"Skynet" is Real and Could Flag You as a Terrorist

SKYNET-NSA-829x325_c.jpg

Documents leaked by NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden, confirm that the Skynet program exists. 

The National Security Agency program analyzes location and metadata from phone records to detect potentially suspicious patterns, according to the publication. In one example, it was used to identify people that act as couriers between al-Qaeda leadership. This may have been the program that helped identify Osama bin Laden's courier, leading to his targeted killing in Pakistan by US forces in 2011.
According to one of the documents, it uses "behavior-based analytics," such as low-use phones that only take incoming calls, SIM card or handset swapping, or frequent disconnections from the phone network, such as powering down cellphones. Also, repeated trips mapped out by location data, including visits to other countries or airports, can flag a person as being suspicious, or a potential terrorist.
More than 55 million cell records collected from major Pakistani telecom companies were fed into the Skynet system to determine targets of interest, the document said.
But questions remain around why the program flagged a prominent Al Jazeera journalist as a "member" of al-Qaeda. It's probably not a surprise that the system alerted on Ahmad Muaffaq Zaidan, a Syrian national, based on his frequent travel between Afghanistan and Pakistan. But the fact that it identified him as a member of a terrorist group is a mystery, as well as a great concern.
Zaidan "absolutely" denied that he is a member of al-Qaeda, and criticized the US government's "attempt at using questionable techniques to target our journalists."
ZD Net:  http://bit.ly/1cMqMWZ

 

« Russia & China Grow Closer With New Cyber Agreement
China says Wearable Tech Could Leak Secrets »

CyberSecurity Jobsite
Perimeter 81

Directory of Suppliers

CSI Consulting Services

CSI Consulting Services

Get Advice From The Experts: * Training * Penetration Testing * Data Governance * GDPR Compliance. Connecting you to the best in the business.

Jooble

Jooble

Jooble is a job search aggregator operating in 71 countries worldwide. We simplify the job search process by displaying active job ads from major job boards and career sites across the internet.

CYRIN

CYRIN

CYRIN® Cyber Range. Real Tools, Real Attacks, Real Scenarios. See why leading educational institutions and companies in the U.S. have begun to adopt the CYRIN® system.

LockLizard

LockLizard

Locklizard provides PDF DRM software that protects PDF documents from unauthorized access and misuse. Share and sell documents securely - prevent document leakage, sharing and piracy.

XYPRO Technology

XYPRO Technology

XYPRO is the market leader in HPE Non-Stop Security, Risk Management and Compliance.

Authentic8

Authentic8

Authentic8 transforms how organizations secure and control the use of the web with Silo, its patented cloud browser.

Maritime Cybersecurity Center (MCC)

Maritime Cybersecurity Center (MCC)

Maritime Cybersecurity Center is a not-for-profit organization focused on regional cybersecurity excellence and readiness, with a special emphasis on the maritime community.

Wipro

Wipro

Wipro Limited is a leading global information technology, consulting and business process services company.

ReFirm Labs

ReFirm Labs

ReFirm Labs provides the tools you need for firmware security, vetting, analysis and continuous IoT security monitoring.

BioConnect

BioConnect

BioConnect provide biometric access control solutions to verify a person’s identity across physical, IOT and digital applications.

MagicCube

MagicCube

MagicCube is a device independent IoT security platform that protects against on-device, cloud, and network attacks.

Crypto Quantique

Crypto Quantique

Crypto Quantique's ground-breaking technology radically simplifies the process of generating a hardware root of trust in an IoT device.

HackControl

HackControl

HackControl services include penetration tests, security audits, block chain audits and brand and anti-phishing protection.

Connectria

Connectria

Connectria provides cloud hosting, remote monitoring, and compliant cloud security solutions and services to enterprises, medium and small businesses.

Chicago Quantum Exchange (CQE)

Chicago Quantum Exchange (CQE)

Chicago Quantum Exchange is an intellectual hub and community of researchers with the common goal of advancing academic and industrial efforts in the science and engineering of quantum information.

Across Verticals

Across Verticals

Across Verticals is a boutique cyber security consulting firm that specializes in holistic, deeply technical and end to end cyber security advisory services based on industry best practices.

Think|Stack

Think|Stack

Think|Stack is a managed IT services company specializing in cloud and cybersecurity with human-centered design.

Valtix

Valtix

Valtix is the first and only multi-cloud network security platform delivered as a service that enables cloud teams to meet the most stringent security requirements in a cloud-first & simple way.

Finesse Global

Finesse Global

Finesse is a global system integration and digital business transformation company.

Sayers

Sayers

Sayers is best known for its ability to solve business challenges with IT solutions. Our areas of expertise include cloud, storage, virtualization, security, mobility and networking.

Seven AI

Seven AI

Seven AI develops cyber security software designed to identify online threats.