News

Obama Allows NSA Exploit Internet Flaws All For National Security

Recently reported by the New York Times, President Barack Obama has said that the NSA must reveal any Internet vulnerability that it finds. But there’s a catch. The security agency is not obligated to disclose vulnerabilities whenever there’s “a clear national security or law enforcement need”.

“This process is biased toward responsibly disclosing such vulnerabilities,” said Caitlin Hayden, the spokeswoman for the National Security Council. Despite the assurance, the exception is being widely viewed as a loophole that will likely allow the NSA to continue to exploit security vulnerabilities.

The decision was made by the President in January when he started working on NSA reforms, but it wasn’t publicly revealed until last Friday when the White House denied that it had any prior knowledge of Heartbleed, a security bug which has reportedly affected almost two-thirds of the internet, including Google, Facebook, Yahoo, and more.

There is already widespread concern that the security agency may have been secretly using the Heartbleed bug for years to serve its own purposes, something which the agency has denied. On the other hand, documents released by Snowden reveal that the security agency was already looking at ways to accomplish exactly what Heartbleed did through a program code-named ‘Bullrun’.

 

Thank you to the New York Times for providing us with this information.

Ian Viado

Disqus Comments Loading...

Recent Posts

Still Wakes the Deep 

LIVE THE HORROR: An immersive disaster story aboard a stunningly realised North Sea oil rig,…

4 hours ago

PHILIPS 275V8LA – 27 Inch QHD Monitor

The Philips VA LED display uses an advanced multi-domain vertical alignment technology that gives you…

4 hours ago

EPOMAKER Ajazz AK820 Pro 75% Gasket-mounted Mechanical Keyboard 

【TFT Screen: The Interactive Interface】This 75% mechanical keyboard comes equipped with a TFT Screen, serving…

4 hours ago

Funko Fusion

FANDOM FUSION Play as your favorite characters and wield their unique weapons and skills. Team…

4 hours ago

Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance Standard Edition

The Definitive Version of Shin Megami Tensei V - Fully evolved with stunning visuals for…

4 hours ago

Hand Warmers Rechargeable 2 Pack

【Unique Split Design】5200mAh hand warmers rechargeable together with double-sided heating function, split snap swivel design,…

4 hours ago