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Hackers hit League of Legends game

Written By Unknown on Rabu, 01 Januari 2014 | 23.58

31 December 2013 Last updated at 06:56 ET

Hugely popular online game League of Legends (LoL) was knocked offline for a few hours on 30 December by hackers.

It was one of several games and social media sites targeted by the Derp hacking group.

Reports suggest the attack was more mischievous than malicious and was partly aimed at US pro-gamer James Varga.

The attack ended with police calling at Mr Varga's house in response to a fake call saying hostages were held there.

Armed response

The Derp hacking group claimed responsibility for the attack on League of Legends and Mr Varga, aka PhantomL0rd via its Twitter account.

The attack began early on Monday with the group bombarding US and European servers with huge amounts of data to knock them offline. Later in the day the game's Asian servers were knocked offline with the same tactic.

The group switched its focus to Mr Varga who had been documenting LoL's ongoing problems and the Derp group's claim of responsibility via his daily Twitch TV video stream.

Twitch TV is a streaming service that lets people share their live gaming experiences with others. LoL is by far the most popular game watched via Twitch.

Mr Varga's interaction with Derp led it to pursue him through every game he tried to play. By the time the attack was done, the Derp group had caused intermittent problems for people using EA.com. Blizzard's Battlenet, Dota 2, Quake Live, Club Penguin, Reddit and other sites.

The hacking group said it carried out the series of attacks for "the lulz" in a text chat with Mr Varga that took place while he was being pursued through different games.

During the attack Mr Varga's personal details, including his home address, were posted online. This led someone to place a prank call to his local police department claiming hostages were being held at Mr Varga's home.

More than a dozen armed police responded to the call, which resulted in Mr Varga being arrested and handcuffed. Police then searched his house, but he was released once it became clear that the call was fake.

"I'm still quite shaken up, but I'm good. I'm okay," he said in a YouTube video posted after he was released by police.


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BBC computer server 'was hacked'

30 December 2013 Last updated at 07:28 ET

A Russian hacker took control of a BBC computer server and attempted to sell access to it to other cybercriminals, according to reports.

US firm Hold Security told Reuters and the Financial Times that it had spotted the hacker advertising the exploit on a black market forum last week.

It said it was not clear whether the attacker secured a sale before the broadcaster reacted.

A BBC spokesman said: "We do not comment on security issues."

The server was allegedly compromised via the file-transfer site ftp.bbc.co.uk.

The corporation had previously listed a log-on and password for the service on its news website in 2002 to allow the public to upload video and audio messages marking the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.

BBC reporters had also historically used the server as a way to send in their own material.

More recently the facility has been used to allow advertisers to send in media files for use on the BBC Worldwide Channels.

'Jumping off point'

According to Milwaukee-based Hold Security, the hacker used the pseudonyms "Hash" and "Rev0lver", and publicised the vulnerability on 25 December.

The firm said the attacker provided copies of files that supposedly could only be accessed by someone controlling the site as "proof" that the exploit worked.

"The only other information that I can offer is that the hacker was offering a screenshot proving that he had administrative access to the BBC server," said Alex Holden, chief information security officer at Hold Security.

"It was solid technically convincing evidence."

One expert said cyber-criminals have been known to use such breaches as a way to compromise wider systems.

"If a security hole has been identified in the underlying server and it has not been patched then the FTP [file transfer protocol] facilities can be exposed," said Prof Alan Woodward from the University of Surrey's Department of Computing.

"This could mean, for example, that files containing sensitive information could be downloaded.

"However, the bigger worry is that FTP servers are connected to the remainder of the network and often have easy access to other servers to facilitate internal file transfers, which is how a hacker can then use this as a jumping off point to explore other servers on the network."


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US announces six drone test sites

30 December 2013 Last updated at 15:20 ET
Georgi and Nina Tushev with a homemade drone

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DIY drones: Enthusiasts making their own aircraft

The US aviation regulator has announced the six states that will host sites for testing commercial use of drones.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) picked Alaska, Nevada, New York, North Dakota, Texas and Virginia.

The sites are part of a programme to develop safety and operational rules for drones by the end of 2015.

Hitherto mainly used by the military, the potential of drones is now being explored by everyone from real estate agents to farmers or delivery services.

The head of the FAA, Michael Huerta, said safety would be the priority as it considers approval for unleashing the unmanned aircraft into US skies.

