Edward Snowden: Apple iPhone with Secret iFeature Allows Government to Spy on You
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/3250391/posts
As was pointed out there ... :-) ...
A Russian Journalist claims Snowden’s attorney says that Snowden will not use an iPhone because it has “secret backdoor spyware” installed in it! Keep in mind this is coming from RUSSIA where Apple has just raised prices in the App store and Russia is actively discouraging the purchase of Apple products by its citizens. . . and a statue of Steve Jobs was just dismantled. In addition, the last time that Snowden made such a claim was in 2013 when he released a document to back-up his claim. . . a document in which the NSA had developed spyware for the iPhone called “DROPOUTJEEP” which caused quite a flurry at that time. . . including the German government dropping the use of iOS products. However, lost in all that hype was the fact that that document was written prior to its distribution on October 1, 2008, four months after Apple opened the App Store six and a half years ago! In addition, since then the iPhone has been gone over by multiple developers and no one has found any “backdoors” in the software.
This was an exploit for the FIRST MODEL iPhone and in addition, as specified on the document, REQUIRED physical possession of the iPhone to install the spyware! DROPOUTJEEP specifically states it is an “implant” exploit. . . requiring “close access methods” to deploy. i.e. physical access to the iPhone to install the spyware. Someone had to intercept a specific iPhone before the target to be spied on received it. . . or they had to get to it after delivery to secretly install the spyware. That was the state of SNOWDEN’s knowledge about the iPhone. . . there is no reason to believe that he suddenly has new knowledge to add. PERIOD.
Finally, it is FUD Season. . . Tuesday is when Apple will announce the results of the 1st quarter of the 2015 fiscal year. . . and as usual, for three weeks prior to any Apple event of such a nature, FUD will be flying hot and heavy. — PING!
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Watch out for “Putin propaganda” ... LOL ...
Bottom line is that if you are online, then you are most likely being tracked.
And he's talking (Actually it wasn't Snowden, but his Russian government state appointed Attorney talking to a Russian news agency) about "DROPOUTJEEP" a 2008 exploit that required the agency intercept an iPhone before delivery . . . and insert it manually! That was what Snowden released in 2013 and caused the German government to drop the use of iPhones, even though the had forensic experts go through Angela Merkel's iPhone and found. . . NOTHING! The document that Snowden released to backup his claim, also from 2008, explicitly stated it required physical possession of the iPhone to execute the exploit, i.e., they had to intercept the iPhone before delivery, or surreptitiously break into where the phone was kept without the knowledge of its owner and insert DROPOUTJEEP into it.