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Saudi Arabia's Government Allegedly Hacked Into Jeff Bezos's Phone

posted by martyb on Monday April 01 2019, @02:56AM   Printer-friendly
from the pictures-or-it-didn't-happen...oh-wait. dept.

takyon writes:

Saudis gained access to Amazon CEO Bezos' phone: Bezos' security chief

The security chief for Amazon chief executive Jeff Bezos said on Saturday that the Saudi government had access to Bezos' phone and gained private information from it.

Gavin De Becker, a longtime security consultant, said he had concluded his investigation into the publication in January of leaked text messages between Bezos and Lauren Sanchez, a former television anchor who the National Enquirer tabloid newspaper [had] said Bezos was dating.

Last month, Bezos accused the newspaper's owner of trying to blackmail him with the threat of publishing "intimate photos" he allegedly sent to Sanchez unless he said in public that the tabloid's reporting on him was not politically motivated.

Also at The Daily Beast.

Previously: Jeff Bezos Accuses National Enquirer of Blackmail
The Story Behind the Instant Classic “Bezos Exposes Pecker” Headline

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  • (Score: 2) by takyon on Monday April 01 2019, @04:47PM (5 children)

    by takyon (881) <takyonNO@SPAMsoylentnews.org> on Monday April 01 2019, @04:47PM (#823133) Journal

    And what specific violations is Bezos complaining about? Maybe his phone used "password1234" and he deserved to get hacked. Oh, hacking his phone was illegal?

    They have handed all the info to the feds:

    Next, Bezos directed me to “spend whatever is needed” to learn who may have been complicit in the scheme, and why they did it.

    That investigation is now complete. As has been reported elsewhere, my results have been turned over to federal officials. Since it is now out of my hands, I intend today’s writing to be my last public statement on the matter. Further, to respect officials pursuing this case, I won’t disclose details from our investigation. I am, however, comfortable confirming one key fact:

    Our investigators and several experts concluded with high confidence that the Saudis had access to Bezos’ phone, and gained private information. As of today, it is unclear to what degree, if any, AMI was aware of the details.

    Saudis apparently have more sophisticated methods than guessing passwords, and used them on Khashoggi:

    Jeff Bezos' investigator thinks Saudi Arabia hacked his cell phone — here's how it could have happened [businessinsider.com]

    While de Becker didn't say how the Saudis gained access to his phone, the country has been accused in the past of using advanced spyware to track its adversaries.

    Some of that spyware comes from NSO Group, an Israeli company valued at $1 billion that sells technology that can track texts, emails, calls, apps and location data from "the air without leaving a trace," according to a New York Times investigation.

    ---

    Massachusetts has two-party consent and it's a crime to secretly record conversations. Yet Amazon sells their recording devices here, which also operate without the recordee's knowledge.

    It's supposed to record at length only when it hears a "wake word", likely to be initiated by the owner of the device, so the owner might be the one at the fault. I doubt Amazon has anything to fear from Massachusetts.

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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday April 01 2019, @07:10PM (4 children)

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday April 01 2019, @07:10PM (#823215)

    It's supposed to record at length only when it hears a "wake word", likely to be initiated by the owner of the device, so the owner might be the one at the fault.

    So when their keyword detector has a false-positive, they are also violating the laws in single-party consent states. But you seem to think Amazon does not routinely violate privacy.

    I doubt Amazon has anything to fear from Massachusetts.

    In fact, a senator from Massachusetts who's also a Presidential candidate has suggested breaking up the big tech companies. Amazon would be foolish to ignore political risk.

    • (Score: 2) by takyon on Monday April 01 2019, @07:38PM (3 children)

      by takyon (881) <takyonNO@SPAMsoylentnews.org> on Monday April 01 2019, @07:38PM (#823232) Journal

      In fact, a senator from Massachusetts who's also a Presidential candidate has suggested breaking up the big tech companies. Amazon would be foolish to ignore political risk.

      We can revisit after that candidate defeats 15 other Democrats and then President Trump.

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      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday April 01 2019, @08:57PM

        by Anonymous Coward on Monday April 01 2019, @08:57PM (#823257)

        There is broad political momentum behind Warren's distrust of Big Tech. Amazon had to already cancel their NYC plans, and Zuckerberg feels compelled to advocate for internet regulation now.

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday April 02 2019, @10:56AM (1 child)

        by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday April 02 2019, @10:56AM (#823551)

        We can revisit after that candidate defeats 15 other Democrats and then President Trump.

        And gets support from Congress about doing such a thing. You left that minor detail out.