您Mac報告回到美國軍隊？

2007年12月4日 · 由大衛布雷得里

儘管逸事要求相反蘋果計算機公司Mac計算機不是不能傷害的。當信號無花果』客人blogger 雌鳥Oliver早先報告了有許多安全性問題為Mac用戶。她最近送了我一次更新在哪些她似乎揭露了一非常讓圍攏機器群的陰謀擔心與一個內藏的特洛伊人明顯地報告回到美國政府。

因為我是，「它現在是差不多二個月無法使用我Macbook讚成網上」，她說。「在允許反計算機錯誤行為人的各種各樣的提議訪問到我的計算機為信息會集的目的有利於全國和國際安全之後，我意識到我的個人和企業需要是明顯地更加偉大的并且做了共計刪掉并且再安裝這個星期。未認出的特洛伊人(或等值)有zombified我的膝上計算機，并且介入的代辦處阻塞了開放ssh (安全殼處理)…這意味那他們有全面控制過度它。的確，如果我有一段時間未使用它，它有希望地將交換自己在(從`網甚而分開!)盒蓋被關上的和所有! 某一編程的技能那裡…筆記前述`代辦處』等待一名通過的Mac用戶到下落」。

恐慌開始，當您比您應該在您的機器裡面做開掘。「當我首先得到了我的Mac，我做了許多探索。我注意，如果我射擊了網上應用程序，在它將報告網絡連接看相當外籍人」，她的信息製表符之下增加，「這只是可看見的，如果審查，當從網完全地分開。「奇怪!」我認為，并且假設然後由於種種原因它必須連接用蘋果計算機公司和進一步沒有採取問題。它是，在我在Google偶然地點擊了偽造，惡意鏈接在9月之後我做了有些調查。 `缺省』 IP地址那裡，在文丐，但它是我然後召回看它從一開始…之後，并且再安裝建立了那。我在www.arin.net查找地址-互聯網數字美國登記。 144.3.8.0。基礎設施的美國軍團和工程師。這個軍團負責重建在地方例如伊拉克和阿富汗」。

我做了快的Google為那個IP地址并且發現了討論論壇談話寧可隨便關於問題方式後面在2004年11月，很好在雌鳥的Mac購買之前。 Apparently the Apple Firewire TCP/IP defaults to a 144.x.x.x number on all Macs. What at first appears to be a US government conspiracy actually turns out to be nothing more than a legacy of the fact that the US government ran the first internet machines and these 144.x.x.x addresses are just some of the earliest IPs handed out to organisations, such as Apple, early on.

Anders HiPhi speaking on that forum points out that, “The server is part of the European ORSN network - a 13 strong server array network - through which all European internet traffic passes. The ORSN say they need the US side servers as they don’t have enough resources.” However, he asks, “Even if this is the reason for the IP to be a default in the OS, Apple has it’s own ORSN servers, so why should they program US ARMY servers as their deafult? USACE are almost certainly responsible for Cyber Operations as part of their brief, so why have APPLE put US ARMY CyOps servers as a default when they could have used their own?”

What does Apple have to say on this subject? Apparently, just because the machine defaults to this IP when it doesn’t have a real address to hook into does not mean it is an active address being packet sniffed by a US government employee. It’s an inactive address.

Who knows? Maybe Jenny is right and there is a conspiracy. I’m of a mind to assume that it’s nothing more than a pingback address to an ancient timeserver that is no longer used by Apple’s Firewire drives but that was hardwired in early in the design and is so low priority that there is no impetus to remove it now. Except that it would stop Mac users who dig too deep from worrying needlessly that the US Army is watching their every move. Indeed, I just spoke to Jenny Oliver again and she is relieved that I found this information but wonders why it is not more widely known and readily available to paranoid Mac users. Maybe there really is a conspiracy after all!

