Cisco mails hardware to empty houses to dodge NSA chop shops

[MannDude]

Cisco will ship boxes to vacant addresses in a bid to foil the NSA, security chief John Stewart says.

The dead drop shipments help to foil a Snowden-revealed operation whereby the NSA would intercept networking kit and install backdoors before boxen reached customers.

Speaking at a Cisco Live press panel in Melbourne today, Stewart says the Borg will ship to fake identities for its most sensitive customers, in the hope that the NSA's interceptions are targeted.

"We ship [boxes] to an address that's has nothing to do with the customer, and then you have no idea who ultimately it is going to," Stewart says.

"When customers are truly worried ... it causes other issues to make [interception] more difficult in that [agencies] don't quite know where that router is going so its very hard to target - you'd have to target all of them.

There is always going to be inherent risk."

Stewart says some customers drive up to a distributor and pick up hardware at the door.

Read the complete article here: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/03/18/want_to_dodge_nsa_supply_chain_taps_ask_cisco_for_a_dead_drop/

 

[KwiceroLTD]

Well, good luck. I don't see it going very well for them. However kudos for at least making the effort.

 

[rmlhhd]

At least their trying...

 

[rds100]

Cisco trying to screw the NSA? I don't believe it. Probably just stupid PR.

 

[blergh]

PR indeed. If they can hack firmware of drives and whatnot, why the flying fuck would they not do shady shit towards Cisco?

 

[Dylan]

Cisco trying to screw the NSA? I don't believe it. Probably just stupid PR.

Why don't you believe it? Why would Cisco want their products tampered with by the NSA?  It seriously undermines consumer confidence in the company, especially overseas where they're trying to grow. They stand to make more money if people believe in the security and integrity of their products. It's a safe assumption that, like all businesses, making money is their primary goal. Companies butt heads with the government literally all the time when it comes to profits.

 

[RaidLogic.NET]

Interesting indeed drop shipping by cisco.

 

[zomgmike]

Because mailing something to an abandoned house sounds safer.

 

[zomgmike]

 

[InertiaNetworks-John]

Very interesting idea. However, I feel like this is just as much PR as security.

 

[fixidixi]

"you'd have to target all of them."

i dont see why they would care about targeting anyone. all the fuss was about mass survailance its all about: we can get to anyone. why would anyone target one specific router instead of a line of them? then they can isolate the one they want to use.. PR bullshit

 

[dcdan]

Wait, so NSA was supposedly hacking into cisco gear during transit? That sounds like total BS to me.

 

[Nick_A]

FWIW: Some guy in the post office was asking about receiving mail at an unoccupied house the other day (he was in transition between locations). The postal worker told him federal law prohibits mail being delivered to a vacant/unoccupied house.

 

[MannDude]

Wait, so NSA was supposedly hacking into cisco gear during transit? That sounds like total BS to me.

It's actually been documented and has certainly happened.

http://gizmodo.com/the-nsa-actually-intercepted-packages-to-put-backdoors-1491169592

https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20140523/18092027352/ups-insists-that-it-is-not-helping-nsa-interdict-packages-to-install-backdoors.shtml

http://news.yahoo.com/nsa-intercepts-laptops-purchased-online-install-malware-175915062.html

http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2014/05/photos-of-an-nsa-upgrade-factory-show-cisco-router-getting-implant/

etc, etc

 

[dcdan]

Thanks for the links, but I still do not believe this. I actually read all 4 articles and it is all just talk. How would anyone even knows about this? If someone noticed their equipment was tampered with, why not take actual pictures of the installed beacon/spyware and post them online?

 

[William]

How would anyone even knows about this?

It was inside Edward Snowdens documents...

 

[drmike]

Dumbest idea ever from a big corporation.

Drop houses have been used forever, for all sorts of legal and illegal matters.

 

[GIANT_CRAB]

Thanks for the links, but I still do not believe this. I actually read all 4 articles and it is all just talk. How would anyone even knows about this? If someone noticed their equipment was tampered with, why not take actual pictures of the installed beacon/spyware and post them online?

It is not easy to notice their equipment is tampered with. It is the NSA after all... They even can modify your dongle (it will look exactly the same inside and outside) and make it send all data directly over to the spy in-charge. Also, you don't have to worry too much about this as you're probably not on their list. The NSA have other tools to handle civilians.