Hackers Swipe 12 Million Apple Device Codes From the FBI

[Lyri]

ME. Because I value my privacy. The government does not have the right to know where I am and what I am doing at all times.

They probably don't know where you are and what you're doing at all times, that's just the point though.
If they needed to actually tail you and use that information then I could understand your worry about a breach of privacy.
Right now, I don't.

How about the fact that it's clearly not that hard for non-government agencies to get a hold of it?

I just don't understand this type of thinking "Who cares what the government knows about us!" "If you're not a criminal why do you care" Etc. Etc. No. Bullshit. They shouldn't just be able to gather every tiny piece of information about us and store it for seemingly no reason. There's a reason why we have warrants and stuff, so normal people don't constantly get harrased and tailed by the cops for no reason.

If they are tracking all our electronic devices, what's next? Police tails on every person in the country, just looking for the one time you jay walk or drop a ciggarette on the ground?

Do you get tailed by the police for no reason?
No.
If the Feds are putting a tail on you then you're probably into something pretty deep or associated with something in some way.
Take off the tinfoil hat for a second, your brain is safe for the ultra-violet gamma rays from space the government are bouncing off Sputnik.

Also just to clarify "warrants and stuff" as you so eloquently put it doesn't stop people being tailed or harassed by cops.

 

[jecht35]

I read this and all I could think about was 1984 lol. I know I should probable care about this but I really don't have any worthwhile info on my Ipad so I'm good and FBI guys in the future please leave my stuff private next time okay and not just leave it lying around for hackers to take.

 

[Frankster]

I think I prefer these AntiSec guys to the LulSec crew, cool of them to not release personal data.

 

[Athinira]

They probably don't know where you are and what you're doing at all times, that's just the point though.
If they needed to actually tail you and use that information then I could understand your worry about a breach of privacy.
Right now, I don't.

That's apparently because you don't understand what "Privacy" actually means.

Privacy means keeping peoples noses out of your life. You define a breach of privacy only happens if people plan to use any information they gather on you for something. That's not how it works. By that argument, it would be totally okay for me to videotape you having sex with your girlfriend, if i argued that i was never gonna shod the tape to anyone or watch it myself.

Several problems there:
1) You don't necessarily trust me to actually hold that promise and never show it to anyone - Just like very few people here trust the FBI.
2) Even if you trust me now (and I'm trustworthy now), doesn't mean I'll be forever. Maybe you'll do something to me one day that pisses me off, and I'll reconsider.
3) Even if you do trust me - and i never break the trust - the videotape can still be stolen by criminals.

Case in point is that information is power. The more information someone has on you, the weaker you are, and that includes information that might not seem relevant at a first glance. Almost any information can be used against you in one way or another. Any quirks you have that people know about you will make people think you are strange (which can lead to mistrust). Any information law enforcement can dig up on you if they ever decide to investigate you (even if the information is totally unrelated to the case they are investigating) will have an effect on their view on you and your trustworthiness. Your FaceBook information might be relevant to employers seeking to employ you (why else did you think people were in uproar when it surfaced that many companies had started demanding login-information to peoples Facebook accounts when they wanted to employ them)?

That's why people in general don't go around flailing all their personal information to others. Any (and i mean absolutely ANY) information you leave behind makes you weak.

Oh, and btw. I want you to deposit $1000 on my account or I'm gonna release that sex tape. YHEARME?

 

[Lyri]

piqpwwdqdsafae sdnrd

I'll agree with you on that first point.

The rest no so much because frankly that analogy was pretty bad, the whole basis of it stems from the fact that you have it just for the sole purpose of leverage against me specifically.

Besides like I said, if the FBI are looking into your devices specifically and your where about is important to them then you are probably mixed up in something pretty serious.
No matter what you do people will know where you are and have been in the past few hours, it isn't difficult for law enforcement agencies to find out that information.

 

[Jfswift]

I was thinking about getting rid of my phone anyway. I dont need a digital leash

 

[Athinira]

Besides like I said, if the FBI are looking into your devices specifically and your where about is important to them then you are probably mixed up in something pretty serious.
No matter what you do people will know where you are and have been in the past few hours, it isn't difficult for law enforcement agencies to find out that information.

Nope, but it is difficult for others to find out, which is why it worries me that law enforcement collect this information for no apparent reason when criminals can steal it so easily. One thing is that i don't trust the american law enforcement and justice system in the first place (which is why I'm happy i live in Denmark, a country with sane privacy laws), but even if i did trust them, it's no good if i can't trust their security policies.