6 responses so far ↓

David Bradley // Dec 4, 2007 at 10:55 am

Similarly, scary news emerged in November that Maxtor, Seagate external hard drives were pre-loaded with trojan horse software
Andy // Dec 4, 2007 at 11:00 am

Macs look nice inside and out - granted.

They get the job done, but I just can’t drag myself away from Bill’s Monopoly.

Windows has got all the options, dials, switches and levers that I crave to set things up just how I want them

It will suck up every virus in sight, slow to a crawl and cause my hair to fall out sometimes but it’s become a habit - for better or worse - Bill’s got me right where he wants me

I know that Macs have come forward a million miles and can run most Windows programs very well because of the Intel processors and the software available, but I just can’t do it.

As for anti virus software - I can recommend Panda.
Jenny Oliver // Dec 4, 2007 at 12:19 pm

Thanks for publishing this, David. Well researched! I hope this reassures others like myself who perhaps did a little too much digging! However, given the current high state of alert re cyber-crime and terrorist activities, it is highly negligent of Apple not to explain this in a more public way. Their response to my attempts to communicate with them has been less than helpful until very recently… and no-one apart from you has given the above detailed answer, even now.
I hope the lack of information will be rectified very soon, as it has been the absence of any knowledgeable response which has intensified the concern.
With regard to Mac security, other users like myself might like also to keep an eye on a blog in the Washington Post by Brian Krebs, who reports on various computer security issues, including Macs.
The latest item, just this November, is here: http://blog.washingtonpost.com/securityfix/2007/11/apple_plugs_44_security_holes_1.html
All the best!
Jenny Oliver // Dec 4, 2007 at 4:16 pm

Hi, again.
On re-reading this I seem to come over as mildly paranoid! To set the record straight, although I did wonder initially about being linked to the US Army, my major concern was that there might have been a considerable abuse of trust by Chinese manufacturers (given the nature of the Google hacks in Sept 07). The principal worry was that it might have been an outside agency which was misusing Macs to hack the west, not so much the US authorities snooping on us (which I find mildly preferable!). This was reinforced by reading about the head of MI5 voicing concerns on 1/12/07 in The Times. http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/technology/article2980250.ece

A few things are also still a little disturbing. If the address is ‘not used’, why does it resolve? Why would ‘tracert’ try to find it? It gets as far as the Veterans Association and then bounces. This seems to suggest it is valid, even if general public can’t reach it.

Now back to restoring everything to my poor depleted Mac….. :-[
David Bradley // Dec 4, 2007 at 5:15 pm

Yes Jenny, you maybe came across as slightly paranoid in my write-up…but as you know, just because you’re not paranoid doesn’t mean they aren’t out to get you. 144.x.x.x may yet turn out to be some secret window through which Pentagon spooks are watching Mac users…I’ll keep digging, there are lots of references to that IP address on the web.
Jenny Oliver // Dec 5, 2007 at 9:25 am

I know it’s unladylike, but !

OK, ‘business’. The matter has indeed been around for some time: snippet from an Apple Insider forum, from ‘John’:

‘I got curious about this, so I e-mailed the contact person for the IP address:

“This IP address is showing up on my Ethernet Interface (fw0) (Firewire or high-speed IEEE 1394 Serial Bus) on my Apple Computer. This is the contact e-mail given by whois for that IP address. Do you have any idea why your IP address is showing up my computer?

John”

Reply:

From: Gary.W.Decoff@us.army.mil
Date: January 3, 2005 4:36:02 AM PST
Subject: RE: IP Address 144.3.8.0
Cc: Gerald.G.Roy@erdc.usace.army.mil

“John,
Yes I do know why.__ Apple Computer is using my IP space as a default for some of their interfaces….
Please bring this to the attention of Apple Computer…__ If enough people tell them about this then just maybe they will stop doing it…

Thanks
Gary”

Go figure.

Edited: I sent it in as a bug report to Apple.’

Several years later and the message still hasn’t got through! Perhaps it will now?