FBI hacks vulnerable US computers to fix malicious malware

[Guest]

10 hours ago, huilun02 said:

FBI: All computers must have a convenient backdoor for us

FBI: Oh no, someone used that backdoor to cause trouble. Let me try to undo the damage for you

FBI: We are the good guys

Would you rather have your information with your own government, which already have it, or an overseas government?

[Tieox]

11 minutes ago, StDragon said:

The Gov isn't known for their sense of humor.

Shame too, with the suits and some talent they could really jazz up their speeches.

 

 

[StDragon]

6 minutes ago, RorzNZ said:

Would you rather have your information with your own government, which already have it, or an overseas government?

Given that overseas governments hack our government, it's all one in the same result really. 

[Guest]

8 hours ago, huilun02 said:

With no one

As it should have been

You’d be naive to think the government doesn’t get your data or conduct surveillance. 

[Letgomyleghoe]

12 hours ago, SGT-AMD said:

How do you know its the FBI in the U.S.?

 

please link me any other governmental body outside of the U.S that goes under the name "FBI" and I'd be happy to answer your question.

[FakeATF]

Hey, free IT is free IT

[StDragon]

44 minutes ago, FakeATF said:

Hey, free IT is free IT

Isn't that like saying entering a building uninvited is providing a free inspection?

[FakeATF]

11 minutes ago, StDragon said:

Isn't that like saying entering a building uninvited is providing a free inspection?

Isn't that literally the health department's job?

[StDragon]

4 minutes ago, FakeATF said:

Isn't that literally the health department's job?

It's not free if they fine you or cause financial damages.

 

I'm not OK with the FBI dropping in a ghosting out my network. If they want to inform me of a situation that I might not be aware of, I'd be ok with that. But to take action without my approval? No way. At most, they can get with the ISP and cut off access if a rooted box is that much of a public threat.

[FakeATF]

2 hours ago, StDragon said:

It's not free if they fine you or cause financial damages.

 

I'm not OK with the FBI dropping in a ghosting out my network. If they want to inform me of a situation that I might not be aware of, I'd be ok with that. But to take action without my approval? No way. At most, they can get with the ISP and cut off access if a rooted box is that much of a public threat.

You do understand that was a joke, right?

[StDragon]

1 minute ago, FakeATF said:

You do understand that was a joke, right?

Honestly, no.

 

You have to understand that there's a lot of people in this world that put a whole lot of blind faith into their officials. 

[lostcattears]

Just call it fixing/cleaning/updating... why are they calling it hacking... when they should have direct access to all those computers...

[Bombastinator]

In my area if you don’t cut your grass the city will send someone out to do it and then bill you. Generally a lot.
 

The FBI apparently did more or less the same thing but isn’t charging.  I think they should next time.

Edited April 16, 2021 by Bombastinator

[Bombastinator]

15 hours ago, RorzNZ said:

You’d be naive to think the government doesn’t get your data or conduct surveillance. 

I’m pretty sure it doesn’t do it nearly as thoroughly as Google or Facebook.  The solitary advantage of government involvement is there are heavy limitations on what government may keep secret.  The US government used to do a lot of basic science and disseminate it to companies.  The thing was they were so limited they had to disseminate it to the entire world and non US companies used the same data to compete with US corporations.  The result was science was privatized in the US and a lot less basic science gets done.  

[StDragon]

45 minutes ago, Bombastinator said:

I’m pretty sure it doesn’t do it nearly as thoroughly as Google or Facebook.  The solitary advantage of government involvement is there are heavy limitations on what government may keep secret.  The US government used to do a lot of basic science and disseminate it to companies.  The thing was they were so limited they had to disseminate it to the entire world and non US companies used the same data to compete with US corporations.  The result was science was privatized in the US and a lot less basic science gets done.  

Government doesn't produce, they spend. They spend tax payer money on the private sector and call it "public". What you're arguing for is central authoritarian control vs free market; there is a difference.

[Letgomyleghoe]

3 hours ago, lostcattears said:

Just call it fixing/cleaning/updating... why are they calling it hacking... when they should have direct access to all those computers...

why should the us government have access? they don't own the servers or pc's, and they didn't get permission from the owners either.

[Bombastinator]

5 minutes ago, Letgomyleghoe said:

why should the us government have access? they don't own the servers or pc's, and they didn't get permission from the owners either.

Reference the city mowing your grass thing.  That one is made easier by laws but very little has been done in the way of electronics laws but potential consequences to others are even higher than with weeds seeding and blowing into your neighbor’s lawn.

[Letgomyleghoe]

5 minutes ago, Bombastinator said:

Reference the city mowing your grass thing.  That one is made easier by laws but very little has been done in the way of electronics laws but potential consequences to others are even higher than with weeds seeding and blowing into your neighbor’s lawn.

There should be some sort of consent to this, it's not really directly endangering anyone but yourself unless you're hosting vps's, but how many people host vps's on windows? and honestly I'd rather have some chinese malware on my pc/server than us government spyware.

 

and it depends on the hack, but I'm pretty sure anyone with half a brain that's running something that needs to be secure would be safe from this, closing unneeded ports usually is 90% of the security battle.

[Bombastinator]

2 minutes ago, Letgomyleghoe said:

There should be some sort of consent to this, it's not really directly endangering anyone but yourself unless you're hosting vps's, but how many people host vps's on windows? and honestly I'd rather have some chinese malware on my pc/server than us government spyware.

An insecure system is not a danger to the well being of others via knock on effect? There have been hundreds of lawsuits that successfully disputed that.  I’m not sure that is the case.  You might be right I suppose.  If no one else is affected there’s little cause to do so.