Also, revealing where you have been is not even close to being as serious as revealing what you have been doing (to use an analogy: your friends don't care if you visited a girl, they'll only congratulate you if you actually f****d her). Location is one thing, but things like private communication, personal files etc. is another. What is to say that the FBI didn't also have access to that in addition to the information AntiSec found? Nothing. Which, finally, brings us to the actual issue: trusting the system!

As i mentioned, I'm from Denmark, and the thing is that here in Denmark i actually TRUST the police. In almost every case i trust the justice system here to play by the book (even if i don't always agree with the book). In America, most people likely don't trust - nor like - the police. In fact, since we're on the Escapist, I'd equate the American police to EA. Very few people like EA, or trust them. And the thing is: Neither EA, nor the American justice system, is doing anything to MAKE people trust them. And while EA is a private corporation that you can choose whether or not to involve yourself with, the justice system isn't. It NEEDS to be trustworthy, and doing stuff like this (even though most people probably suspected it already) isn't doing anything to resolve this, which only makes people want to hide their information from them even more - and get more upset when they find out about stuff like this.

 

[Zakarath]

Zip codes? names? addresses?
...The government has all that information already, via the IRS and the census and such. What's the big deal?

 

[antipunt]

Modern Politician: "If you've done nothing wrong you've got nothing to fear"
Ben Franklin: "If we restrict liberty to attain security we will lose them both."

Why are all the dead people smarter?

200 years ago America broke away from an overbearing, powerful empire. The American forefathers knew exactly what it was like to live under such restrictions of liberty and they wanted to be sure that in their new country such things would not happen.

Skip forward 200 years and the USA is making all the same mistakes that the British Empire made. USA is the new British Empire. Their attitudes to foreign policy and globalization is exactly the same as it was during the 1700s for the British. And like Britain, the USA is now a very successful world power which nobody can really fuck with.

But like the British Empire; the USA will collapse under it's own power. It's inability to adapt due to the fact that it firmly believes that the American way is the only way.
China is growing, as are the South American countries. Russia might come back into the game at some point. In a hundred years time I think we might see the end of the USA as a super power. Sure, they'll still be up there at the top, but will likely be China's *****. History is liek a confused old man and repeats itself over and over and over. One thing we can learn from the history of Empires is that they all fall down. A nation who is at the top one moment can quickly collapse the next. Nobody stays on top forever (despite what many Americans think)

The truth in these posts is depressing me. I'm gonna go have a drink, brb..

 

[Gilhelmi]

I do not trust the Government. You know who I trust less? AntiSec and their buddies. Their vigilantism would be one thing, but releasing the data for anyone (including criminals) to access it. Dangerous and reckless.

Download links to 1,000,001 of the stolen UDIDs, along with decryption instructions, are provided later in the post. "we decided a million would be enough to release. we trimmed out other personal data as, full names, cell numbers, addresses, zipcodes, etc." the statement continues. "not all devices have the same amount of personal data linked. some devices contained lot of info. others no more than zipcodes or almost anything. we left those main columns we consider enough to help a significant amount of users to look if their devices are listed there or not. the DevTokens are included for those mobile hackers who could figure out some use from the dataset."

I'm not saying you should trust them, I'm just saying you should read before you react.

FBI had no need for that info in the first place. They deserve to be hacked and I will continue to laugh at them. Good job Antisec.

NO. AntiSec released the info, now any criminal has that data.

FBI did not need it. If AntiSec had not released it, I might have agreed. BUT NOW THE GANGS HAVE THAT DATA BECAUSE OF AntiSec. The gangs that are doing less violent crime because it is more profitable, and you do less jail if caught, for computer and ID theft. As far as I am concerned AntiSec is aiding and abiding.

Did you even read the article? They chopped out all information that could cause harm and only released the IDs so people could see if they are being tracked.

No one can do anything with your ID if they don't have the rest of your credentials. Your incessant rage is blinding your ability to view and assess the situation.

This is why I'm glad to have an Android device. Yes, I'm aware of the 700% increase of malware article, I'm just not stupid enough to download and install a program I'm not certain is free of malware. I feel bad for the people whose information was stolen by the FBI, there is no excuse for such an invasion of privacy.

MMMHMM, ya, not convinced. You would be surprised how little data is needed to steal someones ID.

