Windows Vista lets US Government Spy on your PC?...

Found this on Digg. A bit older,(July 19, 2007) but Fact or BS? I don't use Vista.

It has been a month since my upgrade to Vista. I like to keep up with tech trends and though reluctant to throw out XP, I forced myself to just 'swallow the pill'. After all - change is inevitable, and resistance to change shows only our inability to adapt to new scenarios and obstacles. I refuse to be left in the dust of an evolutionary sandstorm. I have thus relinquished my pride and dipped into the improvements Vista has to offer. Improvements such as increased performance with audio hardware and DAW(Digital Audio Workstation) software. We're talking about a Microsoft upgrade that almost rivals the audio development quality seen on Mac DAW's for years - but with none of the proprietary hardware BS that is forged into the Mac world.

"Wait!"

You exclaim,

"What does this have to do with the title of this post?"

I'm getting to that.

After installing all of my usual apps on Vista I was impressed to see most everything was 100% backward compatible. I expected much of my software to be rendered incompatible. Out of everything I've tried to run on it - 99% produce excellent results in both loading time and performance as compared with those same apps running under XP. Improved support against malware, spyware, and trojans - complete with a user rights management system that a seasoned Linux user could appreciate. All these positive aspects and more, and then.....

ALERT!

After running Vista for only a few days - with a complete love for the new platform the first sign of trouble erupted. I began noticing latency on my home network connection - so I booted my port sniffing software and networking tools to see what was happening. What I found was foundation shaking. The two images below show graphical depictions of what has and IS trying to connect to my computer even in an idle state;

NOTE;
DoD Network Information Center(Department of Defense)

United Nations Development Program(Seems to correlate to the parent branch of the U.N.
InformaticsDivision)

Halliburton Company(We all know these guys)

Pictures removed

There have been many other unwarranted connections that I thought too redundant to post
images for. To list a couple;

*Ministry of Defense Data Return Agent

*DOHS-Recon(traceroutes for this address provided nothing, suspected blocks on traceroute. Many of us who are monitoring this situation have suspected the acronym stands for the Department of Homeland Security*Reconnaissance?*. This is merely a guess, but an educated one at that.)


I ran traceroutes on the IP's, and sure enough they came back legit and government owned. I thought this might be exclusive to my system, so I ran over to a friend of mine who upgraded to Vista when it first became available(MICROSOFT FAN BOY! ;P ). After installing monitoring software on his system, the hits it caught on his network were immediate and almost identical in source. Attempts on both TCP and UDP by suspicious government owned addresses. Again, even when idle and running only a bare minimum of system processes. I've written a college report on the same phenomenon, which has gained considerable attention by even my instructor. I've posted similar articles on a few tech sites and the like that I frequent more often than this bored, and there are a number of Vista users who have replied with similar claims.

Is there anyone in the abandonia community with a US based connection who is experiencing this watchdog behavior? Are any foreign Vista users experiencing similar attacks from their own countries ministries and governing agencies?

http://www.abandonia.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=15364&st=0

..that this was possible with Vista, I can't remember where I read it but it was before Vista was released.

Sorry that it happened to you :hug:

Cheers

I just came across the article. :hi:

...I should learn to read.

Cheers

that was caused by the Firewall he installed. The firewall self-destructed after a few days. This guy is a poltiical operative. Their side would love to know what he's doing. Makes you wonder.

probably the OS will take a huge crap on you just because they needed more money.

convinced me not to upgrade beyone Win2K.

:tinfoilhat:

dp

I upgraded to OSX 6 years ago :)

Take it back to 95 and you barely get virus and spyware attacks, b/c they don't really exist for that system and prior. Moreso, I'd suggest physical removal of internet access when not in use. That is, unplug the damn thing. All-the-time internet was one of worst ideas ever regarding your privacy, from all scapes not just the government, but spyware and virus activity as well. I would also suggest, a non-US, professional firewall and virus software. (Ex. Panda Antivirus or Sygate Firewall Pro). They will not hold out a professional hacker (I mean this, nothing available publicly really can) but they have a better chance not to fry or to be recognized by an automated system. At this point, I would like to say that I don't condone illegal downloads from sites like TorrentPortal or BitTorrent, or the like. Also I would suggest using programs that have "Block all" functions if you are unable to phsyically disconnect your internet. They are breakable, but helpful. Likewise, something like PeerGuardian 2 might provide extra attention. Personally I have about a half dozen different things on my computer. I'm paranoid and not committing any crimes (that I know of), but better safe than sorry.

