Southwest CyberSec Forum

Pegasus and Privacy

2023-08-01T02:34:38-07:00

Location</h2>
For this meeting, we are back in Room SO1330</strong> of the South Building</strong> at GateWay Community College</strong>, Washington Campus. Details below</a>.</p>

Schedule: Mon, August 7th, 2023, 6:00-9:00pm</strong> MST</h2>

6:00 - 6:30pm: Networking and Food</li>
6:30 - 6:40pm</strong>: Meeting Start and Announcements</li>
6:40 - 7:00pm</strong>: Cyber Threat Updates</strong> by Erik Graham</li>
7:10 - 8:00pm</strong>: Pegasus & the Phantom Menace It Left Behind</strong> by Christina Eichelkraut</li>
8:10 - 8:45pm</strong>: Android Privacy Tips</strong> by Elio Grieco</li>
8:45 - 9:00pm: Wrap Up and Networking</li> </ul> Topic 1: Pegasus & the Phantom Menace It Left Behind</strong></h2> The U.S. Government recently banned</a> the use of Pegasus</a>, surveillance software developed by the Israeli firm NSO. The decision came on the heels of the discovery that 50 U.S. Government officials were surveilled by the no-click spyware.</p>
However, the global cybersurveillance industry continues to thrive, often being used to attack journalists, lawyers, human rights advocates and dissidents of autocratic regimes. Yet it is also used to effectively break up child trafficking rings, capture drug lords and prevent large-scale terrorist attacks.</p>
This conversation will discuss what Pegasus is, where it came from and how it influences major geopolitical outcomes. We'll briefly touch on what is at stake in a world where private privacy interests increasingly conflict with the modern methods used for legitimate intelligence gathering efforts. And, we'll examine how the blurring the lines between the private and public sectors particularly lends itself to abuse. Finally, we'll cover what is being done by the U.S. and other countries.</p>
Slides</strong> as `pdf</code></a> or` `pptx</code></a>.</p>`
Further Reading</h3> Scientific American, “What is Pegasus? How Surveillance Spyware Invades Phones</a>,” August 9, 2021</li> Wall Street Journal, “BidenRestricts Use of Commercial Hacking Tools by U.S. Agencies</a>,” March 27, 2023</li> New York Times, “How Spy Tech Firms Let Governments See Everything on a Smartphone</a>,” digital publication on 9/2/2016</li> Columbia Journalism Review, “The Hacker</a>,” _The Authoritarianism Issue _</li> New York Times, “How Mexico Became the Biggest User of the World’s Most Notorious Spy Tool</a>,” April 18, 2023</li> Foreign Affairs, “The Autocrat in Your iPhone</a>,” January/February 2023, by Ronald J. Deibert, founder of Citizen Lab</li> Haaretz, “What Did the FBI Really Want NSO’s Pegasus For?”</a> Feb. 6, 2022</li> Amnesty.org, “The Pegasus Project: One year on, spyware crisis continues after failure to clamp down on surveillance industry</a>,” July 18, 2022</li> Council on Foreign Relations, cfr.org</a>, “How Israel’s Pegasus Spyware Stoked the Surveillance Debate</a>,” March 8, 2022</li> The Pegasus Project</a>, The Guardian, ongoing.</li> </ul> Topic 2: Android Privacy Tips</strong></h2> While the fight against military grade spyware is long and slow, there are some relatively simple steps that can be taken to improve your privacy and harden your Android phone against more modest threats.</p> Why aren't we covering Apple? Well, Apple does not allow modification of their devices via either hardware or software. If you have an Apple device, you are limited to the hardening and security mitigations that they have provided.</p> We'll cover what you can protect and the limits of said protection for:</p> network traffic</li> location data</li> eavesdropping (visual and auditory)</li> Android permissions</li> permissions that are more dangerous than they seem e.g. the accelerometer</li> a few side channels</li> </ul> As well as more permanent solutions:</p> physical blocking</li> privacy front-ends</li> chaffing (data pools)</li> open source hardware and software to prevent or slow enshittification</li> legislative solutions and their limits</li> </ul> Attend Virtually</h2> Zoom meeting starts at: 6:15 PM</strong> MST (Arizona time)</p> Join the Zoom Meeting via computer or mobile: https://zoom.us/j/94486073474?pwd=VXZNZUhPMS85RlI2YWx0aitKWTZUUT09</a></p> Or call in via phone: Meeting ID: 944 8607 3474</strong> Passcode: 292977</strong></p> One tap mobile +16699009128,,93164774726#,,,,292977#</a> US (San Jose) +17193594580,,93164774726#,,,,292977#</a> US</p> Local call-in numbers are available: https://zoom.us/u/aerUAuePA9</a></p> Attend in Person</h2> Room SO1330</strong> of the South Building</strong> at GateWay Community College</strong>, Washington Campus.</p> 108 N 40th St, Phoenix, AZ 85034</p> Map link to the Exact Location</a></p> Parking Map</h3> South Building Map</h3> Food</h2> Free pizza and soft drinks will be provided</strong> to all attendees. If you have other preferences, Speedy Street Tacos is within walking distance, just past the East parking lot. There are also a few other restaurants within a short drive of the college.</p>



