The FBI Hacked Over 8,000 Computers In 120 Countries Based on One Warrant

[Batu69]

In January, Motherboard reported on the FBI's “unprecedented” hacking operation, in which the agency, using a single warrant, deployed malware to over one thousand alleged visitors of a dark web child pornography site. Now, it has emerged that the campaign was actually several orders of magnitude larger.

 

In all, the FBI obtained over 8,000 IP addresses, and hacked computers in 120 different countries, according to a transcript from a recent evidentiary hearing in a related case.

 

The figures illustrate the largest ever known law enforcement hacking campaign to date, and starkly demonstrate what the future of policing crime on the dark web may look like. This news comes as the US is preparing to usher in changes that would allow magistrate judges to authorize the mass hacking of computers, wherever in the world they may be located.

 

“We have never, in our nation's history as far as I can tell, seen a warrant so utterly sweeping,” federal public defender Colin Fieman said in a hearing at the end of October, according to the transcript. Fieman is representing several defendants in affected cases.

 

Those cases revolve around the FBI's investigation into dark web child pornography site Playpen. In February 2015, the FBI seized the site, but instead of shutting it down, the agency ran Playpen from a government server for 13 days. However, even though they had administrative control of the site, investigators were unable to see the real IP address of Playpen's visitors, because users typically connected to it through the Tor network.

 

In order to circumvent that anonymity, the FBI deployed what it calls a network investigative technique (NIT), or a piece of malware. That malware, which included a Tor Browser exploit, broke into the computer of anyone who visited certain child pornography threads on Playpen. It then sent the suspect's real IP address back to the FBI.

 

According to court filings, the FBI obtained over 1,000 IP addresses of alleged US-based users. Over the past year, Motherboard has also found that the FBI hacked computers in Australia, Austria, Chile, Colombia, Denmark, Greece, and likely the UK, Turkey, and Norway too.

 

But, those are only a tiny handful of countries in which the FBI was hacking computers. According to the newly published transcript, the FBI hacked computers in at least 120 countries.

 

“The fact that a single magistrate judge could authorize the FBI to hack 8000 people in 120 countries is truly terrifying,” Christopher Soghoian, principal technologist at the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) told Motherboard in a phone call. (Soghoian has testified for the defense in Playpen cases).

 

Bizarrely, the FBI also hacked what has been described as a “satellite provider,” according to the transcript.

“So now we are into outer space as well,” Fieman said in the hearing.

 

Image: United States District Court Western District of Washington at Tacoma

The Department of Justice has had an intense battle on its hands over the past few months, especially around the validity of the warrant used for this hacking operation. According to a filing from the Department of Justice, fourteen court decisions have found that the warrant was not properly issued pursuant to Rule 41 of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, which governs how search warrants can be authorized.

 

The main issue has been that the judge who signed the warrant, Magistrate Judge Theresa C. Buchanan in the Eastern District of Virginia, did not have the authority to greenlight searches outside of her own district. In four cases, courts have then decided to throw out all evidence obtained by the malware because of the violation.

 

But, changes to Rule 41 will likely come into effect on December 1, meaning that magistrate judges will be allowed to authorize warrants just like the one used in the Playpen investigation.

 

The changes “give rank and file law enforcement officers way too much discretion to conduct hacking techniques within and outside the United States,” Ahmed Ghappour, visiting assistant professor at UC Hastings College of Law, and author of the paper “Searching Places Unknown: Law Enforcement Jurisdiction on the Dark Web,” told Motherboard in a phone call.

 

Soghoian added “With the changes to Rule 41, this is probably the new normal.”

“We should expect to see future operations of this scale conducted not just by the FBI, but by other federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, and we should expect to see foreign law enforcement agencies hacking individuals in the United States, too,” he added.

 

Indeed, in August Motherboard reported that Australian authorities had hacked criminal suspects in the United States. It is unclear whether a warrant was obtained.

 

The Department of Justice said it received Motherboard’s request for comment, but did not provide a direct response in time for publication. However, the DoJ published a blog post on Monday further justifying the Rule 41 changes.

 

“We believe technology should not create a lawless zone merely because a procedural rule has not kept up with the times,” Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Criminal Division wrote.

 

The FBI declined to comment.

As far as is publicly known, these mass hacking techniques have been limited to child pornography investigations. But with the changes to Rule 41, there is a chance US authorities will expand their use to other crimes too.

 

“That's the real question: are they going to use watering-hole attacks, are they going to use network investigative techniques to pursue, for example, visitors of the Silk Road, or visitors of a drug marketplace, or other types of illicit services?” Ahmed said.

 

Article source

[straycat19]

When, during the forensic investigation of a computer or network, trails/links are found leading to other computers or networks, then that link to the original system/network is considered part of that network/system.  Live with it.  The DOJ doesn't hack, it investigates, hacking is the wrong term.

