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sunonmars

(8,656 posts) Tue Dec 26, 2017, 01:25 PM Dec 2017

FBI Software Contains Russian-Made Code That Could Open A Back Door For Kremlin Hackers

https://www.buzzfeed.com/chrishamby/fbi-software-contains-russian-made-code-that-could-open-a

The fingerprint-analysis software used by the FBI and more than 18,000 other US law enforcement agencies contains code created by a Russian firm with close ties to the Kremlin, according to documents and two whistleblowers. The allegations raise concerns that Russian hackers could gain backdoor access to sensitive biometric information on millions of Americans, or even compromise wider national security and law enforcement computer systems.

The Russian code was inserted into the fingerprint-analysis software by a French company, said the two whistleblowers, who are former employees of that company. The firm — then a subsidiary of the massive Paris-based conglomerate Safran — deliberately concealed from the FBI the fact that it had purchased the Russian code in a secret deal, they said.

In recent years, Russian hackers have gained access to everything from the Democratic National Committee’s email servers to the systems of nuclear power companies to the unclassified computers of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, according to US authorities.

The Russian company whose code ended up in the FBI’s fingerprint-analysis software has Kremlin connections that should raise similar national security concerns, said the whistleblowers, both French nationals who worked in Russia. The Russian company, Papillon AO, boasts in its own publications about its close cooperation with various Russian ministries as well as the Federal Security Service — the intelligence agency known as the FSB that is a successor of the Soviet-era KGB and has been implicated in other hacks of US targets.
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Until the US Govt starts developing its own cyber intelligence and software and stop relying on foreign bought crap, this is always going to happen. Who ever authorised this needs stringing up.

6 replies

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FBI Software Contains Russian-Made Code That Could Open A Back Door For Kremlin Hackers (Original Post) sunonmars Dec 2017 OP

Outsourcing saves money, though, see... MineralMan Dec 2017 #1

Ass backwards. democratisphere Dec 2017 #3

Who cares if it works? Graft, kickpacks and patronage appts were made. Bill state millions for v2 fixes. TheBlackAdder Dec 2017 #6

Yep... Zoonart Dec 2017 #2

We are ripe for another major cyber attack on our government infrastructure. Wounded Bear Dec 2017 #4

Agreed. While America was spending hundreds of billions on shiny jets and ships by the Fred Sanders Dec 2017 #5

MineralMan

(146,321 posts)

1. Outsourcing saves money, though, see...

Reply to sunonmars (Original post)

Tue Dec 26, 2017, 01:32 PM

Dec 2017

Our government contracts for software development, and the companies that win the bids outsource coding to save money.

We're pretty stupid, aren't we?

Here in Minnesota, we have a brand-new software system to handle vehicle registrations. It cost multiples of tens of millions of dollars. Guess what? It doesn't work. It sucks. Coding for it was outsourced by the big database company that got the contract. And it doesn't work. If you go to buy a new car, you might never get your title, or will have to wait for years. If you trade in your car, the dealer can't transfer the title so they can sell your car.

It's a cluster-something, for sure.

The FBI software is like that, too, I'm sure.

We're pretty stupid, aren't we?

democratisphere

(17,235 posts)

3. Ass backwards.

Reply to MineralMan (Reply #1)

Tue Dec 26, 2017, 01:40 PM

Dec 2017

TheBlackAdder

(28,211 posts)

6. Who cares if it works? Graft, kickpacks and patronage appts were made. Bill state millions for v2 fixes.

Reply to MineralMan (Reply #1)

Tue Dec 26, 2017, 02:03 PM

Dec 2017

They put the fix in by selecting an unrealistic delivery date and only had a select set of preferred firms bidding on the contract. (If it's like NJ, they needed two bidders, and only received on bid for auto emission testing. Suddenly a second firm appeared and won the bid, then the first company merged with the second one--mission accomplished. Thanks Christie Whitman, who had a bunch of friends get jobs there.) The software firm hired or appointed flunkies to high positions for low-work or no show jobs. They will just bill the state for software fixes, since someone has already signed off on the first set of deliverables. This will probably be a multi-year scheme to fleece state residents. While the state could fallback to the prior process, actions were probably made to insure that would or could never happen.

Zoonart

(11,875 posts)

2. Yep...

Reply to sunonmars (Original post)

Tue Dec 26, 2017, 01:38 PM

Dec 2017

we are stupid and short sighted. My niece works in IT for the government and she says it is an unbelievable patchwork mess of old. outdated computers and mal-configured networks. We are ripe for a major cyber attack on our government infrastructure.

Wounded Bear

(58,677 posts)

4. We are ripe for another major cyber attack on our government infrastructure.

Reply to Zoonart (Reply #2)

Tue Dec 26, 2017, 01:41 PM

Dec 2017

FIFY

Fred Sanders

(23,946 posts)

5. Agreed. While America was spending hundreds of billions on shiny jets and ships by the

Reply to Zoonart (Reply #2)

Tue Dec 26, 2017, 01:45 PM

Dec 2017

thousands, ignoring both physical and cyber infrastructure advancement and security, the rest of the world realized the ONLY war they could win against such an obviously dominant conventionally equipped and nuclear armed to the teeth enemy is a cyber war.

And they are.

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