Are Russian and Chinese applications too popular with US customs and immigration officials?
In any case, this is what emerges from an investigation, carried out between April and August 2023, by the United States Department of Homeland Security. According to his report, intelligence on government operations could fall into the hands of malicious actors and foreign agents.
Who are responsible? Applications installed and used by civil servants, too insecure or developed in opposing countries.
Thousands of programs at risk
The investigation is not kind to ICE, the agency concerned. She believes that the company’s IT policies are far too lax, particularly in terms of security and control of the use of its company devices.
The report specifically mentions programs that are not secure, such as file-sharing platforms, third-party VPNs, and outdated email systems. The authors even mention applications that are normally not allowed to be installed on US government computer systems, and which therefore have no place on the devices of ICE agents.
All of these programs could expose the organization’s smartphones and their data. at increased risk of espionage, leaks and cyberattacks », writes Joseph Cuffari, who led the investigation. They offer ” the ability to collect and monitor user and device information through device sensors, such as cameras, microphones, and GPS “, he specifies.
TikTok again in the crosshairs, but not only
ICE defends itself by asserting that if it did not monitor all these downloads, it is because it considered them to be “ personal apps “. However, the organization appears to have heard the concerns raised by the investigation, and has already taken steps to block the installation or use of programs deemed dangerous on its devices.
This investigation follows measures taken by American government institutions to prevent the use of certain applications on their employees’ company smartphones. We can, for example, cite bans on installing TikTok, whose publisher is based in China, a rival power to the United States. This approach is also found in other countries, notably in Europe, where privacy issues are very often put on the agenda.
However, not everything is binary, and the investigation led by the Department of Homeland Security also points out the shortcomings of ICE on this last subject. Indeed, it was discovered “ an application owned by the organization that allows its staff to collect biometric information about people they meet in real time “. Small reminder that Big Brother is never very far away.
Source : The Register
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