This Week in Getting Hacked: Canadian Cops Edition

All aboard the cybersecurity train! CHOOO CHOOOO! Each week we bring you the greatest and most terrifying cybersecurity and hacking-related news on the web. This is….THIS WEEK IN GETTING HACKED!

On to the links…

I’d first like to call everyone who reads this and keeps up on cybersecurity, data security, and privacy news to revel in the sweet, delicious irony of the NSA getting hacked. Obviously, the next step is for the NSA to issue a statement of outrage over being hacked, but that probably won’t come. They know they can’t be the ones to complain—it’s like a bully being bullied. At some point you’re like, “Yeah, this is on you.”

Photo Credit: theintercept.com (linked above)

Anyways, the NSA got hacked and Edward Snowden confirmed it, then the tools the NSA uses to hack and spy on others were released out into the world by the hacking group known as the “Shadow Brokers” for all the world to enjoy and hack/spy on each other endlessly.

However, it is a little concerning that the people who are supposed to be numero uno in cybersecurity can’t keep their own stuff secure, especially as a government agency, but that’s a convo for another day.

Don’t let the NSA’s hacking lull you into a false sense of privacy, however. A new report is coming out that the city of Baltimore and their police force have been using aerial cameras developed as a surveillance technique in the Iraq War have been used to monitor the city from above since January.

Photo Credit: bloomberg.com (linked above)

And they didn’t let anybody know, because why not?

Speaking of the NSA, here’s how they were able to exploit a vulnerability in Cisco’s PIX firewall to spy on people for over a decade.

Canadian cops would love for there to be a law that forces people to hand over their encryption passwords, because your right to privacy is getting in the way of their right to throw you in jail.

Your password is definitely not as strong as you think it is, even if you throw a bunch of numbers and characters on it. Like, ‘pa$$w0rd” still isn’t as good as something else, even if the strength-meter says it’s “strong”. You’re actually better off coming up with random words, as it poses harder to crack than what might be considered a “strong” password.

And finally…

Android is getting in on the encryption game with new security features in Android 7, including a default secure messaging system and full-disk encryption of the whole phone. Android has lagged behind when it comes to security, as there was a flaw that exposed millions of phones, and the general lack of vetting in the Google Play Store. Hopefully, it will help in the fight against people who want to read or steal your data. Fight on, tiny robot. Fight on.

See you next week! Stay safe out there!