Yahoo Email Surveillance: Government-Ordered User Scanning Exposed

Posted: October 11, 2016 to News.

Tags: Malware, Data Breach, Compliance

According to reports, Yahoo developed software in order to scan the emails of hundreds of millions of its users on behalf of US intelligence services. Additionally, installing this software appears to be the result of a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) court order. The program was originally designed to scan for child pornography and emails containing signs of state-sponsored terrorist organizations. Additionally, the email scanner may actually more powerful than originally suspected. One anonymous source who had worked on Yahoo’s security team, claims that the original backdoor or Rootkit was installed by the NSA or FBI and was poorly designed and buggy. A Rootkit would allow hackers to have administrative control over the systems. Ultimately, the tool was so poorly designed that hackers could have gained complete access to all Yahoo user data without a way for Yahoo or US Intelligence to detect it. Apparently, Yahoo’s own security team weren’t told about the program so when they discovered it, they immediately assumed hackers had installed malware. Once the team started to take action they were told by executives that they had installed the program on behalf of the US government. Ultimately, this lead to the departure of Chief Information Security Officer Alex Stamos in 2015. So far this revelation has cost Yahoo at least $1 Billion, since now that Verizon has wind of it they are planning on shaving that amount off the $4.8 Billion they were going to spend in order to acquire the company.

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About the Author

Craig Petronella

CEO, Founder & AI Architect, Petronella Technology Group

Craig Petronella founded Petronella Technology Group in 2002 and has spent more than 30 years working at the intersection of cybersecurity, AI, compliance, and digital forensics. He holds the CMMC Registered Practitioner credential (RP-1372) issued by the Cyber AB, is an NC Licensed Digital Forensics Examiner (License #604180-DFE), and completed MIT Professional Education programs in AI, Blockchain, and Cybersecurity. Craig also holds CompTIA Security+, CCNA, and Hyperledger certifications.

He is an Amazon #1 Best-Selling Author of 15+ books on cybersecurity and compliance, host of the Encrypted Ambition podcast (95+ episodes on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Amazon), and a cybersecurity keynote speaker with 200+ engagements at conferences, law firms, and corporate boardrooms. Craig serves as Contributing Editor for Cybersecurity at NC Triangle Attorney at Law Magazine and is a guest lecturer at NCCU School of Law. He has served as a digital forensics expert witness in federal and state court cases involving cybercrime, cryptocurrency fraud, SIM-swap attacks, and data breaches.

Under his leadership, Petronella Technology Group has served 2,500+ clients, maintained a zero-breach record among compliant clients, earned a BBB A+ rating every year since 2003, and been featured as a cybersecurity authority on CBS, ABC, NBC, FOX, and WRAL. The company leverages SOC 2 Type II certified platforms and specializes in AI implementation, managed cybersecurity, CMMC/HIPAA/SOC 2 compliance, and digital forensics for businesses across the United States.

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Yahoo Email Surveillance: Government-Ordered User Scanning Exposed

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