Osama bin Laden: Unprotected, Unarmed, Delusional, Cowering

Google Cache (because the original site is down from traffic): The Killing of Osama bin Laden

‘They knew where the target was – third floor, second door on the right,’ the retired official said. ‘Go straight there. Osama was cowering and retreated into the bedroom. Two shooters followed him and opened up. Very simple, very straightforward, very professional hit.’ Some of the Seals were appalled later at the White House’s initial insistence that they had shot bin Laden in self-defence, the retired official said. ‘Six of the Seals’ finest, most experienced NCOs, faced with an unarmed elderly civilian, had to kill him in self-defence? The house was shabby and bin Laden was living in a cell with bars on the window and barbed wire on the roof. The rules of engagement were that if bin Laden put up any opposition they were authorised to take lethal action. But if they suspected he might have some means of opposition, like an explosive vest under his robe, they could also kill him. So here’s this guy in a mystery robe and they shot him. It’s not because he was reaching for a weapon. The rules gave them absolute authority to kill the guy.’ The later White House claim that only one or two bullets were fired into his head was ‘bullshit’, the retired official said. ‘The squad came through the door and obliterated him. As the Seals say, “We kicked his ass and took his gas.”’

So all of Zero Dark Thirty is a government cover story?

In North Korea, it’s called propaganda.

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Xiaomi Caught In Middle Of Malware

Security firm finds preinstalled malware on Xiaomi Mi 4 smartphone

We are certain the device that Bluebox tested is not using a standard MIUI ROM, as our factory ROM and OTA ROM builds are never rooted and we don’t pre-install services such as YT Service, PhoneGuardService, AppStats etc. Bluebox could have purchased a phone that has been tampered with, as they bought it via a physical retailer in China. Xiaomi does not sell phones via third-party retailers in China, only via our official online channels and selected carrier stores.
— Hugo Barra, VP International

I must side with Xiaomi on this one.

As I’ve pointed out numerous times here, Xiaomi and Lei Jun are constantly banging the drum against Xiaomi counterfeits and insisting the only trustworthy source of their products is Xiaomi itself.

March 11, 2015 update: Thanks to E.T. in Comments, we now know the Mi 4 tested was a fake! Always buy from trusted sources!

Previously here:

Fake Mi Note On Taobao
Fraud Alert: Fake Xiaomi Power Banks On Amazon India
Fake: Xiaomi And Apple Store
Fakes: Counterfeit MiBand, Phony MiCar
Counterfeit Xiaomi Power Banks

The Lowest Bastards Are Book Burners

Because they promote ignorance. And ignorance leads to all other evils and ills.

Iraqi libraries ransacked by Islamic State group in Mosul

When Islamic State group militants invaded the Central Library of Mosul earlier this month, they were on a mission to destroy a familiar enemy: other people’s ideas.

Residents say the extremists smashed the locks that had protected the biggest repository of learning in the northern Iraq town, and loaded around 2,000 books — including children’s stories, poetry, philosophy and tomes on sports, health, culture and science — into six pickup trucks. They left only Islamic texts.

The rest?

“These books promote infidelity and call for disobeying Allah. So they will be burned,” a bearded militant in traditional Afghani two-piece clothing told residents, according to one man living nearby who spoke to The Associated Press.

We need a worldwide program to digitize every damn library.

America, Fuck Yeah

UPDATE: Texas theater cancels plan to show "Team America" instead of "The Interview." http://t.co/BXWl1V3F9A pic.twitter.com/48lngMPIGQ

— Good Morning America (@GMA) December 19, 2014

ALERT: Don’t Ever Buy The Coolpad Brand

Manufacturer’s Backdoor Found on Popular Chinese Android Smartphone

The manufacturer has also taken steps via modifications to its version of Android to keep the backdoor hidden from users and security software that could be installed on the phone. For example, Olson said Coolpad has disabled the long-press system that allows a user to find out what application generated an pop-up advertisement or notification, for example.

Well, they just ruined their brand.

