[kictanet] Is Windows 8 a Trojan horse for the NSA? The German Government thinks so

Tue Aug 27 09:16:50 EAT 2013

Well, I see all this as food for thought.

On Mon, Aug 26, 2013 at 11:42 PM, S.M. Muraya <murigi.muraya at gmail.com>wrote:

> No comments about the closed ios/ipad ecosystem being used in serikali?
>
> Please google "android malware".... It is about apps, not the so much the
> operating system.
>
> http://www.zdnet.com/android-app-malware-rates-jump-40-percent-7000019093/
>
> Android smartphones with our gps coordinates are on us most of the time.
>
> Not to forget, very insecure apps/services powered by Linux Servers 24
> hours ....
>
>
> http://arstechnica.com/security/2013/05/critical-linux-vulnerability-imperils-users-even-after-silent-fix/
>
>
> http://krebsonsecurity.com/2013/08/simple-hack-threatens-oudated-joomla-sites/
>
>
>
> Blessings
>
> Murigi / Stanley Muraya
>
> *"Better a patient person than a warrior, one with self-control than one
> who takes a city." Prov 16:32*
>
>
> On Mon, Aug 26, 2013 at 6:53 PM, Walubengo J <jwalu at yahoo.com> wrote:
>
>> @Muraya,
>>
>> I used to think Android is "open"?  Meaning the comparison to Windows
>> would not be appropriate in that if someone sneaked in spy-software in
>> Android, I (and many others) can sniff it out, but if someone sneaked in
>> some spy software in Windows, only Microsoft and perhaps the US govt would
>> know?
>>
>> Incidentally what @Ikua raises in not far-fetched.  In 2010, it is widely
>> believed the US /Israeli Governments unleashed a worm called "stuxnet" that
>> chewed up the Iranian nuclear plants to a halt. The mode of delivery is
>> also widely believed as being through one of the many regular Windows
>> updates that we so faithfully do every week or month over the net.
>>
>> In other words, most Listers here and across the globe do have the
>> "stuxnet" worm on their machines but it is in sleep mode simply because
>> their organisations do not run nuclear reactors with specific circuitry.
>> This worm was clever enough to only wake up upon sensing certain
>> "signature" frequencies originating from certain circuitry that was
>> dominant in Iranian nuclear reactors.
>>
>> Obviously only Microsoft could be able to see the additional
>> logic/payload in that particular update.  Contrast this to updates whose
>> code is "open"...
>>
>> For those technically inclined, you can pick up the story @
>>
>> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stuxnet
>>
>> walu.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>   ------------------------------
>>  *From:* S.M. Muraya <murigi.muraya at gmail.com>
>> *To:* jwalu at yahoo.com
>> *Cc:* KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions <kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke>
>> *Sent:* Monday, August 26, 2013 4:12 PM
>>
>> *Subject:* Re: [kictanet] Is Windows 8 a Trojan horse for the NSA? The
>> German Government thinks so
>>
>> If we worry about 200 Million Windows 8.1 PCs (by 2015) how about 1
>> Billion mobile devices running Android by 2015?
>>
>> Blessings
>>
>> Murigi / Stanley Muraya
>>
>> *"Better a patient person than a warrior, one with self-control than one
>> who takes a city." Prov 16:32*
>>
>>
>> On Mon, Aug 26, 2013 at 3:12 PM, Evans Ikua <ikua.evans at gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> The German Government is now deeply suspicious that the Trusted Platform
>> Module (TPM) technology built into a growing number of Windows 8 PCs and
>> tablets is creating a gigantic back door for NSA surveillance, leaked
>> documents have suggested.
>> Documents from the German Ministry of Economic Affairs obtained by
>> German title *Zeit Online*<http://www.zeit.de/digital/datenschutz/2013-08/trusted-computing-microsoft-windows-8-nsa/seite-1>uncover the alleged unease of officials at the direction of version 2.0 of
>> the standard being developed under the auspices of the multi-vendor Trusted
>> Computing Group (TCG).
>> TPM has been marketed as a security and Digital Rights Management (DRM)
>> technology since its appearance in 2006, but version 2.0 would embed a chip
>> on every PC that has complete control over which programs can and can’t
>> run, a setting that can’t be over-ridden under Windows 8. The chip is also
>> where the cryptographic data is stored for Windows BitLocker and it enables
>> remote administration.
>>
>> Please read more here<http://news.techworld.com/security/3465259/is-windows-8-trojan-horse-for-nsa-german-government-thinks-so/#tk.nl_win>
>>
>> --
>> *----------------------------------------------------
>> Kind Regards,
>> Evans Ikua,*
>>
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>> The Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet) is a multi-stakeholder platform
>> for people and institutions interested and involved in ICT policy and
>> regulation. The network aims to act as a catalyst for reform in the ICT
>> sector in support of the national aim of ICT enabled growth and development.
>>
>> KICTANetiquette : Adhere to the same standards of acceptable behaviors
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>
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> The Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet) is a multi-stakeholder platform
> for people and institutions interested and involved in ICT policy and
> regulation. The network aims to act as a catalyst for reform in the ICT
> sector in support of the national aim of ICT enabled growth and development.
>
> KICTANetiquette : Adhere to the same standards of acceptable behaviors
> online that you follow in real life: respect people's times and bandwidth,
> share knowledge, don't flame or abuse or personalize, respect privacy, do
> not spam, do not market your wares or qualifications.
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-- 
*----------------------------------------------------
Kind Regards,
Evans Ikua,*
lanetconsulting.com,
lpi-eastafrica.org,
ict-innovation.fossfa.net,
Skype: @ikuae
Cell: +254-722-955831
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