NSA's 'MonsterMind' Could Automate Cyberwar
Edward Snowden says machine planned by NSA would counterattack automatically against hackers.
Edward
Snowden speaks to European officials via videoconference in April.
Snowden says the NSA is developing a program that could automatically
respond to hackers.
The National Security Agency is developing a cybersecurity machine that could detect and automatically counter
attacks against U.S. computers by blocking access to American networks, according to reports from former agency contractor Edward Snowden.
That automated response of the machine known as “MonsterMind” is dangerous because it may target computers of people who are unaware they are under the control of a hacker, and could lead the NSA to unintentionally disrupt civilian connections and even cause an international incident, Wired reports.
[ READ: The New Mafia: Battling Hackers Like Organized Crime]
Countries like Germany and Brazil sought international recourse against the U.S. after reports that the NSA spied on their citizens, so automated cybersecurity retaliation would probably be even more unpopular. Because the Internet was invented in the U.S. – also the home of Silicon Valley companies – being blocked from access to American networks could bring anybody’s online life or business to a screeching halt. It’s unclear from Snowden’s interview whether MonsterMind would take other forms of retaliation besides blocking a signal to U.S. networks, but collateral damage would certainly be a problem.
Hackers often stage online attacks through a network of computers called a bot net, which is a series of computers infected with malware that allows a hacker to control and trigger the machines without the user knowing about it. Bot nets often include computers outside the home country of the hacker group to help avoid detection.
The plan to build a cybersecurity machine that would monitor all private communications coming into the U.S. for attacks and retaliate without human involvement was the last straw that led Snowden to become a whistleblower, he told Wired in an interview.
“The argument is that the only way we can identify these malicious traffic flows and respond to them is if we're analyzing all traffic flows,” Snowden told Wired. “And if we're analyzing all traffic flows, that means we have to be intercepting all traffic flows. That means violating the Fourth Amendment, seizing private communications without a warrant, without probable cause or even a suspicion of wrongdoing.”
Snowden is living in Russia to avoid prosecution in the U.S. for his disclosures of government documents to the press, which have revealed broad surveillance conducted both with and without a warrant. He was recently granted a three-year residency permit, which can be renewed for another three years, but he does not have asylum status. The whistleblower is working at an unnamed technology firm in Russia and can apply to be a citizen there after five years of residency. Snowden has said he does not care what happens to him, emphasizing that he wants to see continued conversation about privacy rights and curtailing broad government surveillance.
That automated response of the machine known as “MonsterMind” is dangerous because it may target computers of people who are unaware they are under the control of a hacker, and could lead the NSA to unintentionally disrupt civilian connections and even cause an international incident, Wired reports.
[ READ: The New Mafia: Battling Hackers Like Organized Crime]
Countries like Germany and Brazil sought international recourse against the U.S. after reports that the NSA spied on their citizens, so automated cybersecurity retaliation would probably be even more unpopular. Because the Internet was invented in the U.S. – also the home of Silicon Valley companies – being blocked from access to American networks could bring anybody’s online life or business to a screeching halt. It’s unclear from Snowden’s interview whether MonsterMind would take other forms of retaliation besides blocking a signal to U.S. networks, but collateral damage would certainly be a problem.
Snowden unmasks ‘MonsterMind’
Snowden unmasks ‘MonsterMind’
Hackers often stage online attacks through a network of computers called a bot net, which is a series of computers infected with malware that allows a hacker to control and trigger the machines without the user knowing about it. Bot nets often include computers outside the home country of the hacker group to help avoid detection.
The plan to build a cybersecurity machine that would monitor all private communications coming into the U.S. for attacks and retaliate without human involvement was the last straw that led Snowden to become a whistleblower, he told Wired in an interview.
“The argument is that the only way we can identify these malicious traffic flows and respond to them is if we're analyzing all traffic flows,” Snowden told Wired. “And if we're analyzing all traffic flows, that means we have to be intercepting all traffic flows. That means violating the Fourth Amendment, seizing private communications without a warrant, without probable cause or even a suspicion of wrongdoing.”
Snowden is living in Russia to avoid prosecution in the U.S. for his disclosures of government documents to the press, which have revealed broad surveillance conducted both with and without a warrant. He was recently granted a three-year residency permit, which can be renewed for another three years, but he does not have asylum status. The whistleblower is working at an unnamed technology firm in Russia and can apply to be a citizen there after five years of residency. Snowden has said he does not care what happens to him, emphasizing that he wants to see continued conversation about privacy rights and curtailing broad government surveillance.
Security Expert Skeptical of Snowden Claims
Cybersecurity
researcher Allan Friedman said he is skeptical of Edward Snowden's
claim that the NSA secretly created software codenamed 'MonsterMind' to
automatically fire back at cyberattacks from foreign countries...
- TAGS:
- Snowden, Edward
- NSA
- cybersecurity
- privacy
- end quote from:
- http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2014/08/13/nsas-monstermind-could-automate-cyberwar
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