Select the directory option from the above "Directory" header!

Menu
Apple, Cisco, Dell unhappy over alleged NSA back doors in their gear

Apple, Cisco, Dell unhappy over alleged NSA back doors in their gear

Germany's Der Spiegel reports that the NSA has compromised a wide range of hardware for years to enable its spying

Germany's Der Spiegel newsmagazine reported Monday that the U.S. National Security Agency has for years compromised a wide range of hardware devices, including PCs, iPhones, hard drives, and network routers, as part of its spying activities. The NSA also installed back doors into European telecom networks and into BlackBerry's network operations center to spy on communications, the Der Spiegel report says.

The spy agency's Tailored Access Operations (TAO) unit is alleged to have installed such hidden access methods in a variety of devices from Apple, Cisco Systems, Dell, Huawei, Juniper, Maxtor, Samsung, Seagate, and Western Digital, among others. Although the precise methods are unclear, many seem to involve installation of monitoring software or modified firmware -- some on devices intercepted in transit from vendors to their customers.

[ Prevent corporate data leaks with Roger Grimes' "Data Loss Prevention Deep Dive" PDF expert guide, only from InfoWorld. | For quick, smart takes on the news you'll be talking about, check out InfoWorld TechBrief -- subscribe today. ]

Apple, Cisco Systems, Dell, and Huawei have all responded publicly expressing concern over the alleged back doors and promising to inform customers of any vulnerabilities found. All said they were unaware of any vulnerabilities or of the TAO program. The Der Spiegel report says the companies did not appear to have cooperated with the NSA to install the back doors, and Apple today said bluntly that it has never worked with the NSA on any such efforts on any products, comparing the NSA to hackers and saying it would "defend our customers from security attacks, regardless of who's behind them."

The purported iPhone back door has gained much attention. The NSA slides that Der Spiegel says it obtained show that in 2008 the NSA figured out how to install spyware in the iPhone, though it required hands-on access to the device. The slides claim the NSA was working on ways to remotely install such spyware. It is unclear whether the NSA succeeded in its remote-installation efforts and if so for what versions of iOS.

It's common for spy agencies to install spyware on specific people's devices; China's agents routinely install spyware on Western business travelers' PCs and mobile devices, for example, and the ongoing revelations by ex-NSA contractor Edward Snowden show that the U.S. and other major powers spy on others' citizens as aggressively as the Chinese have long been criticized for doing.

In a statement, the NSA did not deny the spying, and it said any activities it undertakes are limited to foreigners. However, some of Snowden's revelations have shown that the spying extends to U.S. citizens as well.

This article, "Apple, Cisco, Dell unhappy over alleged NSA back doors in their gear," was originally published at InfoWorld.com. Follow the latest developments in business technology news and get a digest of the key stories each day in the InfoWorld Daily newsletter. For the latest developments in business technology news, follow InfoWorld.com on Twitter.

Read more about security in InfoWorld's Security Channel.


Follow Us

Join the newsletter!

Or

Sign up to gain exclusive access to email subscriptions, event invitations, competitions, giveaways, and much more.

Membership is free, and your security and privacy remain protected. View our privacy policy before signing up.

Error: Please check your email address.

Tags hackingsmartphonesBlackberryAppleNetworkingDelliPhonecomputer hardwareintrusionconsumer electronicswestern digitalinternet privacymobile technologynsaCisco SystemsThe Industry StandardNetwork RouterLaptop PCsEdward SnowdenDer Spiegel

Show Comments