Intelligence agencies such as the CIA and NSA use ad blockers to avoid damage from ``dangerous ads''
Some Internet users use various 'ad blocking tools (ad blockers)' to prevent intrusive advertisements from being displayed when browsing websites. Newly, it turned out that intelligence agencies such as the US
Wyden Letter to OMB on Ad-Blocking - DocumentCloud
(PDF file) https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/21068028-wyden-letter-to-omb-on-ad-blocking
The NSA and CIA Use Ad Blockers Because Online Advertising Is So Dangerous
https://www.vice.com/en/article/93ypke/the-nsa-and-cia-use-ad-blockers-because-online-advertising-is-so-dangerous
The use of ad blockers by the NSA and CIA was stated in a letter sent by Democratic Senator Ron Wyden to the United States Office of Management and Budget . According to the letter, Wyden was told by the chief information officer of the American Intelligence Community that ``the intelligence community will implement network-based ad-blocking technology and implement multiple layers, including the Domain Name System (DNS). We use information from to block unwanted and malicious advertising content.'
Malicious advertisements aimed at spreading malware or directing users to unauthorized sites are called ' malvertising,' a coined word that combines 'advertising' and 'malware.' increase. By uploading malicious advertisements to the ad distribution network, hackers seem to infect users who clicked on the advertisements distributed by the ad distribution network with malware or steal data.
In addition to hackers that infect users with malware through advertisements, there are also data brokers that obtain user data using ` ` real-time bidding (RTB) '', which is the bidding process for advertisements. RTB is a real-time auction format for advertising space, but as part of the process, companies participating in the bid can obtain data about users even if they do not win the ad space.
It seems that some data brokers use RTB to collect user data, and in 2020, Motherboard, a foreign media company, obtained user location information data through RTB by a company called Venntel, a US government contractor. are reported to be on sale.
CBP Refuses to Tell Congress How it is Tracking Americans Without a Warrant
https://www.vice.com/en/article/n7vwex/cbp-dhs-venntel-location-data-no-warrant
Collecting user data through RTB is not limited to domestic companies and institutions. In April 2021, a bipartisan group of lawmakers, including Mr. Wyden, sent a letter to IT giants such as AT & T, Verizon, Google, and Twitter about concerns that foreign intelligence agencies might use advertising networks. I sent it. ``Information (obtained from advertising networks) will be used for hacking, extortion, and influence campaigns, and will be a gold mine for malicious foreign intelligence agencies,'' the letter states. .
In this letter, Wyden argued that the United States Office of Management and Budget should establish a clear cybersecurity policy to protect American networks from foreign spies and criminals who abuse online advertising for hacking and other purposes. 'While intelligence agencies have acted to protect personnel and computers from the threat of malvertising, many other federal agencies have not and are unlikely to do so until actually compelled to do so.' It can be considered, 'pointing out and requesting to follow the NSA's (PDF file) recommendations .
An NSA spokesperson told Motherboard when asked about Wyden's letter, 'NSA's chief information officer is committed to ensuring network security across the agency to maintain a secure, unclassified network for business operations. For business reasons, we cannot disclose the details of these protections, but the NSA's dynamic security approach continues to improve our network's defenses.'
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in Software, Web Service, Security, Posted by log1h_ik