If they got the info and just said "hey we hacked this and have evidence that the FBI is mining this data" and then go to the media who could confirm this. Then I might agree with yall.

Ya, I do not trust the media much, but I trust them more then the Government, and alot more then Anti-Sec.

 

[Gilhelmi]

Modern Politician: "If you've done nothing wrong you've got nothing to fear"
Ben Franklin: "If we restrict liberty to attain security we will lose them both."

Why are all the dead people smarter?

200 years ago America broke away from an overbearing, powerful empire. The American forefathers knew exactly what it was like to live under such restrictions of liberty and they wanted to be sure that in their new country such things would not happen.

Skip forward 200 years and the USA is making all the same mistakes that the British Empire made. USA is the new British Empire. Their attitudes to foreign policy and globalization is exactly the same as it was during the 1700s for the British. And like Britain, the USA is now a very successful world power which nobody can really fuck with.

But like the British Empire; the USA will collapse under it's own power. It's inability to adapt due to the fact that it firmly believes that the American way is the only way.
China is growing, as are the South American countries. Russia might come back into the game at some point. In a hundred years time I think we might see the end of the USA as a super power. Sure, they'll still be up there at the top, but will likely be China's *****. History is liek a confused old man and repeats itself over and over and over. One thing we can learn from the history of Empires is that they all fall down. A nation who is at the top one moment can quickly collapse the next. Nobody stays on top forever (despite what many Americans think)

The truth in these posts is depressing me. I'm gonna go have a drink, brb..

I am going too play a drinking game.

I am going too drink every time I agree with something said. Crap, I am already drunk from these two posts.

 

[Lyri]

Nope, but it is difficult for others to find out, which is why it worries me that law enforcement collect this information for no apparent reason when criminals can steal it so easily. One thing is that i don't trust the american law enforcement and justice system in the first place (which is why I'm happy i live in Denmark, a country with sane privacy laws), but even if i did trust them, it's no good if i can't trust their security policies.
No, it isn't difficult for other people to find out at all. As long as you know someones name you can start digging up something on them. In this day and age people publicly leave their activities laying around, their resume which gives away a lot of background on a person and their addresses and zip codes are usually easy to get a hold of too. This stuff is simple to get hold of, the only time you worry about it is if they start getting hold of your passwords and account details to important information.

Also, revealing where you have been is not even close to being as serious as revealing what you have been doing (to use an analogy: your friends don't care if you visited a girl, they'll only congratulate you if you actually f****d her). Location is one thing, but things like private communication, personal files etc. is another. What is to say that the FBI didn't also have access to that in addition to the information AntiSec found? Nothing. Which, finally, brings us to the actual issue: trusting the system!
You're just guessing here, pure speculation self affirmed by paranoia.

As i mentioned, I'm from Denmark, and the thing is that here in Denmark i actually TRUST the police. In almost every case i trust the justice system here to play by the book (even if i don't always agree with the book). In America, most people likely don't trust - nor like - the police. In fact, since we're on the Escapist, I'd equate the American police to EA. Very few people like EA, or trust them. And the thing is: Neither EA, nor the American justice system, is doing anything to MAKE people trust them. And while EA is a private corporation that you can choose whether or not to involve yourself with, the justice system isn't. It NEEDS to be trustworthy, and doing stuff like this (even though most people probably suspected it already) isn't doing anything to resolve this, which only makes people want to hide their information from them even more - and get more upset when they find out about stuff like this.

user names, name of device, type of device, Apple Push Notification Service tokens, zipcodes, cellphone numbers, addresses, etc

Observing the quote most of this information is public record,nothing malicious at all. I hate to be so blunt but the post your making is rampant paranoia and distrust for something so very slight.You're reacting from the boogiemen stories you hear about the FBI and American Law Enforcement with little knowledge to balance out those scales.
You're a Danish citizen which offers you no insight into the matter apart from stories like this.

Bold text because I have very little to say on what you wrote.

 

[Li Mu]

The truth in these posts is depressing me. I'm gonna go have a drink, brb..

I think it was Benjamin Franklin who once said "beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy".
So God wants you to get drunk and who can argue with that?

 

[Athinira]

No, it isn't difficult for other people to find out at all. As long as you know someones name you can start digging up something on them. In this day and age people publicly leave their activities laying around, their resume which gives away a lot of background on a person and their addresses and zip codes are usually easy to get a hold of too. This stuff is simple to get hold of, the only time you worry about it is if they start getting hold of your passwords and account details to important information.

