All data stored on cloud computing services can be accessed by US government without a warrant

Activist Post: All data stored on cloud computing services can be accessed by US government without a warrant.

Sam Johnston/Wikimedia Commons

Madison Ruppert, Contributor
Activist Post

January 31, 2013

According to reports, all personal information stored on major cloud computing services can be spied on by US agencies without users’ knowledge or even a search warrant.

This is all reportedly being done under the recently reauthorized Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) and has led British Members of Parliament to call on the British government to not only end the use of cloud computing but also stop sharing intelligence services with the U.S, according to the Independent.

It’s worth pointing out that the US government has admitted breaching the Fourth Amendment under FISA while maintaining an absurd level of secrecy around the Act. Given the massive expansion of the Pentagon’s cyberwarfare forces and the exponential rise in surveillance overall, people around the world have a quite legitimate reason to be concerned.

As New Zealand’s IOL points out, under FISA “all documents uploaded on to cloud systems based in the US or falling under Washington’s jurisdiction can be accessed and analyzed without a warrant by American security agencies.”

Apparently, US agencies have been able to access private data stored on the cloud since 2008 while no one had any clue it was going on.

“What this legislation means is that the US has been able to mine any foreign data in US Clouds since 2008, and nobody noticed,” said Caspar Bowden, chief privacy adviser to Microsoft Europe for nine years until 2011.

According to IOL, US agencies like the National Security Agency (NSA), the FBI and the CIA can all access information that potentially concerns American foreign policy for reasons which are purely political.

Full story—>>>

Activist Post: All data stored on cloud computing services can be accessed by US government without a warrant.

All data stored on cloud computing services can be accessed by US government without a warrant

On the Cloud

 

By contributor Chris Tranter

Sept. 5, 2012

“The Cloud” is worrying me. Soon, you will have a small device with no storage, just an access terminal to the “Internet”. Only this won’ be the Internet as it is now. It will be a collection of regionally restricted content streams.

What does this mean? It means your freedom of choice will be limited to what you subscribe to. You will no longer be able to watch/download whatever you want. Content will be restricted and you will pay for it. Access to global news will be restricted. Your choice  of options will be restricted by your local law and policy makers.

Your device will store your data directly to the cloud. This means that eventually, no matter what your provider says, the security will be compromised and someone will have access to your data. Given that ALL your data will eventually be migrated to the cloud, you will not necessarily have the ability for it not to end up there.

I could go on, but you should really be asking yourself if this is a good idea, as it’s not immediately obvious what this means in the long term. Basically, you will be further controlled and restricted. Eventually, no matter what people say, laws will be relaxed to “scan” this data and profile/hunt you or your next door neighbour.

Not doing anything illegal? Nothing to worry about ? What if a law changed in 5 yrs and made something you did in your past illegal? All your history is there. In the cloud.  1984 is coming soon all over again. Just think about it for a second.

Related articles

• Can You Be Sued for Using the Cloud? (infosecurity-magazine.com)
• Cloud Not So Clear (cloudbestpractices.net)
• Vendor-defined Cloud Computing: Cloudwashing at Its Silliest (devx.com)
• Cloudy on the Cloud (surveyanalytics.com)

 

Cybercrime: 60m Euro Stolen by Fraud Ring In Hacking Attack On 60 Banks

Fraud Ring In Hacking Attack On 60 Banks.

By Pete Norman, Sky News Online

UK, Tuesday 26 June 2012

The code is believed to have attacked more than 60 financial institutions

A leading anti-virus company says it has uncovered the biggest cyber bank robbery in history.

Sixty million euro has been stolen from bank accounts in a massive cyber bank raid after fraudsters raided dozens of financial institutions around the world.

According to a joint report by software security firm McAfee and Guardian Analytics, more than 60 firms have suffered from what it has called an “insider level of understanding”.

“The fraudsters’ objective in these attacks is to siphon large amounts from high balance accounts, hence the name chosen for this research – Operation High Roller,” the report said.

“If all of the attempted fraud campaigns were as successful as the Netherlands example we describe in this report, the total attempted fraud could be as high as 2bn (£1.6bn).”

The automated malicious software programme was discovered to use servers to process thousands of attempted thefts from both commercial firms and private individuals.

The stolen money was then sent to so-called mule accounts in caches of a few hundreds and 100,000 euro (£80,000) at a time.

Credit unions, large multinational banks and regional banks have all been attacked.

Sky News defence and security editor Sam Kiley said: “It does include British financial institutions and has jumped over to North America and South America.

“What they have done differently from routine attacks is that they have got into the bank servers and constructed software that is automated.

“It can get around some of the mechanisms that alert the banking system to abnormal activity.”

The details of the global fraud come just a day after the MI5 boss warned of the new cyber security threat to UK business.

McAfee researchers have been able to track the global fraud, which still continues, across countries and continents.

“They have identified 60 different servers, many of them in Russia, and they have identified one alone that has been used to steal 60m euro,” Kiley said.

“There are dozens of servers still grinding away at this fraud – in effect stealing money.”

