Page 8A
NATION/WORLD
East Oregonian
Wednesday, March 8, 2017
WikiLeaks: CIA has targeted everyday gadgets for snooping
NEW YORK (AP) — Maybe
the CIA is spying on you through
your television set after all.
Documents
released
by
WikiLeaks allege a CIA surveil-
lance program that targets everyday
gadgets ranging from smart TVs
to smartphones to cars. Such
snooping, WikiLeaks said, could
turn some of these devices into
recorders of everyday conversa-
tions — and could also circumvent
data-scrambling encryption on
communications apps such as Face-
book’s WhatsApp.
WikiLeaks is, for now, with-
holding details on the specific
hacks used “until a consensus
emerges” on the nature of the CIA’s
program and how the methods
should be “analyzed, disarmed and
published.”
But WikiLeaks — a nonprofit
that routinely publishes confiden-
tial documents, frequently from
government sources — claims that
the data and documents it obtained
reveal a broad program to bypass
security measures on everyday
products.
MORE PRIVACY CLASHES
If true, the disclosure could
spark new privacy tensions
between the government and the
technology industry. Relations have
been fraught since 2013, when
former National Security Agency
contractor
Edward
Snowden
disclosed secret NSA surveillance
of phone and digital communica-
tions.
Just last year, the two sides
feuded over the FBI’s calls for
Apple to rewrite its operating
system so that agents could break
into the locked iPhone used by one
AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File
This April 2016 file photo shows the seal of the Central Intelligence
Agency at CIA headquarters in Langley, Va.
of the San Bernardino attackers.
The FBI ultimately broke into the
phone with the help of an outside
party; the agency has neither
disclosed the party nor the nature of
the vulnerability, preventing Apple
from fixing it.
According to WikiLeaks, much
of the CIA program centered on
dozens of vulnerabilities it discov-
ered but didn’t disclose to the gadget
makers. Common practice calls for
government agencies to disclose
such flaws to companies privately,
so that they could fix them.
Instead, WikiLeaks claims,
the CIA held on to the knowledge
in order to conduct a variety of
attacks. As a result, tech companies
such as Apple, Google and Micro-
soft haven’t been able to make the
necessary fixes.
“Serious vulnerabilities not
disclosed to the manufacturers
places huge swathes of the popu-
lation and critical infrastructure
at risk to foreign intelligence or
cyber criminals who independently
discover or hear rumors of the
vulnerability,” WikiLeaks wrote
in a press release. “If the CIA can
discover such vulnerabilities so can
others.”
A BIG YAWN TO SOME
Not everyone is worried, though.
Alan Paller, director of research
for the cybersecurity training outfit
SANS Institute, said the case boils
down to “spies who use their tools
to do what they are paid to do.” He
said criminals already have similar
tools — and he’s more worried
about that.
Rich Mogull, CEO of the secu-
rity research firm Securosis, said
that agencies gathering intelligence
on other organizations and govern-
ments need, by definition, technical
exploits that aren’t public.
If they’re authentic, the leaked
CIA documents frame a stark
reality: It may be that no digital
conversation, photo or other slice of
life can be shielded from spies and
other intruders prying into smart-
phones, personal computers, tablets
or just about device connected to
the internet.
“It’s getting to the point where
anything you say, write or elec-
tronically transmit on a phone, you
have to assume that it is going to be
compromised in some way,” said
Robert Cattanach, a former U.S.
Department of Justice attorney who
now specializes in cybersecurity
and privacy for the law firm Dorsey
& Whitney.
SIDESTEPPING ENCRYP-
TION
WikiLeaks claims the hacks
allowed the CIA to collect audio and
other messages from data-scram-
bling communication apps such
as WhatsApp, Signal, Telegram
and Confide by intercepting data
before it is encrypted or after it’s
decoded. The CIA didn’t appear to
compromise the apps themselves,
but rather the phone’s underlying
operating system.
WikiLeaks says the CIA had
separate teams looking for vulner-
abilities in iPhones and Android
phones and also targeted tablets such
as iPads. According to WikiLeaks,
the vulnerabilities were discovered
by the CIA itself or obtained from
other government agencies and
cyberweapon contractors.
CARS, TRUCKS AND TVS
WikiLeaks also claims that the
CIA worked with U.K. intelligence
officials to turn microphones in
Samsung smart TVs into listening
devices.
The microphones are normally
there for viewers to make voice
commands, such as requests for
movie recommendations. If the
TV is off, there’s no listening being
done.
But WikiLeaks claims that a CIA
hack makes the target TV appear to
be off when it’s actually on — and
listening. WikiLeaks says the audio
goes to a covert CIA server rather
than a party authorized by Samsung.
In such cases, audio isn’t limited to
TV commands but could include
everyday conversations.