IMPORTANT... Lastly, there's a very easy way to cut down on viruses and spyware (not hacking or spying though) that is a simple function on Internet Explorer. Go to Tools on the Menu, then to Internet Options. Click on the Privacy tab. And click the Advanced Button. A menu appears regarding cookies. Check off the override button and fill in the TWO "prompt" circles. That way, your computer will prompt you if any website tries to put cookies on your computer (the main source of spyware and adware, and a leading source of viruses). With this on, you will be prompted every time you encounter a website with cookies. A box will appear. If you recognize the address as the website you wanted, then it is probably safe to check the box and click "accept". However, if something else comes up with it (which is common) then check the box and click "deny" to block it's access. It takes a little practice to know what to block and what to not. If you make a mistake, the list of blocked cookies is located at... Tools>Internet Options>Privacy>Sites. You can delete one or all of the list at this point. Also, alternate internet programs like Firefox and Opera (which I suggest) could replace Internet Explorer and can be set to remove all cookies after the sesson is over. And AdAware 2007, SpyBot Search and Destroy, and Free Internet Eraser could also help.

If you had bothered to read the comments on digg, or done any other research, you would have known this.

:)

:)

"any other research" did you not understand?

Why did you not post the digg thread?

:)

Do YOUR research.

http://digg.com/microsoft/Windows_Vista_lets_US_Government_Spy_on_your_PC

If YOU had read the thread, you never would have posted this nonsense.

:)

Hardly an authority on "research". :eyes:

this story may very well be true.

http://www.engadget.com/2007/08/10/man-has-thumbs-altered-to-improve-iphone-dexterity/2#comments

:)

But why would you bother researching a story that mocks
the people you love to insult so much? We all know that's
not how you work.

you are known for your "research" abilities on this forum.

The sad truth about this story, Is that If It's found to be false, It was believable because of the bizarre behavior of the average Apple fanboy, and the Apple fanboys only have themselves to blame.

:evilgrin:

I now run OS/X on all but one machine which is Win2K which works just fine and doesn't have all the crap in it that Vista and even XP have. Not to mention that I don't want to support the evil empire of Bill Gates.

Long term I'll likely go Linux.

regardless of what OS you run. That's not new and has nothing to do with the specific OS.

Programs like RealPlayer, File Swapping Programs, (especially) ITunes, Windows Media Player, Windows Update, Anti-Virus Updates, and many others that everyone has will send out private requests as a intentional part of their program. (These are generally, if not completely, safe.) Albeit, they don't contact the government. RealPlayer gets music news and song titles, WMP gets song titles for your playlist and tries to log onto it's online music store Urge, Windows update searches for updates, etc...

I think when my current edition of Windows 98SE ceases to be useful, I'm going to something else.
If my cash situation is better I'll join the Mac Side.
If not Its Linnux.
But at some point, other than the museum computers (386, P-100, ect) on which I play ancient games, Windows will have left the building!

...scanning your computer? Unplug the line.

The very BEST you can do is to have a hardware firewall, whose source code you hand coded yourself, running with only one port open, and that's the port you use to connect to a box outside your network via a series of encrypted tunnels. Investigate Tor and Onion, and check out some of the resources available on EFF. If you must use the Internet, to post on this forum for instance, generate a good deal of white noise, and make sure your identity is seen originating from multiple disconnected points. You can either opt for invisibility thru obfuscation, or you can hide in plain sight. Or you can stand there naked for all the world to see, and hope no one knows or cares.

The only entities with privacy these days are corporations and the government. Your privacy and liberty are just tender bedtime stories told to keep you simple and provide the illusion of safety and security.

Although, most people are unable to go this route, it would be best.

I wouldn't let that piece of crap program anywhere near my computer.

This article from BBC News "Technology" section is just one of many that can be found with a little googling that details its intrusive nature:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=242x11566

:evilgrin: