fake FBI/Secret Service entries using Google MapMaker and added his phone # to them, then recorded the calls that were made to him by people thinking they were speaking to the FBI. Substitute "Microsoft engineer" with "spammer" and "exploits" with "spams". What's even more ridiculous is that the Gawker piece basically boils down to "spammer: good, Google: evil": http://valleywag.gawker.com/how-a-hacker-intercepted-fbi-and-secret-service-calls-w-1531334747 http://valleywag.gawker.com/how-a-hacker-intercepted-fbi-and...
- rantanplan 13y ago
  Read the article again. He didn't record the calls made to him. He recorded the calls after he connected them to the correct phone numbers(FBI, SS). The people didn't think they were speaking to the FBI. They were speaking to the FBI.
enscr 13y ago
Trust on Google is the problem, let's not call it a Google flaw entirely. What's stopping anyone from registering a website and putting fake business details and make it rank higher than the original one. There are millions who won't know the difference between .gov & .com websites. Does that mean the whole internet is broken ? Yes, probably.

27 points by LaSombra 13y ago

rbanffy 13y ago

It seems Bing Maps is also vulnerable to the same kind of exploit.

adrianlmm 13y ago
Citation needed.
- rbanffy 13y ago
  It took me a couple seconds to reach this page: http://ubuntuone.com/2MqJu4Oa0rh0RHKLoZkkQY http://ubuntuone.com/2MqJu4Oa0rh0RHKLoZkkQY From there, it seems like I could have changed the phone number rather easily. I don't know what kind of verifications Microsoft does, but I have no reason to assume they'd be much more thorough than Google. Except that from now on, I am sure they will be very thorough.

SchizoDuckie 13y ago

A hero? hah. More like a vandal. Since when is that the response you get from secret service and FBI? Does that mean that white hat hackers will get the same treatment?

draugadrotten 13y ago

He will never fly again.

walshemj 13y ago
I suspect that certain Mr Gibbs will be having a word :-)

kyuu 13y ago

Even given that Vallywag/Gawker is the source cited for this blogspam, the title is still inexcusable. Some spammer who allegedly used to work for Microsoft created fake FBI/Secret Service entries using Google MapMaker and added his phone # to them, then recorded the calls that were made to him by people thinking they were speaking to the FBI. Substitute "Microsoft engineer" with "spammer" and "exploits" with "spams". What's even more ridiculous is that the Gawker piece basically boils down to "spammer: good, Google: evil": http://valleywag.gawker.com/how-a-hacker-intercepted-fbi-and-secret-service-calls-w-1531334747 http://valleywag.gawker.com/how-a-hacker-intercepted-fbi-and...

rantanplan 13y ago
Read the article again. He didn't record the calls made to him. He recorded the calls after he connected them to the correct phone numbers(FBI, SS). The people didn't think they were speaking to the FBI. They were speaking to the FBI.

enscr 13y ago

Trust on Google is the problem, let's not call it a Google flaw entirely. What's stopping anyone from registering a website and putting fake business details and make it rank higher than the original one. There are millions who won't know the difference between .gov & .com websites. Does that mean the whole internet is broken ? Yes, probably.