Facebook bought a hacking tool and handed it to the FBI

by nativetechdoctor
3 minutes read

For years, a man in California (USA) has harassed and blackmailed young girls, blackmailed them into raping nude photos and videos, and even threatened to kill and rape them or terrorize their schools to achieve their goals.

Much of this abuse occurs on Facebook and, after months of struggling and tireless efforts by stakeholders, recognizes a man named Buster Hernandez (aka Brian Kiel). There is little doubt that Facebook itself pays security companies to develop this social media hacking to help Facebook find that person.

According to the motherboard, Facebook paid $ 1 million in cybersecurity consulting to develop a hacking tool that can penetrate the Tails operating system, which focuses on data protection. This application should utilize a bug in the Tails video streaming application to find out the real IP address of the video viewer. As now and former social network employees announced, Facebook handed the tool over to an intermediary, who handed it over to federal agents. The FBI then filmed the video of the victim sent to Hernandez so they could continue to capture him.

The crime Hernandez acknowledged was appalling, but Facebook’s role in the incident also raised serious questions about business ethics. Can private companies like Facebook buy and use their specialized hacking tools? Also, hacks occur on Tails, not on Facebook, and as the Tails spokesman said, exploits are not reported to the development team.

It is also unclear whether the FBI knows whether Facebook is involved in developing this exploit tool. But this is believed to be the only time Facebook has come to help US law enforcement hack users and spokesperson of the social network said the company does not want this to become a precedent. Facebook seems to justify its actions that Hernandez’s behavior is very serious and terrible.

Tails are not only used by criminals, but it is also used by thousands of political activists, journalists, government officials, and those who want to hide due to fears of domestic violence or thinkers. differential use. Even, it is also a former spy the CIA Edward Snowden recommended. Exploiting its vulnerability could be abused to target anyone who is using Tails OS, not just the bad guys like Hernandez, although there is currently no evidence of this abuse, obviously Facebook “Opening” such a double-sided door is dangerous.

It is this “bizarre” approach that helped the FBI to arrest a serial child abuser, but it also suggested many potential risks.

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