Canada and its spying partners exploited weaknesses in one of the world's most popular mobile browsers and planned to hack into smartphones via links to Google and Samsung app stores, a top secret document shows.
Electronic intelligence agencies began targeting UC Browser in late 2011 after discovering it leaked revealing details about its half-billion users. Their goal, in tapping into UC Browser and also looking for larger app store vulnerabilities, was to collect data on suspected terrorists and other intelligence targets — and, in some cases, implant spyware on targeted smartphones. The surveillance agencies exploited the weaknesses in certain mobile apps.
Read moreCanada’s intelligence agency deliberately kept the country’s Federal Court “in the dark” to bypass the law in order to outsource its spying on Canadian citizens abroad to foreign security agencies, a federal judge said.
Federal Court Judge, Richard Mosley, has slammed the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) for knowingly misleading him on numerous occasions.
Since 2009, Mosley has issued a large number of warrants to the CSIS, authorizing interception of electronic communications of unidentified Canadians abroad, who were investigated as threats to domestic security.
Read moreIn 2008 Australian intelligence agencies offered to share the confidential information about Australians with the U.S. It was reported by the Australian edition of The Guardian newspaper, referring to the new documents submitted by Edward Snowden.
According to the newspaper, it is a previously unknown cooperation page of the five countries intelligence that makes up the so-called Group of Five Eyes (“Five Eyes”). Besides the U.S. and Australia, it includes Canada, United Kingdom and New Zealand. As it was previously reported, the purpose of the contract of Five Eyes is not only spying on terrorists, its main task is to collect political, diplomatic and economic information.
Read moreThe 'five eyes' club was born out of Britain and America's tight-knit intelligence partnership in World War II and particularly the work at Bletchley Park, breaking both German and Japanese codes.
Code-breakers realised collaboration helped in overcoming some of the technical challenges and in being able to intercept communications around the world.
Out of this experience came what was first called BRUSA and then rechristened UKUSA - a top secret intelligence-sharing alliance signed in March 1946.
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