[steven36]

3 hours ago, straycat19 said:

When, during the forensic investigation of a computer or network, trails/links are found leading to other computers or networks, then that link to the original system/network is considered part of that network/system.  Live with it.  The DOJ doesn't hack, it investigates, hacking is the wrong term.

Using malware to investigate like the FBI does   is hacking so why are you trying to sugar coat it ? If it were legal they would not need  to change laws to make it legal  to began with . They hacked 8,000 computers all around  the world in 120 different countries that means they broke laws in at lest 119  countries for hacking outside there jurisdiction  with  no warrant form no country but one Judge in the USA even if it is legal in USA it will be illegal for them to do this in many countries were they  have strict privacy  laws.

 

The FBI dont own cyber space. The streets in the USA are full of drug dealers and human tracking  that the FBI cant even do nothing about  its so bad Trump  says hes going build a wall across Mexico . What happened  to the old days were the FBI  made a difference on the streets?  Now there chasing IPs and a IP is not a person  you dont really know who is using a IP .So there chasing Ghost . If most of these people would have been using VPNs with TOR the FBI would never been able to get there IP to start with they got there IP from exploiting TOR because they have a former TOR dev that's been working with them for many years.  

 

Nothing will change because they made it legal  but the fact it will be legal .The point people are missing the FBI dont have no respect for laws its OK  for them to break laws they been doing it since Hoover's days to get what they want . But everyone one else has too follow the law . And it dont matter if it's legal or illegal they will still do it and have always acted above the law..

 

This here proves what a false sense of  privacy people have using Tor alone .. But still proving who a person is behind a IP is not so easy unless they are watching them in real life too .  How many people did they actually  catch at Slikroad ?  They were 1000s buying drugs we know they caught Ross Ulbricht  because they were watching him in real life too.  But did they hack 1000s of people to just catch one person ?  What about all those people  they didn't catch ?  In real life in order for the FBI to take someone to court for buying drugs they must catch the people with actual drugs  for it too hold up in court .  No evidence no case . I bet most of you dont know how the law works in real life for every 2 or 3 they catch a 100 gets away .maybe in this case 1000s did. 

 

All those people who bought stuff from silk rd are not going to stop buying drugs because  one man is in jail they will just buy somewhere else . many were buying large amounts from there and everyday user  dont buy this much . Most everyday users are just going to go on the streets they not going to wait for it to be mailed too them they wanted there fix yesterday.   

 

It's just like when the FBI  took down Megaupload in 2012  here it is 2016 and still its  a big problem people use filelockers everyday to break DMCA. They been raiding P2P  since the days of Napster and still people download stuff from P2P every day. They been putting people in jail for drugs for as long as they had Sin laws against it . And still people die from Drugs everyday but it's legal for them to buy booze and cigs witch are just legal drugs and kill themselves  using these.    .

 

I dont think the FBI  has actuality made a difference  since Hoover was alive. back when they took down the old style Mafia crime bosses  years ago . They sure not been able to stop the Mexican  cartels in my lifetime . 

 

Quote

"He stands in political and administrative limbo," Ungar said. There is no indication how he will fare in by the president-elect, he said.

However, experts say it's also become clear with agency leaks of the investigation that Comey's lost control of the FBI. That could erode confidence on both sides of the aisle.

 

If i was James Comey i would very careful what I do because he will have to answer to Trump  very soon and hes no Hoover that holds power over everyone's head to keep his job  The thing is what the FBI does supposed be top secret and  stuff is leaking left and right that the FBI does under Comey.. The  FBI  should not be in the Press so much. There in the press more than NSA and they didn't even have no Snowden exposing them . Hover never did let nothing leak out . Helen Gandy destroyed the files Hoover never wanted to get out to the public  when he died ...Hoover must be rolling over in his grave  with  Comey in charge were things leak out the FBI knows and does.

[Jogs]

What FBI does is for the good of all the people of this planet and what ever any other country does is danger to world security. The only country to use an atom bomb commanding others to disarm. 

 

[steven36]

It could of been much worse it was not the Country who decided  to use the A Bomb  It was Harry S. Truman  the president  is leader and chief  of the Military and the reason he used the A Bomb was because Japan bombed Pearl Harbor   old saying is what comes around goes around. But also  Harry S. Truman saved much of Asia from being wiped out with more A Bombs  MacArthur wanted to bomb all of Asia when he asked Truman for A bombs Truman fired  the General.  And this why the Military tell this day cant shot Nukes without orders from the  president. What do you think Hitler would done if he had this power? He would used to it too rule the whole world. But Harry S. Truman could of ruled the whole world but chose to use it for only self defense .

[dMog]

steven there is much evidence that Japan was trying to sue for peace,  through neutral countries that had America ear....they knew the war was lost for Japan and they knew America had the bomb with intent to use it... there is also much evidence that America stalled or ignored the attempts by Japan because they wanted Russia to know who the  big man in the  post war world was ...research this topic and by research  i mean by NOT using the usual sites that love to  invent conspiracy theories... granted it is hard to find because certain countries do not wish this to be public knowledge.   

