EU Police learning hacking tricks. They are about to “Remote search” your PCs.

http://www.hackedinfo.com/2009/01/04/eu-police-learning-hacking-tricks-they-are-about-to-%e2%80%9cremote-search%e2%80%9d-your-pcs/

by justifyleo • 18 years ago

18 21 18 years ago

hackedinfo.com

axod• 18 years ago

Where are the actual facts here? It could be:

  a) hardcore hacking attempts trying to remotely gain access.
  b) Emailing a suspect an attachment containing a keylogger etc
  c) Port scanning, checking for public shared folders (p2p included), and scanning them.

Or any number of other things. So far the articles on this news story are just spreading FUD about, but it seems pretty likely it's b) and c) - big deal.

It sounds likely that they'll just email you over some attachment/link to website/exploit/etc and hope you bite which is hardly a threat to anyone who has a clue.

Also calling that "remotely access and monitor any PC without warrant.", or "hacking" is an extremely big stretch, but then it's all about what sells newspapers...

jrockway2• 18 years ago

Also calling that "remotely access and monitor any PC without warrant.", or "hacking" is an extremely big stretch, but then it's all about what sells newspapers...

Well, this is definitely criminal behavior when spammers do it. I don't see how it would be any less criminal when done by the police. If they can get a warrant, it would be a lot easier to just break down your door and take your machine. (Of course, your crypto keys won't be in memory then, which could be a problem for them.)

Anyway, get some judicial oversight, and then I don't care. If you don't have a warrant, though, this is extremely unethical. What is the point of having a legal system if it stoops to the low level of the common scammer?

kajecounterhack3• 18 years ago

Ideological concerns aside, I don't really see that much of a problem in law enforcement hacking personal computers. For one thing, it just might stimulate the crypto and computer security industries. For another, there shouldn't be anything to hide, right? I mean, if they start cracking down on pirated software and whatever, that might be a little bit of an issue...

...but not if you don't pirate. ;)

silentbicycle2• 18 years ago

One problem with any crypto technique is that you can never know for certain that it hasn't already been broken, you just know about vulnerabilities that have been disclosed.

iheartrms• 18 years ago

If you have everything encrypted and follow proper procedures (choose a good passphrase, don't tell anyone, don't enter it on untrusted terminals over plaintext links etc) and suddenly the police are showing up with all kinds of stuff encrypted by people using this algorithm in court they have tipped their hand. My understanding is that any evidence must be legally obtained and they have to explain how they obtained it for it to be admissable. IANAL

jscn• 18 years ago

there shouldn't be anything to hide, right?

As ususal with privacy concerns, that is decidedly not the point.

kajecounterhack3• 18 years ago

ideological concerns aside

So what is the point?

pmorici• 18 years ago

Everyone has something to hide. You have photos of Big Ben and a degree in electronics? Translates into, "This guy is possibly planning to bomb a clock tower."

silentbicycle2• 18 years ago

"If you give me six lines written by the most honest man, I will find something in them to hang him." —Cardinal Richelieu

sown• 18 years ago

I may not have anything to hide but I'm NOT a criminal so I shouldn't be treated as such.

Also, your position is somewhat selfish. Just because you don't care about your rights doesn't mean you can do the same to mine.

tyn• 18 years ago

What about naked photos of your girlfriend?

nx• 18 years ago

Authorities could break into PCs

Into the PCs they CAN break ;)

jrockway2• 18 years ago

They are about to “Remote search” your PCs.

Well, actually, they are about to "Remote search" someone else's PCs; not mine.

markup3• 18 years ago

Does anyone have any decent reference to this? All I can find is articles from blogs which are not quoting any official source on this matter. There has to be some official paper to read somewhere...

markup3• 18 years ago

I’ll just reply myself, maybe I’m not the only one having missed the original story (dates back to November 27 2008): http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/0...

streety• 18 years ago

Thanks for posting this. Unfortunately it doesn't really add much detail. Have you had any luck in tracking down more details?

There are some gems though, "According to recent reports, images of sexually abused children available on-line quadrupled in the last five years and half of all internet crime involves the production, distribution and sale of child pornography."

I can easily believe the first figure of a quadrupling over the past 5 years but I find the second figure highly suspect.

gojomo• 18 years ago

If you use Google Desktop, and enable the 'Search Across Computers' feature, they don't even have to 'hack' your machine. They can just ask Google for a full index of what's on your machine!

See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_Desktop#Privacy

humbaba• 18 years ago

As usual with such articles, this one too is low on facts and references and high on drama and exaggeration. They (the Council) don't just "decide" that from now on this is going to be legal. For it to be legal it has to become a law, and to become a law it has to pass through Parliament, a highly unlikely scenario.

EU Police learning hacking tricks. They are about to “Remote search” your PCs.

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