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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!

Apple iPhone Security Ping!

If you want on or off the Mac Ping List, Freepmail me.

It’s not FUD.

Under CALEA all software and hardware are required to give the government a backdoor key or access in some way.

CALEA even includes transmission.

They “invested” in companies and by law have access to technologies that they are part owner in.

As for the claim of backdoor, I doubt it will have any measurable effect on Apple sales.

Apple is a unique eco-system of “Gotta Have it” and “Fandom”

Besides, they make things that just plain work better.

That said, I don’t a single Apple product.

Mostly because I want to work on stuff I already know how to work with. Not that I can’t learn Apple just don’t feel like it.

Also, after I built my version of a dual processor 486-Dx2-66, mounted with a Creative Labs sound card, two 8meg Matrox video cards and my then gigantic 21” CAD/CAM Color CRT by Radius, someone put a sticker on my computer that read “It Smells Inside”.

I don’t want to say who it Woz but, the guy is a pretty big deal in the computer industry.

Might have even been on his employees at Cloud 9 for all I know.

That’s not really the reason but, that did happen and I no one ever fessed up to messing with my kewel azz machine.