Continue reading the main story

Five surprising uses for drones

  1. Help reporters cover stories (the BBC is currently trying them out)
  2. Allow real-estate agents to sell luxury homes by showing off that stunning aerial view
  3. Deliver beer to music festival-goers
  4. Make movies (Part of The Smurfs 2 was filmed with a drone)
  5. Track the Sumatran orangutan and other endangered species

Pilots will be notified through routine announcements about where drones are being flown.

The FAA said in a statement that its decision followed a 10-month process involving proposals from 24 states.

The agency said it had considered geography, climate, location of ground infrastructure, research needs, airspace use, aviation experience and risk.

The sites chosen are:

  • A set of locations proposed by the University of Alaska in seven zones with varying climates, from Hawaii to Oregon
  • Griffiss International Airport in central New York state will test how to integrate drones into the congested north-east airspace
  • North Dakota Department of Commerce will test the human impact of drones and also how the aircraft cope in temperate climates
  • The state of Nevada will concentrate on standards for air traffic and drone operators
  • Texas A&M University plans to develop safety requirements for drones and testing for airworthiness
  • Virginia Tech university will research operational and technical areas of risk for drones

The biggest chunk of the growth in the commercial drone industry is currently expected to be for agriculture and law enforcement.

Continue reading the main story

Analysis

Tara McKelvey BBC News


For years, people thought drones would never be allowed to fly in the US. Then Jeff Bezos got involved. The Amazon chief executive said his company would start using drones to deliver packages - and even cynics began to think something might happen.

Matt Scassero, a retired US Navy captain who has worked on efforts to expand the use of drones, said he thinks Amazon moved things along. "It adds a lot of interest," he said.

The FAA announcement are signs of progress for Scassero and other drone enthusiasts. It means officials are taking their requests seriously - and things are on track for the drones to fly.

Police and other emergency services could use them for crowd control, taking crime scene photos or for search and rescue missions.

It can cost a police department hundreds of dollars an hour to deploy a helicopter, while an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) can be sent into the skies for as little as $25.

Farmers, meanwhile, might find it easier to spray crops or survey livestock with the pilotless aircraft.

The FAA estimates as many as 7,500 aircraft could be in the air five years after widespread airspace access is made legal.

However, the commercial use of drones has drawn criticism from both conservatives and liberals.

In a report last December, the American Civil Liberties Union said that giving drones access to US skies would only ensure "our every move is monitored, tracked, recorded and scrutinised by the authorities".

But lawmakers from winning states were delighted with the selections.

"This is wonderful news for Nevada that creates a huge opportunity for our economy," said Senator Harry Reid, a Democrat from Nevada.

An industry-commissioned study predicted more than 70,000 jobs - including drone operators - would develop in the first three years after Congress loosens drone restrictions on US skies.

The same study, conducted by the Teal Group research firm, found that the worldwide commercial drone market could top $89bn in the next decade.


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Royal pardon for codebreaker Turing

24 December 2013 Last updated at 07:48 ET
Alan Turing

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Computer pioneer and codebreaker Alan Turing has been given a posthumous royal pardon, as Danny Shaw reports

Computer pioneer and codebreaker Alan Turing has been given a posthumous royal pardon.

It addresses his 1952 conviction for homosexuality for which he was punished by being chemically castrated.

The conviction meant he lost his security clearance and had to stop the code-cracking work that had proved vital to the Allies in World War Two.

The pardon was granted under the Royal Prerogative of Mercy after a request by Justice Minister Chris Grayling.

'Appalling' treatment

"Dr Alan Turing was an exceptional man with a brilliant mind," said Mr Grayling.

He said the research Turing carried out during the war at Bletchley Park undoubtedly shortened the conflict and saved thousands of lives.

Continue reading the main story

Turing centenary

2012 saw a series of events that celebrated the life and work of Alan Turing. The events were held to mark the 100th anniversary of his birth

Turing's work helped accelerate Allied efforts to read German Naval messages enciphered with the Enigma machine. He also contributed some more fundamental work on codebreaking that was only released to public scrutiny in April 2012.

"His later life was overshadowed by his conviction for homosexual activity, a sentence we would now consider unjust and discriminatory and which has now been repealed," said Mr Grayling.

"Turing deserves to be remembered and recognised for his fantastic contribution to the war effort and his legacy to science. A pardon from the Queen is a fitting tribute to an exceptional man."