Other tools in the CIA’s arsenal
target PCs running Microsoft’s
Windows system, according to
WikiLeaks, which says many of the
attacks are in the form of viruses
designed to spread through CDs
and USB drives.
WikiLeaks also says the CIA
was also targeting control systems
used by cars and trucks. Although
WikiLeaks didn’t have details on
how that might be used, it said the
capability might allow the CIA
to “engage in nearly undetectable
assassinations.”
Microsoft said it was aware of
the reports and was looking into
them. Apple, Google and Samsung
didn’t immediately respond to
requests for comment.
In a statement, General Motors
said it would be premature to
comment on the documents,
including its authenticity. But GM
added that it knew of no injuries or
death resulting from the hacking of
a vehicle.
Six weeks later, senators Trump set to roll back federal
question delay on ag pick fuel-economy requirements
WASHINGTON (AP)
— President Donald Trump
picked former Georgia
Gov. Sonny Perdue to be
his agriculture secretary six
weeks ago, but the adminis-
tration still hasn’t formally
provided the Senate with
the paperwork for the nomi-
nation.
The delay is frustrating
farm-state senators, who
represent many of the
core voters responsible for
helping elect Trump.
The Senate Agriculture,
Nutrition and Forestry
Committee
needs
the
paperwork before the
chairman, Sen. Pat Roberts,
can schedule a confirmation
hearing.
“I don’t know yet,”
Roberts, R-Kan., said
Wednesday when asked
about Perdue’s information.
“I wish to hell I did. We need
a champion for agriculture,
we need him on board.”
Roberts also complained
about the delay at a
committee hearing in
Kansas last week. He
predicted that Perdue would
be confirmed quickly once
the Senate can get started on
the nomination.
The White House said
the paperwork, including
ethics forms and an FBI
background
check,
is
coming soon. The only
other nomination that hasn’t
been sent to Capitol Hill is
that of Alexander Acosta,
who was nominated to be
labor secretary on Feb. 16
after the withdrawal of the
original nominee, Andrew
Puzder.
Senators say they haven’t
been given an explanation
for the delay involving
Perdue.
“They don’t seem to
have a reason as to why his
name hasn’t come up,” Sen.
Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa,
told reporters after asking
around about the Perdue
nomination.
The delay comes as
some farm-state lawmakers
question whether Trump
is paying enough attention
to rural areas, which over-
whelmingly voted for him.
After Trump’s address to
Congress on Tuesday night,
Democratic Sens. Heidi
Heitkamp of North Dakota
and Jon Tester of Montana
both said the president
didn’t specifically mention
rural America in his hour-
long speech. Both senators
are up for re-election in
2018.
“There wasn’t a mention
of rural America, a farm bill,
or agriculture workers, and
these should be focuses for
any leader of our country,”
Heitkamp said, noting that
President Barack Obama
often omitted farm country
in his speeches to Congress
as well.
“You wonder why
people in rural America feel
left out and feel disenfran-
chised? Because they never
hear anything about them,”
she said.
Tester said lawmakers
need to keep rural issues
“front and center” for the
new president, who is from
New York City.
“The tendency is to go
where you know, and I’m
not sure he knows rural
America very well, so
it’s just an opportunity to
remind him that you’ve got
to pay attention,” Tester
said.
Some farm-state Repub-
licans pushed back on
the idea that Trump is not
engaged.
“He
talked
about
rolling back regulations,
and he talked about things
that really matter in rural
America,” South Dakota
Sen. Mike Rounds said of
Trump’s speech.
While Trump began
picking department heads in
November, he waited until
Jan. 18, two days before his
inauguration, to choose an
agriculture secretary. At the
time, farm-state lawmakers
and farm groups said they
worried that the new pick
would be at a disadvantage
getting started.
In the weeks since he
was chosen, Perdue has
held several meetings with
senators on Capitol Hill.
Farm-state senators have
mostly praised his nomina-
tion, including Heitkamp,
who said she would support
him.
Perdue, 70, is a farmer’s
son who would be the first
Southerner in the post in
more than two decades. He
built businesses in grain
trading and trucking before
becoming the first Repub-
lican governor of Georgia
since Reconstruction.
Nike unveils hijab for Muslim athletes
BEAVERTON (AP) —
Nike has unveiled a hijab for
Muslim female athletes.
The Nike Pro Hijab has
been in development for
a year, the company said.
Athletes contributed input
into the product, and figure
skater Zahra Lari was among
those who tested it.
The pull-on hijab is made
of light, stretchy fabric
that includes tiny holes
for breathability and an
elongated back so it will not
come untucked. It will come
in three colors: black, vast
grey and obsidian. Beaver-
ton-based Nike says the hijab
will be available for sale next
year.
Lari, a hopeful for the
Winter Olympics next year in
Pyeongchang, South Korea,
posted photos of herself
wearing the hijab on her
Instagram page. Lari is from
Abu Dhabi and represents
the United Arab Emirates.
