Posted on 11/21/2014 3:43:11 PM PST by Brother Cracker
Human rights group Amnesty International released free software on Thursday that allows users to determine if their computers are bugged by government intelligence agencies.
The program, Detekt, was designed specifically for human rights activists and journalists, whose computers governments regularly target, Amnesty said.
“Governments are increasingly using dangerous and sophisticated technology that allows them to read activists and journalists’ private emails and remotely turn on their computer’s camera or microphone to secretly record their activities,” said Marek Marczynski of Amnesty International.
“They use the technology in a cowardly attempt to prevent abuses from being exposed,” he added.
In many place, journalists and activists with sensitive information are at risk of arrest, torture and even execution.
Detekt was developed in partnership with Internet-rights groups Digitale Geselleschaft, Electronic Frontier Foundation and Privacy International. It is offered for free at resistsurveillance.org, and available in English, Spanish, Amharic, Arabic, Italian and German.
The software, which is so-far only compatible with Windows operating systems, scans computer systems to determine whether they’ve been compromised. It doesn’t remove spyware, but alerts users to its presence.
“If Detekt indicates signs of infection, you should assume that your computer has been compromised and is no longer safe for use,” its website reads.
“The attacker will likely have remote-control access of your computer, meaning they can view not only your files and emails but everything you type on your keyboard and could even switch on your webcam and microphone remotely,” it continues.
Detekt joins a growing list of software programs developed by nonprofit groups to help activists and journalists skirt government surveillance.
The Freedom of the Press Foundation recently released SecureDrop, which allows confidential sources to pass along sensitive information to journalists or news organizations over an encrypted connection.
Many journalists have also started using PGP, or "pretty good privacy," encryption programs, created by open software developers to secure communications between journalists and sources. Many journalists and activists also use "Tor" technology to conceal their exact physical location when accessing the Internet.
In its 2014 World Press Freedom Index published in February, Reporters Without Borders said widespread national security and surveillance programs have scaled back press freedom in established democracies — including the United States and United Kingdom.
Traditional violators of press freedom – like Iran, Syria, China, Eritrea and North Korea – remained at the bottom of the index.
Government releases software to counter conservative right wing extremist spyware detector.
It detekts malware but doesn’t remove it. What good is that?
Ok, you run it, it says your pc is infected and basically never turn it on again.
My maintenance seems to be working. Malwarebytes, Ccleaner, Smartdefrag. Almost daily, in that order. Keeps XP (the most vulnerable of OS’s) running smoothly.
Like we can trust the spyware. Obama has done his job.
Software recommended by aljazeera , sounds legit.......
crowdinspector is a nice app that shows suspicious network connections.
EFF can be trusted. They are more paranoid than anyone you will meet in here! Lol!
CCleaner, Smartdefrag do absolutely nothing to protect your computer. You need a good firewall and antivirus program.
PGP works well. Tor wasn’t as badly compromised as many people think. Sure, with its unlimited assets the feds can hack Tor when they are dealing with certain individuals. But everyday reporters, tourists etc. can and should use Tor when necessary.
Any freeware out there that once a malware program is detected and removed will remember and not allow that program back on my PC?
You realize of course that Microsoft is no longer supporting Windows XP so there are no patches for vulnerabilities.In effect you’re a sitting duck.
Good advice; thank you.
At least daily I run Superantispyware free, Avast free, Malwarebytes Anti-malware free, and Glary utilities pro, all at their toughest, deepest scans, and EMET 4.1, and use Commodo as a firewall with Spywareblaster and Malwarebytes Anti Exploit free, and whatever Comodo and Avast and Chrome gives me for free as real time protection, along with HTTPS everywhere, Adblock plus, and Disconnect.
Is it worth doing a scan with this program or would my other scans do the same thing.
I do not believe that your scans do the same thing as Detekt does.
Detekt website: Windows 8.1 is not supported. hmmmm
I don’t support Windows 8 either.
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