The pardon comes into effect on 24 December.

Turing died in June 1954 from cyanide poisoning and an inquest decided that he had committed suicide. However, biographers, friends and other students of his life dispute the finding and suggest his death was an accident.

Many people have campaigned for years to win a pardon for Turing.

Alan Turing

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Dr Sue Black, a computer scientist, was one of the key figures in the campaign.

She told the BBC that she hoped all the men convicted under the anti-homosexuality law would now be pardoned.

"This is one small step on the way to making some real positive change happen to all the people that were convicted," she said.

"It's a disgrace that so many people were treated so disrespectfully."

Some have criticised the action for not going far enough and, 59 years after Turing's death, little more than a token gesture.

"I just think it's ridiculous, frankly," British home computing pioneer Sir Clive Sinclair told the BBC.

"He's been dead these many years so what's the point? It's a silly nonsense.

"He was such a fine, great man, and what was done was appalling of course. It makes no sense to me, because what's done is done."

'It's very wrong'

Lord Sharkey, a Liberal Democrat peer who wrote a private member's bill calling for a royal pardon in July 2012, said the decision was "wonderful news".

"This has demonstrated wisdom and compassion," he said. "It has recognised a very great British hero and made some amends for the cruelty and injustice with which Turing was treated."

Vint Cerf, the computer scientist known as one of the founding fathers of the internet, also welcomed the development.

"The royal pardon for Alan Turing rights a long-standing wrong and properly honours a man whose imagination and intellect made him legendary in our field," he told the BBC.

Technology entrepreneur Mike Lynch added: "Society didn't understand Alan Turing or his ideas on many levels but that was a reflection on us, not on him - and it has taken us 60 years to catch up."

Human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell said: "I pay tribute to the government for ensuring Alan Turing has a royal pardon at last but I do think it's very wrong that other men convicted of exactly the same offence are not even being given an apology, let alone a royal pardon.

"We're talking about at least 50,000 other men who were convicted of the same offence, of so-called gross indecency, which is simply a sexual act between men with consent."

Mr Tatchell said he would like to see Turing's death fully investigated.

"While I have no evidence that he was murdered, I do think we need to explore the possibility that he may have been killed by the security services. He was regarded as a high security risk," he said.

'Not entirely comfortable'

Glyn Hughes, the sculptor of the Alan Turing Memorial in Manchester, said it was "very gratifying" that he had finally been pardoned.

"When we set out to try and make him famous - get him recognised - it was really difficult to collect money," he said.

Continue reading the main story

Big screen

Turing's life is the subject of upcoming Hollywood movie The Imitation Game, which focuses on the cracking of the Enigma code. Starring Sherlock actor Benedict Cumberbatch as Turing, the film is due for release next year.

Channel 4's TV film Codebreaker, about the highs and lows of Turing's life, was aired in 2011.

And during the 2012 celebrations of the centenary of Turing's birth, a Welsh digital arts festival - the Abandon Normal Devices (AND) Festival - featured a laser image of Turing projected from Conwy Castle into the sky.

Although Turing was born in London, he had strong connections with north Wales.

The Italianate village of Portmeirion in Gwynedd was one of Turing's favourite places.

But it was in northern England where Turing spent the last six years of his life, working at Manchester University in various specialist fields including mathematical logic and philosophy.

"None of the big computer companies would stump up a penny for a memorial. They perhaps would now - we've come a very long way."

But he said he was "not entirely comfortable" that Turing had been pardoned while thousands of other gay men had not.

"The problem is, of course, if there was a general pardon for men who had been prosecuted for homosexuality, many of them are still alive and they could get compensation."

In December 2011, an e-petition was created on the Direct Gov site that asked for Turing to be pardoned. It received more than 34,000 signatures but its request was denied by the then justice secretary, Lord McNally, who said Turing was "properly convicted" for what was at the time a criminal offence.

Prior to that in August 2009, a petition was started to request a pardon. It won an official apology from the prime minister at the time, Gordon Brown, who said the way Turing was persecuted over his homosexuality was "appalling".


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Days of the 'bank job' are numbered

27 December 2013 Last updated at 07:34 ET By Dave Lee Technology reporter, BBC News

The number of robberies on British bank branches has dropped by 90% in the past decade, figures from the British Bankers Association suggest.

The BBA said there were 66 robberies in 2011, compared to 847 in 1992.

