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"This is as big as it gets," security researcher and hacker Matthew Hickey told The Intercept's Sam Biddle after news of the release. (Photo: Christiaan Colen/flickr/cc)
Snowden Says Cyberweapons Dump Underscores NSA Hacking Tools Are Not Secure
For a brief time on Friday, millions of Microsoft Windows computers were vulnerable to hackers
Apr 15, 2017
Hackers and security experts are raising alarm over a massive cyberweapons dump that they say underscores the danger of government spy agencies developing intrusive surveillance tools.
On Friday, the hacking group Shadow Brokers released a cache of cyberweapons developed by the National Security Agency (NSA) to access computers that run on Microsoft Windows, a release described by Vice New's Motherboard as "the hacking equivalent of a bomb."
This means that any computer-savvy individual could download the tools and hack into any of the millions of personal Microsoft computers worldwide.
"This is as big as it gets," security researcher and hacker Matthew Hickey told The Intercept's Sam Biddle after news of the release. "Nation-state attack tools are now in the hands of anyone who cares to download them...it's literally a cyberweapon for hacking into computers...people will be using these attacks for years to come."
Microsoft told reporters that no one from the NSA or government alerted them of the security breach, but late Friday the tech company announced they were able to patch most of the exploits.
Regardless, NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden said the release makes clear that the "'lawful access' debate is over," and the government's claim that "nobody but us" has access to these surveillance tools is moot.
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Lauren McCauley is a former senior editor for Common Dreams covering national and international politics and progressive news. She is now the Editor of Maine Morning Star. Lauren also helped produce a number of documentary films, including the award-winning Soundtrack for a Revolution and The Hollywood Complex, as well as one currently in production about civil rights icon James Meredith. Her writing has been featured on Newsweek, BillMoyers.com, TruthDig, Truthout, In These Times, and Extra! the newsletter of Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting. She currently lives in Kennebunk, Maine with her husband, two children, a dog, and several chickens.
Hackers and security experts are raising alarm over a massive cyberweapons dump that they say underscores the danger of government spy agencies developing intrusive surveillance tools.
On Friday, the hacking group Shadow Brokers released a cache of cyberweapons developed by the National Security Agency (NSA) to access computers that run on Microsoft Windows, a release described by Vice New's Motherboard as "the hacking equivalent of a bomb."
This means that any computer-savvy individual could download the tools and hack into any of the millions of personal Microsoft computers worldwide.
"This is as big as it gets," security researcher and hacker Matthew Hickey told The Intercept's Sam Biddle after news of the release. "Nation-state attack tools are now in the hands of anyone who cares to download them...it's literally a cyberweapon for hacking into computers...people will be using these attacks for years to come."
Microsoft told reporters that no one from the NSA or government alerted them of the security breach, but late Friday the tech company announced they were able to patch most of the exploits.
Regardless, NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden said the release makes clear that the "'lawful access' debate is over," and the government's claim that "nobody but us" has access to these surveillance tools is moot.
Lauren McCauley
Lauren McCauley is a former senior editor for Common Dreams covering national and international politics and progressive news. She is now the Editor of Maine Morning Star. Lauren also helped produce a number of documentary films, including the award-winning Soundtrack for a Revolution and The Hollywood Complex, as well as one currently in production about civil rights icon James Meredith. Her writing has been featured on Newsweek, BillMoyers.com, TruthDig, Truthout, In These Times, and Extra! the newsletter of Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting. She currently lives in Kennebunk, Maine with her husband, two children, a dog, and several chickens.
Hackers and security experts are raising alarm over a massive cyberweapons dump that they say underscores the danger of government spy agencies developing intrusive surveillance tools.
On Friday, the hacking group Shadow Brokers released a cache of cyberweapons developed by the National Security Agency (NSA) to access computers that run on Microsoft Windows, a release described by Vice New's Motherboard as "the hacking equivalent of a bomb."
This means that any computer-savvy individual could download the tools and hack into any of the millions of personal Microsoft computers worldwide.
"This is as big as it gets," security researcher and hacker Matthew Hickey told The Intercept's Sam Biddle after news of the release. "Nation-state attack tools are now in the hands of anyone who cares to download them...it's literally a cyberweapon for hacking into computers...people will be using these attacks for years to come."
Microsoft told reporters that no one from the NSA or government alerted them of the security breach, but late Friday the tech company announced they were able to patch most of the exploits.
Regardless, NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden said the release makes clear that the "'lawful access' debate is over," and the government's claim that "nobody but us" has access to these surveillance tools is moot.
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