hey Mr Robot fans. It’s been a while eh? Lots have gone on in the Mr Robot world. Especially with the upcoming season 3 of Mr Robot and I wanted to make a few updates. Have you noticed the odd similarities with the show and what’s going on in the American government?
Anyways. a friend of the site wanted to write here a bit about some things he’s been seeing that would make for interesting talk or even a Mr Robot episode. Say hello to Barry.
On July 6th 2017, Wikileaks released more information about tools used by the CIA to infiltrate operating systems. This new information is part of the trove, which is a collection of US intelligence hacking capabilities and processes. This new release is centered around
Two projects called BothanSpy and Gyrfalcon. These tools are used to gain access to secure shell (SSH) credentials.
Learn more about Vault 7
BothanSpy is an implant used specifically to target the Microsoft Windows operating system. The specific target is the Xshell client, which does not come with a standard install of Windows. The Xshell client needs to be purchased from a company called . The implant is able to steal user credentials for active SSH sessions, which are then passed onto a CIA server.
Learn more about SSH
The Gyrfalcon implant targets Linux systems, where it is able to steal user credentials from the OpenSSH client. The tool is able to store the credentials in an encrypted file and then transfer the file for consumption on the agency’s end.
As we have seen with WannaCry malware, which is based on security hole exploit developed by the NSA, tools meant for Intelligence agencies can get into the hands of malicious cyber experts who wish to do harm or make a profit. But the bigger question is why are US intelligence agencies in need of these tools to begin with. With the , we saw an egregious effort by the NSA to collect all data. We also saw collusion with major tech companies like Google and Microsoft. The public trust level is low in the aftermath.
Lear more about WannaCry
Another concern is having these tools in the hands of foreign countries that wish to wreak havoc. There are theories that WannaCry was launched by the Lazarus Group. There are additional theories that this group is linked to the government. And as you may recall, Sony was attacked in 2014, which came from the Guardians of Peace hacker group, which some have concluded has ties to North Korea as well.
These are real events, not paranoia. We see some of the same collusion in Mr. Robot. Phillp Price, CEO of E-Corp, has an unusual relationship with the Chinese government. This relationship led to a two trillion dollar loan and a glimmer of hope for his aspirations for a new e-currency. Among this relationship is a dealing with the Dark Army that helped perpetuate the hack on E-Corp. It seems hard to separate fact from fiction when similar events have happened in real life.