The drop has been attributed to a raft of innovative technologies making it extremely difficult for "traditional" robbery tactics to work.

"Banks are working hard to confine armed robberies to the world of TV dramas," BBA chief Anthony Browne said.

"Being caught up in a bank job is a terrifying ordeal for staff and customers that can scar lives for decades.

"It's great to see that the number of these crimes have fallen sharply in recent years. Anyone trying to rob a bank now faces much better CCTV, protective screens that can rise in less than a second and even special fog designed to disperse criminals.

Continue reading the main story

Fancy a bank account with $300,000 (£184,000) in it? If you know where to look and you don't mind dealing with cybercriminals then the going rate is just $300, a study of the hacking underworld suggests.

"Banks will continue to work closely with each other, post offices and the police to make such raids a thing of the past."

Disorientating fog

A similar trend has been noted in the US, where FBI figures for 2012 put the number of bank robberies nationwide at 3,870 - the lowest in decades.

In an effort to deter criminals and make branch workers safer, banks have made significant investments in security technology.

These range from simple barriers - which drop down when a panic button is pressed - to special "fog" that disorientates criminals.

"DNA" spray is another common deterrent - robbers are coated with a unique, traceable material that is extremely difficult to wash off skin and can prove that a suspect was at the premises of a robbery.

Combined, the measures mean the risks outweigh any potential gains - particularly as bank branches typically store less cash on the premises than in previous years.

Shift to online

However, while brute-force bank robberies are dropping, banks - and their customers - are still under threat from crime.

Official statistics from the Met Police confirm that business robberies were down 31% in London over the past decade, reports the BBC's business correspondent Joe Lynam, but some thieves have switched their focus to the vehicles that transport money between banks.

More significant is the growing rate of cyber-crime relating to banks and other financial transactions.

Loretta Lynch, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York,

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Loretta Lynch, US attorney: "Instead of guns and masks, they used laptops and malware"

Recently, 40 million credit card details held by major US retail chain Target were compromised and are now being sold online. The attack, according to one security researcher, originated in Ukraine.

In a separate attack, criminals based in New York obtained $45m (£29m) by accessing a database of information used by cash machines. Seven men were charged in May.

Beyond bank details, hackers - the new generation of robbers - are also scooping up personal details and packaging them up to be sold on.

Full dossiers of information about an individual, including bank details, are routinely sold on the online black market for around $30, a recent study suggested.

Follow Dave Lee on Twitter @DaveLeeBBC


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Classic 70s and 80s games go online

27 December 2013 Last updated at 09:21 ET

Classic video games from the 1970s and 1980s have been put online by the Internet Archive and can be played within a web browser for nothing.

The collection has launched with games from five early home consoles, including the Atari 2600 and Colecovision.

The games do not have sound, but will soon, the Internet Archive said.

"In coming months, the playable software collection will expand greatly," archivist Jason Scott wrote.

"Making these vintage games available to the world, instantly, allows for commentary, education, enjoyment and memory for the history they are a part of."

The other machines included are the Atari 7800, the Magnavox Odyssey (known as the Philips Videopac G7000 in Europe) and the Astrocade.

Well-recognised titles such as Pacman, Space Invaders and Frogger are all in the archive - with more consoles and games expected soon.

Nostalgic urges

Unlike today's titles, which are stored on disks or even simply downloaded directly to a console, many older machines would use bespoke cartridges to store games.

As the consoles fell into disrepair and became ever more scarce, playing these games has become difficult.

For many years, communities of gamers have created ROMs - read-only memory - images of games. These files can be played on a normal PC by using an emulator.

However, in many cases, gaming in this way can be illegal - particularly when the games involved are made by the likes of Nintendo and Sega, which clamp down on such activity, deeming it a form of counterfeiting.

But older games such as the ones found on the Internet Archive fall into something of a legal grey area.

Publishers and developers often turn a blind eye as, with the games no longer available to buy, the ROMs mean the titles are still able to be played by many.

Yet with smartphone gaming on the rise, publishers are now in a position where these old titles can be revived, cashing in on the timeless quality of the games, as well as fans' nostalgic urges.


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Cash machines raided with USB sticks

30 December 2013 Last updated at 08:48 ET By Chris Vallance BBC Radio 4

Researchers have revealed how cyber-thieves sliced into cash machines in order to infect them with malware earlier this year.

