FBI

With the holiday shopping season upon us, many consumers may be considering upgrading their homes with a few smart appliances. While some might reach for a smart speaker like a Google Nest Home or Amazon Alexa, some might opt for something that combines that with their entertainment system. Some smart TVs are becoming all-in-one entertainment and control hubs for houses and Portland, Oregon's FBI office is warning users how criminal elements can turn those into privacy nightmares.

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Today we're taking a look through the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) "Internet Crime Report" for the year 2018. This document shows statistics on crimes reported to the FBI, as well as total crimes committed on the internet in the calendar year 2018. This year saw nearly twice the amount of estimated total financial loss through the year VS 2017, easily the biggest jump since tracking these statistics began.

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DNA home-testing kits have become increasingly common in the US, and for good reason: they're an easy, useful way for people to gain insight into their ancestry, as well as find unknown relatives. One of the largest providers of these kits, Family Tree DNA, has made an important revelation that privacy advocates and those interested in genealogy should be aware of: the company is now working with the FBI, allowing the agency access to its database to search for DNA matches related to violent crime investigations.

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It would appear that there's a new best way to break into a locked iPhone as of this February. Back in February of this year, the startup known as Grayshift sent out an announcement of a new sort of device they'd whipped up. They had a device that apparently unlocked an iPhone - any iPhone - so that said iPhone could be rummaged through and utilized by law enforcement. Or, say, less-than-reputable persons. Of course, they'd never say they were all about such things at Grayshift.

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The Department of Justice wants a mandate that would force tech companies to provide phone unlocking tools. The FBI is involved in discussions of potential legislation forcing the matter, according to a new report. Research currently underway by both entities allegedly indicates that a backdoor could be provided without leaving the devices more vulnerable to hackers. This is the latest development in the US government's long-running effort to get easy access to encrypted smartphones.

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Details about a relationship between some Best Buy Geek Squad employees and the FBI were revealed today by the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF). The organization filed a Freedom of Information Act suit in 2017 in order to get more details about an apparent association between the FBI and at least a few Geek Squad employees. The documents allegedly reveal that some of those workers were being paid by the government to work as informants.

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Fingerprint analysis software used by the FBI and many law enforcement agencies may contain code created by a Kremlin-linked Russian entity, according to whistleblowers and related documents. The revelation, assuming it is correct, raises questions about whether US officials have been using software compromised by Russian code, the latest in a growing number of cyber issues related to the nation. This follows Facebook's own disclosure revealing extensive Russian propaganda on the social network aimed at manipulating the 2016 election.

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Two huge Dark Web marketplaces, peddling illegal drugs, fake documents, firearms, and more, have been shut down in a clandestine sting. US and European investigators collaborated for months on the takedown, which saw AlphaBay and Hansa - together responsible for more than 350,000 "illicit commodities" - first infiltrated and then taken offline. Indeed, police in the Netherlands were able to secretly take control of Hansa and then track what its users were doing.

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In the wake of Russian hackers interfering with the US's presidential election this year, along with the subsequent sanctions issued by President Obama, a Vermont power company has discovered evidence of Russian malware on one of its laptops. The code is said to be linked to the hacking group identified by the FBI and Department of Homeland Security as "Grizzly Steppe." The find was made as the US government continues to asses Russian cyber attacks on different agencies and organizations.

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Russia isn't the only source of cyber attacks the US is facing recently. The FBI has opened an investigation into the breaches of Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) computer systems by Chinese hackers for several years starting in 2010. According to Reuters, it's believed that these attacks were sponsored by China's military, and resulted in the compromise of dozens of computers.

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Last week the CIA released a report saying that it concluded Russia had carried out cyber attacks in an effort to disrupt the US's presidential election and tip the scales to benefit Donald Trump. Following an earlier request from President Obama for an investigation into the matter, the FBI now agrees with the CIA's assessment, as does the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.

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It's difficult not to feel a little embarrassed for the FBI in light of its recently published anti-hacking advertisement. Made in collaboration with Europol, the ad shows two teenagers, one dolled up like an Ivy Leaguer and the other replete with emo affectations in a dark hoodie, both of them labelled with things like health status, 'cash total,' and, of course, their hacker/non-hacker designations.

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