I don’t give a shit if they come out with The Return Of Jesus tablet. They are permanently banned from coverage here.

Previously here:

The China Market Has Been Lost. Thanks, NSA!
China Android Malware Alert 2
China Android Malware Alert

The China Market Has Been Lost. Thanks, NSA!

China is Planning to Purge Foreign Technology and Replace With Homegrown Suppliers

China is aiming to purge most foreign technology from banks, the military, state-owned enterprises and key government agencies by 2020, stepping up efforts to shift to Chinese suppliers, according to people familiar with the effort.

The push comes after a test of domestic alternatives in the northeastern city of Siping that was deemed a success, said the people, who asked not to be named because the details aren’t public. Workers there replaced Microsoft Corp.’s Windows with a homegrown operating system called NeoKylin and swapped foreign servers for ones made by China’s Inspur Group Ltd., they said.

The plan for changes in four segments of the economy is driven by national security concerns and marks an increasingly determined move away from foreign suppliers under President Xi Jinping, the people said. The campaign could have lasting consequences for U.S. companies including Cisco Systems Inc., International Business Machines Corp., Intel Corp. and Hewlett-Packard Co.

“The shift is real,” said Charlie Dai, a Beijing-based analyst for Forrester Research Inc. “We have seen emerging cases of replacing foreign products at all layers from application, middleware down to the infrastructure software and hardware.”

Spies Everywhere

Regin: Top-tier espionage tool enables stealthy surveillance

This all reminds me of that scene in Batman:

INT. AXIS CHEMICAL – FILE ROOM – NIGHT

SPARKS FLY. A SAFECRACKER, in welder’s mask, trains a
blowtorch on the office safe. Behind him, Jack’s HOODS
are at work on the filing cabinets. Jack stands watch-
ing, squinting through the fumes. He holds a silk
handkerchief over his nose and mouth.

The SAFECRACKER kills his blowtorch and opens the metal
door of the safe, giving Jack a good look inside:

SAFECRACKER
Empty.

JACK shakes his head: they’ve been set up. A SIREN
blares outside.

JACK
We’ve been ratted out here, boys.

I really wonder about China-made tech now too …

… anything lurking in those phones and tablets that their makers don’t know about?

Previously here:

Who’s Watching The Watchers Watching Us?
“Buy From Our Store. We’re NSA-FREE!”

China Android Malware Alert

Android smartphone shipped with spyware

Chinese Android smartphone comes with malware pre-installed

This is not good.

And yes, I do know my country’s NSA intercepts packages and plant their own spyware on them. I’m against that too.

“Buy From Our Store. We’re NSA-FREE!”

Documents Reveal Top NSA Hacking Unit

Sometimes it appears that the world’s most modern spies are just as reliant on conventional methods of reconnaissance as their predecessors.

Take, for example, when they intercept shipping deliveries. If a target person, agency or company orders a new computer or related accessories, for example, TAO can divert the shipping delivery to its own secret workshops. The NSA calls this method interdiction. At these so-called “load stations,” agents carefully open the package in order to load malware onto the electronics, or even install hardware components that can provide backdoor access for the intelligence agencies. All subsequent steps can then be conducted from the comfort of a remote computer.

These minor disruptions in the parcel shipping business rank among the “most productive operations” conducted by the NSA hackers, one top secret document relates in enthusiastic terms. This method, the presentation continues, allows TAO to obtain access to networks “around the world.”

Boldfaced emphasis added by me.

Who’s Paranoid Now?

When PDAs were the rage and smartphones were still primitive (the Treo had not yet been introduced), I dared to bring up the subject of data privacy on a discussion board. I used the example of Al Sharpton being arrested (he was always being arrested back then; NYC was in turmoil) — what would be the likelihood of the police confiscating his PDA and taking all of the info off of it?

I was basically jeered at and made to feel stupid and ridiculous. No one had the brains to see any of the implications of what I had raised.

Even today, with all of the NSA revelations, there are still those who smugly insist there’s no risk in using “the Cloud.”