FBI Software For Analyzing Fingerprints Contains Russian-Made Code, Whistleblowers Say

[OxQQme]

snip>
In a secret deal, a French company purchased code from a Kremlin-connected firm, incorporated it into its own software, and hid its existence from the FBI, according to documents and two whistleblowers. The allegations raise concerns that Russian hackers could compromise law enforcement computer systems.

The fingerprint-analysis software used by the FBI and more than 18,000 other US law enforcement agencies contains code created by a Russian firm with close ties to the Kremlin, according to documents and two whistleblowers. The allegations raise concerns that Russian hackers could gain backdoor access to sensitive biometric information on millions of Americans, or even compromise wider national security and law enforcement computer systems.

The Russian code was inserted into the fingerprint-analysis software by a French company, said the two whistleblowers, who are former employees of that company. The firm — then a subsidiary of the massive Paris-based conglomerate Safran — deliberately concealed from the FBI the fact that it had purchased the Russian code in a secret deal, they said.

In recent years, Russian hackers have gained access to everything from the Democratic National Committee’s email servers to the systems of nuclear power companies to the unclassified computers of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, according to US authorities."<

more:
https://www.buzzfeed.com/chrishamby/fbi-software-contains-russian-made-code-that-could-open-a?bftwnews&utm_term=.ocqP1vqJk#.qrrEAxLMj

[LisaM]

1. Does anyone remember an article, maybe 10 years ago, about the Russians switching to typewriters

for sensitive communications? I distinctly remember reading this somewhere; they'd ordered a bunch of them and were going to use typewritten messages for classified information because they feared getting hacked.

It really struck me at the time, but now it seems ominous.

[LisaM]

2. I found the article, and it's from 2013.

After reading this, I'm a little disturbed. It's almost as if they were signaling something.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-23282308

[hedda_foil]

3. Thanks for the research, Lisa. :-)