Jacob Appelbaum in Germany

[Jim Bell]

http://www.newsmax.com/Newsfront/NSA-Surveillance/2013/12/30/id/544431

Privacy Advocate Exposes High-Tech NSA Spy Gadgets 
Monday, 30 Dec 2013 03:43 PM
 
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A well-known privacy advocate has given the public an 
unusually explicit peek into the intelligence world's tool box, pulling 
back the curtain on the National Security Agency's arsenal of high-tech 
spy gear.
Independent journalist and security expert Jacob Appelbaum on Monday 
told a hacker conference in Germany that the NSA could turn iPhones into eavesdropping tools and use radar wave devices to harvest electronic 
information from computer even if they weren't online.
Appelbaum told hundreds of computer experts gathered at Hamburg's 
Chaos Communications Conference that his revelations about the NSA's 
capabilities "are even worse than your worst nightmares."
"What I am going to show you today is wrist-slittingly depressing," he said.
Even though in the past six months there have been an unprecedented 
level of public scrutiny of the NSA and its methods, Appelbaum's claims — supported by what appeared to be internal NSA slideshows — still caused a stir.
One of the slides described how the NSA can plant malicious software 
onto Apple Inc.'s iPhone, giving American intelligence agents the 
ability to turn the popular smartphone into a pocket-sized spy.
Another slide showcased a futuristic-sounding device described as a 
"portable continuous wave generator," a remote controlled device which — when paired with tiny electronic implants — can bounce invisible waves 
of energy off keyboards and monitors to see what is being typed even if 
the target device isn't connected to the Internet.
A third slide showcased a piece of equipment called NIGHTSTAND, which can tamper with wireless Internet connections from up to 8 miles away.
An NSA spokeswoman Vanee Vines said that she wasn't aware of 
Appelbaum's presentation, but that in general should would not comment 
on "alleged foreign intelligence activities."
"As we've said before:  NSA's focus is on targeting the 
communications of valid foreign intelligence targets — not on collecting and exploiting a class of communications or services that would sweep 
up communications that are not of bona fide foreign intelligence 
interest to the U.S. government."
The documents included in Appelbaum's presentation were first published by German magazine Der Spiegel Sunday and Monday.
Appelbaum and Der Spiegel have both played an important role in the 
disclosures of NSA leaker Edward Snowden, but neither has clarified 
whether the most recent set of slides came from Snowden.
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