[steven36]

2 hours ago, dMog said:

steven there is much evidence that Japan was trying to sue for peace,  through neutral countries that had America ear....they knew the war was lost for Japan and they knew America had the bomb with intent to use it... there is also much evidence that America stalled or ignored the attempts by Japan because they wanted Russia to know who the  big man in the  post war world was ...research this topic and by research  i mean by NOT using the usual sites that love to  invent conspiracy theories... granted it is hard to find because certain countries do not wish this to be public knowledge.   

How do you blame a Nation as a whole for something only the Government knew existed ? Germany And The USA was in a Race to see who could build the 1st A Bomb . The USA could of used them latter on but chosen not too . None of this is relevant to this topic .The FBI didn't even exist  yet. And the way the world is today everyone has Nukes pointing at each other .   the point was  the USA  did not attack Japan 1st . Japan was allies with Germany it was not in the worlds best interest  for the USA to make deals with the Devil. I hope Trump pulls out from over there and Japan has to build it's own nukes.
 

Quote

 

Was the use of the atomic bomb inhuman? All war is inhuman. Here are some comparisons of the atomic bombing with conventional bombing. At Hiroshima the atomic bomb killed about 80,000 people, pulverized about five square miles, and wrecked an additional ten square miles of the city, with decreasing damage out to seven or eight miles from the center. At Nagasaki the fatal casualties were 45,000 and the area wrecked was considerably smaller than at Hiroshima because of the configuration of the city.

Compare this with the results of two B-29 incendiary raids over Tokyo. One of these raids killed about 125,000 people, the other nearly 100,000.

Of the 210 square miles of greater Tokyo, 85 square miles of the densest part was destroyed as completely, for all practical purposes, as were the centers of Hiroshima and Nagasaki; about half the buildings were destroyed in the remaining 125 square miles; the number of people driven homeless out of Tokyo was considerably larger than the population of greater Chicago. These figures are based on information given us in Tokyo and on a detailed study of the air reconnaissance maps. They may be somewhat in error but are certainly of the right order of magnitude.

Was Japan already beaten before the atomic bomb? The answer is certainly "yes" in the sense that the fortunes of war had turned against her. The answer is "no" in the sense that she was still fighting desperately and there was every reason to believe that she would continue to do so; and this is the only answer that has any practical significance.

General MacArthur's staff anticipated about 50,000 American casualties and several times that number of Japanese casualties in the November 1 operation to establish the initial beachheads on Kyushu. After that they expected a far more costly struggle before the Japanese homeland was subdued. There was every reason to think that the Japanese would defend their homeland with even greater fanaticism than when they fought to the death on Iwo Jima and Okinawa. No American soldier who survived the bloody struggles on these islands has much sympathy with the view that battle with the Japanese was over as soon as it was clear that their ultimate situation was hopeless. No, there was every reason to expect a terrible struggle long after the point at which some people can now look back and say, "Japan was already beaten."

 

http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1946/12/if-the-atomic-bomb-had-not-been-used/376238/

If no A Bomb they would of been like a 150,000 or more died in normal combat Japan done lost ether way. They  saved 50,000 of its own people  It was War people die regardless.

 

Some of my family  was stationed in Okinawa  The USA could of made Japan a US territory but they gave it back to them instead for many years they had to drive on the same side of the street as the USA and everything .  We have protected Japan with our Nukes  for many years it just cost the USA money and if they dont want to pay we should leave there.  And this seems it may be a reality. China don't trust Japan they rather the USA protect them and don't like the fact they may start building  there own Nukes.

 

With Trump coming to power, Japan could pivot away from U.S.-centric policy

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2016/11/19/national/politics-diplomacy/trump-coming-power-japan-pivot-away-u-s-centric-policy/

 

[pc71520]

Law Enforcement / Security & Intelligence bodies

do Not even have to brake or bend the Law,

as they represent the Law.

 

 

[steven36]

1 hour ago, pc71520 said:

Law Enforcement / Security & Intelligence bodies

do Not even have to brake or bend the Law,

as they represent the Law.

 

 

The FBI  dont have nothing to do with what happens outside the USA really .The USA law is not the World law last I checked there are a 195 countries with a 195 sets of laws . The reason the FBI was invented was because state and local law enforcement sux at there job and there job was to come in and take over when they fail to do there job.  Now they sux at there job everything they know and do is leaking to the press  stuff like them hacking 120 countries should never been known the FBI  has a mole or moles in there agency ..Do you read in the press  what the (FSK) of Russia  or the China's secret police is doing no?   In the USA it's the NSA . CIA and the Armed Forces job  to handle things outside the USA.  

[pc71520]

del

 

 

 

[pc71520]

On 23/11/2016 at 6:45 PM, steven36 said:

The FBI  doesn't have nothing to do with what happens outside the USA.

I never wrote that the F.B.I. has to do with what happens outside the U.S.A.

Please, read more carefully and do Not jump into arbitrary conclusions.