You Can Be Correct Sir
2023-06-28T00:50:41-07:00
Location</h2>
For this meeting, we are back in Room SO1330</strong> of the South Building</strong> at GateWay Community College</strong>, Washington Campus. Details below</a>.</p>
Schedule: Mon, Jul 3rd, 2023, 6:00-9:00pm</strong> MST</h2>

6:00 - 6:30pm: Networking and Food</li>
6:30 - 6:40pm</strong>: Meeting Start and Announcements</li>
6:40 - 7:00pm</strong>: Cyber Threat Updates by Erik Graham</li>
7:10 - 8:45pm</strong>: You Can Be Correct Sir</li>
8:45 - 9:00pm: Wrap Up and Networking</li>
</ul>
Topic: You Can Be Correct Sir</strong></h2>
A watch-along review of Making Software 'Correct by Construction' by Professor Martyn Thomas CBE</a>. We'll watch this talk together and pause for any questions you might have during the talk.</p>
In the video, professor Martyn Thomas covers techniques to build software with few to no bugs in less time</strong> than it takes build today's broken and insecure systems. He also covers case studies of cost and time to market for such software, putting to rest the mistaken belief that it "costs too much and takes too long" to build software properly. While some of the techniques are advanced, most of the principles discussed can be successfully applied in any software development team or project today</strong>.</p>
And not a moment too soon as the cost of poor software quality in the US has grown to at least $2.41 trillion</strong>, while the accumulated software Technical Debt (TD) has grown to ~$1.52 trillion</strong> as of 2022</a>. The public is becoming weary of the constant parade of patches that never seem to make our software any less buggy nor slow the ever increasing frequency and scale of cyber attacks.</p>
Luckily, CISA's Secure by Design, Secure by Default</a> initiative is a push in the right direction. It likely won't be long before insurance companies and regulators start to follow their lead and demand the reliability, security, and accountability that is the mark of any mature engineering discipline.</p>
It's time to move deliberately and fix things.</strong></p>
Attend Virtually</h2>
Zoom meeting starts at: 6:15 PM</strong> MST (Arizona time)</p>
Join the Zoom Meeting via computer or mobile:
https://zoom.us/j/93164774726?pwd=d0JJQzNqUVJjR21EbERVa05WZE0rZz09</a></p>
Or call in via phone:

Meeting ID: 931 6477 4726</strong>

Passcode: 762310</strong></p>
One tap mobile

+16699009128,,93164774726#,,,,*762310#</a> US (San Jose)

+17193594580,,93164774726#,,,,*762310#</a> US</p>
Local call-in numbers are available: https://zoom.us/u/aerUAuePA9</a></p>
Attend in Person</h2>
Room SO1330</strong> of the South Building</strong> at GateWay Community College</strong>, Washington Campus.</p>
108 N 40th St,

Phoenix, AZ 85034</p>
Map link to the Exact Location</a></p>
Parking Map</h3>
 

South Building Map</h3>
 

Food</h2>
Free pizza and soft drinks will be provided</strong> to all attendees. If you have other preferences, Speedy Street Tacos is within walking distance, just past the East parking lot. There are also a few other restaurants within a short drive of the college.</p>


Subscribe
2023-05-22T17:31:42-07:00
Emails go out several times a month and announce the time and location of the monthly meetings.</p>
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Southwest CyberSec Forum

Pegasus and Privacy

Location</h2> For this meeting, we are back in Room SO1330</strong> of the South Building</strong> at GateWay Community College</strong>, Washington Campus. Details below</a>.</p>

Attend Virtually</h2> Zoom meeting starts at: 6:15 PM</strong> MST (Arizona time)</p>

South Building Map</h3>

Food</h2> Free pizza and soft drinks will be provided</strong> to all attendees. If you have other preferences, Speedy Street Tacos is within walking distance, just past the East parking lot. There are also a few other restaurants within a short drive of the college.</p>

You Can Be Correct Sir

Location</h2> For this meeting, we are back in Room SO1330</strong> of the South Building</strong> at GateWay Community College</strong>, Washington Campus. Details below</a>.</p>

Schedule: Mon, Jul 3rd, 2023, 6:00-9:00pm</strong> MST</h2> 6:00 - 6:30pm: Networking and Food</li> 6:30 - 6:40pm</strong>: Meeting Start and Announcements</li> 6:40 - 7:00pm</strong>: Cyber Threat Updates by Erik Graham</li> 7:10 - 8:45pm</strong>: You Can Be Correct Sir</li>

South Building Map</h3>

Food</h2> Free pizza and soft drinks will be provided</strong> to all attendees. If you have other preferences, Speedy Street Tacos is within walking distance, just past the East parking lot. There are also a few other restaurants within a short drive of the college.</p>

Subscribe

Location</h2>
For this meeting, we are back in Room SO1330</strong> of the South Building</strong> at GateWay Community College</strong>, Washington Campus. Details below</a>.</p>

Food</h2>
Free pizza and soft drinks will be provided</strong> to all attendees. If you have other preferences, Speedy Street Tacos is within walking distance, just past the East parking lot. There are also a few other restaurants within a short drive of the college.</p>

Location</h2>
For this meeting, we are back in Room SO1330</strong> of the South Building</strong> at GateWay Community College</strong>, Washington Campus. Details below</a>.</p>

Food</h2>
Free pizza and soft drinks will be provided</strong> to all attendees. If you have other preferences, Speedy Street Tacos is within walking distance, just past the East parking lot. There are also a few other restaurants within a short drive of the college.</p>