Nope, but the difference is that people have control over what information they are leaving around there. You can find a lot of information about most people on the internet, but only information they have chosen to leave there. In other words, the information you can dig up is their practice of THEIR security-practices and choices about what information to leave.

For example, if i wanted to avoid people digging up information on me, i could start using different usernames for different sites so a search for "Athinira" wouldn't reveal so much.

You're just guessing here, pure speculation self affirmed by paranoia.

I think you should look up paranoia, because it doesn't mean what you think it means. Paranoia is irrational (or delusional) fear, and speculation alone doesn't make for paranoia if you have good reason to mistrust.

If the FBI is shown to have the information AntiSec claims it has - information which it, btw, shouldn't have - then there is NOTHING to suggest that they don't have even more information than what AntiSec has shown us, possibly including confidental information from peoples phones (texts, e-mails, saved data from applications, in other words information they would only be able to legally obtain with a warrant). Then you consider the history of the FBI (and other organisations like the CIA, NSA) and how they in general aren't trustworthy (not even by their own population), and the fear of your private information is suddenly very real.

Is it true? Not necessarily. Like you said, it's speculation.
Are you still justified in being concerned? Absolutely.
Is it paranoia? Not in a million years.

Observing the quote most of this information is public record,nothing malicious at all. I hate to be so blunt but the post your making is rampant paranoia and distrust for something so very slight.You're reacting from the boogiemen stories you hear about the FBI and American Law

Boogiemen stories?

Fact: However "unmalicious" these informations are, the fact is that it is information the FBI isn't supposed to have (sure they are supposed to know your name etc., but they aren't supposed to have that information coupled with your Apple phone-information, nor with the Push-tokens).

This raises several questions:
1) Where or how did they get information they aren't supposed to have (did Apple give it to them? Did they hack it from Apple? Or did they get it directly from the phones through hacking/backdoors)? If that happens, then suddenly your privacy (unlike with the internet, where your own security practices are in effect) is dependant on the security practices of Apple, not yourself.
2) If they have this information, do they have more?
3) Why do they have it? Was there any reason to collect it? If they just collect information for giggles, why not collect more?

It comes down to choice. With the internet, i can choose which information i leave. With my mobile-phone, which is an integral part of my privacy, i can't if the creator suddenly starts handing out my information (willingly or through security breaches) to an organisation that i don't trust. In that case, i have VERY good reason to be up in arms.

Luckily i neither have an iPhone or live in America.

Bold text because I have very little to say on what you wrote.

...apparently because you haven't thought the subject through )

 

[Spy_Guy]

This is a really dangerous attitude to have. I've read interviews with people in Syria saying the Assad regime is perfectly fine and that it keeps them secure.
This is the exact same thing.

This is not a conspiracy theory, even though a lot of you like to paint it as such. Here's proof that unlawful data collection has occurred, because of a CSV that is not supposed to exist.
In spite of this you argue that "If you don't have something to hide...", how!?
It blows my mind, really.

"Would you care for a few free government-subsidized telescreens in your house too?
Oh, you say we can use them to watch you 24/7?
Don't worry we'd never use this ability against you, it's to protect your children and your family from the criminals out there.
You're not a criminal, are you?"

In fact, I'd say anyone aware of, but not up in arms about the FBI having pre-connected bugging cables in every telephone station, available to be engaged at the press of a button, have already traded their freedom for "security".

The very notion that this is even remotely okay is sickening to me, so, in conclusion, I have a question for all of you:

America... what in the name of everything are you doing?

 

[ferryman]

I'm greatly surprised by everyone's eagerness to argue and throw philosophical arguments at each other, while no one seems to be interested in verifying AntiSec's (and the FBI's) claims.

I saw a demonstration of an attack like the one supposedly used to copy the data from the FBI. It requires the user to run a java file (applet?) that used an exploited a bug. Now, exploit or not, java is not the safest thing to run on your computer, so I'm surprised it was even installed on that laptop, if this story is true. Which brings me to my point.

If you want to verify this thing, and have an iPhone, iPod(with wifi) or iPad, and live in the US of A, and are using a mac or linux machine, you can easily download and unpack the file antisec posted (look for the pastebin file in the news article). Then you can simply open it and search for your device's UDID is there (you can find it in itunes if you connect the device). If it's not there, it's not definitive proof that the file is forged, but if it is there, tell us (and delete the file).