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More NSA skulduggery

Many security experts will tell you that the only way to guarantee the security of your computer is to unplug it and place it in a locked room with an armed guard outside.

Obviously this is somewhat impractical -- since to be of any use, your computer must be connected -- at least to a power source and these days, to the internet.

However, reports are circulating that some computers which were not, nor have ever been Net-connected have been the subject of surveillance by the NSA.

How did they do this?

Simple, they "bugged" them with wireless devices which transmitted crucial data over distances sufficient to allow the NSA to receive that data and store it for later analysis.

Well that's what the reports claim -- however, one can't help but wonder about the veracity of these allegations.

Apparently, the computers being monitored in this way had been covertly fitted with small additional circuits internally or via their USB connectors. Something as simple as a "modified" USB cable could easily play host to such a digital data-bug and once installed it would likely go completely unnoticed.

Gaining access to the computers in order to install such spyware would be a part of the process since hardware can't be remotely installed in the way that software can. However, I'm sure the NSA can call on the services of other government agencies well-versed in covert physical intrusions.

What makes me a little hesitant about accepting the veracity of these reports is the claimed range of up to 8 miles.

An eight-mile range would require a reasonable amount of RF power and a decent antenna system -- not easy to achieve when you're trying to keep everything hidden and secret. However, it's possible that this range was achieved with some form of repeater -- perhaps physically hidden in a roof cavity or something so maybe I ought not be too skeptical.

In the light of these revelations, I guess we will now have to revise that old cliché from "is it safe to talk?" to "is it safe to type?"

Another domino falls in the war against privacy!

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