Trump campaign turns to secure hardware after hacking incident

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: Reuters

October 11, 2024 6:08 AM EDT Updated 4 hours ago


Oct 11 (Reuters) - Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump’s campaign is now using specialized, encrypted mobile phones and secure laptops in an effort to protect staff following a series of successful Iranian hacks and two attempts to assassinate the former president. The campaign recently purchased a package of these devices from Santa Barbara, California-based Green Hills Software, the developer of a proprietary, security-focused operating system already used by multiple U.S. agencies, the company's CEO told Reuters.

The company sells a customized Android phone that comes pre-installed with its own unique operating system, stripping it of most functions aside from phone calling and text messaging, while implementing additional security controls. While Green Hills Software put out a press release on Oct. 1 about the deal with the campaign, the development has received virtually no press attention.

Company President and CEO Dan O'Dowd said he approached the campaign through shared contacts and offered his company's technology. "Securing the integrity of the democratic process is paramount," O’Dowd said in the release. A Trump campaign spokesperson declined to comment. The top echelon of the campaign recently made significant security improvements to their hardware, said a person familiar with campaign matters who spoke on condition of anonymity, although they were unaware which vendor had been chosen.

When asked about IT security at the Harris campaign, spokesperson Morgan Finkelstein said, "Broadly, we have robust cybersecurity measures in place, and personnel are trained to be vigilant against potentially malicious content."

Read more: https://www.reuters.com/world/us/trump-campaign-turns-secure-hardware-after-hacking-incident-2024-10-11/

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This was all because someone "social engineered" Roger Stone into clicking a link in his email. It's kinda late to be doing this though.

[Pinback]

1. I guess "Nixon4evah" wasn't the best password choice after all. (nt)

[Ford_Prefect]

2. "Well isn't that special"!

[usonian]

3. You can always trust a secure phone, except when ...

It's a Trojan.

FBI Sold Criminals Fake Encrypted Phones That Actually Copied Their Messages

https://www.pcmag.com/news/fbi-sold-criminals-fake-encrypted-phones-that-actually-copied-their-messages

An encrypted chat platform that catered to criminals is actually an FBI sting operation.

Since 2019, the FBI has been secretly operating Anom, a company that pretended to offer encrypted messaging to criminal organizations. In reality, the Anom app would relay to federal investigators a copy of every message sent.

The operation enabled the FBI and international law enforcement to arrest over 800 suspected criminals across the globe, according to Europol.

Anom ended up serving more than 12,000 devices belonging to over 300 criminal organizations, including the Italian mafia, outlaw motorcycle gangs, and crime syndicates based in Asia. The encrypted chat platform recorded messages covering assassination plots, mass drug trafficking, and illegal gun distribution.

"Trust me."

[mdbl]

4. They are probably doing it so they can break the law and not get caught

[JoseBalow]

5. They should all start using beepers

[slightlv]

6. Secure or not,

try to get dumsh*t to actually use one! (LOL) He'll go back to texting on his toilet with his own (hidden) phone every time!

I remember when they made Obama and others give up their Blackberries. They weren't happy, but they complied. T never would comply.