“Can’t believe this is
finally here!!” she wrote.
Last summer, fencer
Nike via AP
In this undated image provided by Nike, figure skater
Zahra Lari model wears Nike’s new hijab for Muslim
female athletes.
Ibtihaj Muhammad of New
York became the first Muslim
American woman to compete
for the United States wearing
a hijab at the Olympics. She
earned a bronze medal at the
Rio Games.
The U-17 Women’s World
Cup last October in Jordan
marked the first time Muslim
players wore headscarves
during a FIFA event. Soccer’s
international governing body
formally lifted a ban on head
coverings in 2014, recog-
nizing Muslim and Sikh
players.
Meanwhile, the governing
body for basketball, FIBA,
has come under fire for
banning headscarves during
international competition.
WASHINGTON (AP) —
The Trump administration is
moving to roll back federal
fuel-economy requirements
that would have forced
automakers
to
increase
significantly the efficiency of
new cars and trucks, a key part
of former President Barack
Obama’s strategy to combat
global warming.
The
Environmental
Protection Agency is close to
an announcement reversing a
decision made in the waning
days of the Obama admin-
istration to lock in strict gas
mileage requirements for cars
and light trucks through 2025.
Automakers asked EPA
Administrator Scott Pruitt to
discard a Jan. 13 decision that
requires the fleet of new cars
to average a real-world figure
of 36 miles per gallon.
The automakers said the
Obama rules could add thou-
sands of dollars to the price of
new cars and cost more than a
million jobs.
Lawmakers,
industry
groups and environmentalists
say the administration has
signaled it plans to take this
step. An announcement could
come as early as this week,
although changes in the stan-
dards could take years to fully
implement.
A decision to review the
Obama rule sets up a potential
legal battle with California and
other states that have adopted
tough tailpipe standards
for drivers. California has
received a waiver allowing the
state to enforce its standards,
which have also been adopted
by 12 other states, including
New York and Massachusetts.
The White House and the
EPA declined to comment.
“Attacking the California
waiver is a recipe for chaos,”
said Sen. Edward Markey,
D-Mass., who has pushed
for higher fuel standards.
California and other states
that have adopted its standard
will almost certainly file a
legal challenge if pushed by
AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File
In this Feb. 21 file photo,
Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) Administra-
tor Scott Pruitt speaks to
employees of the EPA in
Washington.
the EPA, Markey and other
lawmakers said.
“The auto companies don’t
want 50 state standards,” he
said.
Sen. Kamala Harris,
D-Calif., called her state “a
model for the country” on
environmental standards and
said she strongly opposes
any attempt to “roll back the
progress we’ve made. That’s
counterproductive and could
absolutely be harmful to the
health and well-being of the
residents of our state and the
people of our nation.”
The Alliance of Automo-
bile Manufacturers, which
represents a dozen major car
manufacturers,
including
General Motors, Ford and
Toyota, declined to comment.
But in a Feb. 21 letter
to Pruitt, the group said the
EPA’s Jan. 13 decision on fuel
economy “may be the single
most important decision
that EPA has made in recent
history.” The alliance urged
Pruitt to reconsider the plan,
which it said could “depress
an industry that can ill-afford
spiraling regulatory costs.”
The automakers estimated
they would have to spend
a “staggering” $200 billion
between 2012 and 2025 to
comply with the tailpipe
emissions rule — far more
than industry would spend
under the Clean Power Plan,
Obama’s signature effort
to reduce carbon pollution
from coal-fired power plants.
Trump is also expected to roll
back the power-plant rule in
coming days.
Markey and other Demo-
cratic senators criticized the
EPA emissions review before
it has even been issued.
“President Trump is
waging a war on the envi-
ronment, and he wants EPA
Administrator Scott Pruitt to
make our strong fuel economy
emissions standards his latest
victim,” Markey said at a
news conference Tuesday.
Trump and Pruitt “want
to pump the brakes on fuel
efficiency standards, throw
us into reverse and recklessly
roll back down the road we
just came from,” said Sen. Jeff
Merkley, D-Ore. “It’s bad for
our economy, it’s bad for the
environment and it’s bad for
middle-class families.”
The
fuel-economy
regulations for model years
2017-2025 were imposed in
2012 as one of Obama’s major
initiatives to reduce global
warming.
Seven days before Obama
left office, the EPA decided
to keep the requirements for
model years 2022 to 2025
after completing a legally
required review. The standards
are flexible and automakers
can meet them with existing
technology, the agency said,
adding that its review was
thorough.
But
the
industry
contends the decision was
rushed to beat the change
in administrations, noting
that the original timeline
called for a review by early
2018. Trump, a billionaire
businessman
who
has
vowed to roll back a host
of regulations, is considered
to be more favorable to the
industry than Obama.