Hi,in the UK and Europe the police can currently search a pc remotely over the internet, the powers extend to downloading keyloggers and other malware. Currently this can be done without a court warrant, and was done hundreds of times last year.

Please find a couple of minutes to visit this petition to the Prime Minister and have a read - if you think its wrong then sign it , and forward the link as widely as possible.

http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/policehackers/

Thanks for your time,
BILL

Welcome to LQ!

I, as many others here, am running linux, not windows, and nobody can "search a PC remotely" , if it is mine and I am running linux, without my express consent, which I am not giving without a court order (unlikely).

I think this needs to be moved to "General".

Sorry for just posting this out of the blue on this forum... I am tryinhg to draw attention to this issue. If it would be better being removed to a different place, then fine.

I do however feel that it is important for all computer users, not just the traditionally vulnarable windows victims. It doesn't really matter what you run on your box, there are techniques available to the best minds in IT that can gain access to your machine, to believe otherwise is not sensible.

Please spare a couple of minutes.

http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/policehackers/

Sorry for just posting this out of the blue on this forum... I am tryinh to draw attention to this issue. If it would be better being removed to a different place, then fine.

I do however feel that it is important for all computer users, not just the traditionally vulnarable windows victims. It doesn't really matter what you run on your box, there are techniques available to the best minds in IT that can gain access to your machine, to believe otherwise is not sensible.

Please spare a couple of minutes.

http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/policehackers/

Please post your petitions in the non-linux general area.

Yes, it *does* matter what you run. Spreading FUD ain't gonna work. For me at least.

What are these techniques? The "best" minds in IT work for the UK police?

billsoton

Even a mildly hardened Linux box is pretty tough to get into. If any IP tries and fails three times to log on to my machine, that IP is blocked for three hours. That means that the intruder can only use any one IP three times (every three hours). Considering the thousands (assuming a common password) attempts that will have to be made, they better have a lot of IPs available to them. Since I change my passwords every thirty days, that also limits them to 720 (24hrs per day * 3 attempts/3hrs *30days ) attempts per IP. Even if you limited yourself to 1,000,000 passwords, they would still need 1389 IPs. Even then most of us have things setup so that if too many failed login attempts occur we get notified.

Do the powers that be also make you keep your pc plugged in and on line at all times? Unless they are there and watching you at all times, it would be a little hard to do what you say. If you think this is happening or could happen to you, then you should dump windows all together. Install linux and set up a good iptables/firewall. Start the firewall with everything blocked then open only the services you need, set it so it will drop all unwanted packets not just deny them. Signing a petition does little if anything.

This guy seems to be a drive-by crusader, and probably has no further interest in this thread. In any case, the phrase "and forward the link as widely as possible" makes it an internet chain letter and should signal a close to the thread.

But, what if I don't live in the UK ?

I doubt they could hack my box, but they can try, I'd like to see how good they are.

NO, there aren't. But you can prove me wrong by leaving file on my KDE desktop.

Intel was forced by the US government to put a 'car licence plate' in every CPU. They said it had to be switched on voluntarilly by the box's owner, they said privacy was their *first* design criterion. According to New Scientist magazine this thing can be switched on by anyone remotely over the internet.

Against this background, and the background of Windows constantly sending stuff to Bill without the owner's knowledge, I react with dismay to what appears to be the hostile response to this poster. I will certainly sign his petition and anyone who does not is at perfect liberty to imprison themselves but has, I suggest, no right to imprison me.

They need to have a warrant before they can search your house. This petition is to get the same requirement for your computer, if you live in the UK (or EU). I've no idea whether these searches are possible, but would prefer to have some legal safeguard such as a warrant.

I think all applications have some degree of vulnerability, the trick is in finding the hole(s). This is why I don't think government hackers can be stopped, only slowed down; backed by the power of the state, they have all the time, money, and resources they need to find a way into a system. It may even take them years waiting for a target to make a mistake.