Related articles

• ‘Cloud Computing’ Fraud Ring ‘Worth Up To £1.6bn’ Uncovered (huffingtonpost.co.uk)
• Bank hack: ‘Operation High Roller’ has netted $78M – so far (computerworld.co.nz)

Who owns your stuff in the cloud?

Who owns your stuff in the cloud? – latimes.com.

By Michelle Maltais, Los Angeles Times

April 25, 2012

Diagram showing overview of cloud computing including Google, Salesforce, Amazon, Axios Systems, Microsoft, Yahoo & Zoho

Terms for keeping your data on companies’ Web data storage services vary, and you need to understand them before clicking ‘Agree.’

Who owns your stuff in the cloud?

Google’s recently unveiled Google Drive is among the cloud-based data storage services available. Google says you retain ownership of any intellectual property rights that you hold in that content. But where the Google policy may read a bit murky is what you entitle Google to do with your stuff.

As more people look to the cloud for digital storage, such as the recently unveiled Google Drive, the era of being able to mindlessly click “OK” or “Agree” may be over.

When your stuff is stored on your computer at home, you alone are responsible for keeping it safe, secure and backed up. Your roof, your rules. But when you shift from local storage to remote, you live by terms set by someone else — and it’s best to read them.

This is true for any cloud service, not just Google’s.

First, there are two sets of word-dense documents you need to read before marrying yourself to a cloud-service: the privacy policy and the terms of service. Yes, the words will bleed together from all the legal jargon, but they’re important.

Every service has its own terms, and what’s in there and how it’s written vary widely.

Remember that when you upload content, you are essentially publishing it — even if it’s just for your eyes. For any cloud service to work as designed, you give the service permission to store and make copies of the content you upload — that’s how your stuff ends up everywhere you want it. The cloud copy is the master.

Google, for instance, clearly states in its terms of service that apply to all things Google: “You retain ownership of any intellectual property rights that you hold in that content. In short, what belongs to you stays yours.”

But where the Google policy may read a bit murky is what you entitle Google to do with your stuff: “When you upload or otherwise submit content to our Services, you give Google (and those we work with) a worldwide license to use, host, store, reproduce, modify, create derivative works (such as those resulting from translations, adaptations or other changes we make so that your content works better with our Services), communicate, publish, publicly perform, publicly display and distribute such content.”

And that permission continues even if you stop using the services, according to the contract.

Continue with story—>>>

via Who owns your stuff in the cloud? – latimes.com.

Google joins ‘cloud’ data storage trend

Google joins ‘cloud’ data storage trend | The Raw Story.

By Agence France-Presse
Tuesday, April 24, 2012

 

Topics: google ♦ Google Docs ♦ Sundar Pichai

 

Google on Tuesday launched a long-anticipated “Drive” service that lets people store photos, videos, and other digital files in the Internet “cloud.”

Google Drive accounts with five gigabytes of storage were available free at drive.google.com and upgrades to more space on servers in the California company’s data centers were available at rates set by size and country.

“The model is really designed at the core to help people live their lives in the cloud,” Google vice president for Chrome and Apps Sundar Pichai said on a conference call with reporters.

“Google Drive is something we see as central to the online experience at Google.”

Google Drive software has been tailored for Windows and Macintosh computers as well as smartphones or tablets powered by Google-backed Android software.

A version tailored for Apple mobile gadgets will be released soon, according to Pichai.

“We want to make sure that all our users’ data are available wherever they are,” he said.

Google Drive data can be reached from various devices, and deleting it from one deletes it from all. Scanned letters can be saved under the new service and Fax messages can be sent or received.

Google Docs online text program was described as an integral component of Drive, letting people create and collaborate on documents.

Google put its search expertise to work to provide tools for people to quickly find files in their Drive accounts, according to Pichai. Included was Goggle technology to power searches using images instead of key words.

Autodesk and some other third-party program creators have collaborated with Google to make it possible for people to use their software in Drive accounts, where teams can join forces online to handle projects.

“We have only shared it with a few developers so far,” Pichai said. “Over time, we want Drive to be thought of as a place where you can create anything and collaborate with anyone; and the devices or apps are up to you.”

Talk about creating a Google Drive started about five years ago.

The booming trend of smartphones or tablets being at the center of mobile lifestyles and the growing popularity of services like Gmail or YouTube hosted in the Internet cloud made the time ripe for Google Drive, executives said.

“This is a natural progression,” Pichai said.”We are moving to a post-PC (personal computer) era where this is the cloud at work. Pretty soon you will be able to open a file from anywhere in Google Drive.”

Google Drive will also be built into a new generation of Chrome laptop computers.

A version of Google Drive geared for businesses will have a different pricing structure and offer 24-hours technical support.

Google’s new service will enter an arena with Microsoft’s SkyDrive, Apple’s iCloud online data repository for users of its devices, and popular Web-based file hosting service startups such as Dropbox and SugarSync.

[Google refrigerator via Aray Chen / Flickr]