The criminals cut the holes in order to plug in USB drives that installed their code onto the ATMs.

Details of the attacks on an unnamed European bank's cash dispensers were presented at the hacker-themed Chaos Computing Congress in Hamburg, Germany.

The crimes also appear to indicate the thieves mistrusted each other.

The two researchers who detailed the attacks have asked for their names not to be published

Access code

The thefts came to light in July after the lender involved noticed several its ATMs were being emptied despite their use of safes to protect the cash inside.

After surveillance was increased, the bank discovered the criminals were vandalising the machines to use the infected USB sticks.

Once the malware had been transferred they patched the holes up. This allowed the same machines to be targeted several times without the hack being discovered.

To activate the code at the time of their choosing the thieves typed in a 12-digit code that launched a special interface.

Analysis of software installed onto four of the affected machines demonstrated that it displayed the amount of money available in each denomination of note and presented a series of menu options on the ATM's screen to release each kind.

The researchers said this allowed the attackers to focus on the highest value banknotes in order to minimise the amount of time they were exposed.

But the crimes' masterminds appeared to be concerned that some of their gang might take the drives and go solo.

To counter this risk the software required the thief to enter a second code in response to numbers shown on the ATM's screen before they could release the money.

The correct response varied each time and the thief could only obtain the right code by phoning another gang member and telling them the numbers displayed.

If they did nothing the machine would return to its normal state after three minutes.

The researchers added the organisers displayed "profound knowledge of the target ATMs" and had gone to great lengths to make their malware code hard to analyse.

However, they added that the approach did not extend to the software's filenames - the key one was called hack.bat.


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Moshi Monsters boss honoured

30 December 2013 Last updated at 17:59 ET By Leo Kelion Technology reporter

The founder of Mind Candy, the creators of Moshi Monsters, has been awarded an OBE in the New Year Honours list.

Michael Acton Smith created the firm nearly a decade ago, but it was not until 2008 that he released the adopt-a-pet-monster online game.

The title - which targets six-to-12-year-olds - now has more than 80 million registered users worldwide.

ARM Holdings' Warren East was among the other tech leaders honoured.

The 52-year-old retired as the Cambridge-based computer chip designer's chief executive in July. He received a CBE.

Slow start

Mr Acton Smith was born in Marlow in Buckinghamshire. His first business was Firebox - an online retailer whose first product was a chess set that used shot glasses for pieces.

Continue reading the main story
  • 1974: Born in Marlow, Buckinghamshire
  • 1993: Studies geography at Birmingham University
  • 1998: Starts first business, the online gadget retailer Firebox.com
  • 2004: Forms entertainment company Mind Candy. Its first major project was Perplex City, an alternate reality treasure hunt game that launched the following year
  • 2007: Second season of Perplex City is indefinitely put on put on hold after firm's finances come under strain
  • 2008: Moshi Monsters is released to the public
  • 2011: Voted 12th in Wired Magazine's Top 100 of Britain's Digital Power List
  • 2011: Moshi Monsters announces it has 50 million users worldwide
  • 2013: Moshi Monsters wins Interactive Prize at the Children's Baftas

Its success helped convince investor Spark Ventures to back a second start-up, Mind Candy.

But the entertainment firm's first project, Perplex City, proved a harder sell. The alternate reality game used the internet, puzzle cards sold in shops, text messages and live events to lead players on a 15-month long global treasure hunt whose winner eventually netted a £100,000 prize.

The contest won awards of its own, but nearly bankrupted the firm, leading Mr Acton Smith to cancel a planned "second season".

Mind Candy then switched focus to create a simpler game for a younger audience.

Moshi Monsters launched in April 2008 allowing children to adopt, name and look after a virtual monster in Monstro City, an online world where kids can play games and communicate with other members. The basic version is free, but for a monthly fee members get access to extra features.

Disney's rival product - Club Penguin - had already proved popular, but initially it looked like the British game might become Mind Candy's second flop.

"We were getting hardly any sign-ups," Mr Acton Smith later recalled in a BBC interview.

"So, we created new characters, we created new features, new ways for kids to communicate.

"And it took about a year-and-a-half until the summer of 2009 when we hit our tipping point and things just exploded. It went viral and we started adding one new sign-up every second."

The brand now has its own magazine, spin-off smartphone app, music albums and toys. Earlier this month released its first animated movie.

Moshi Monsters also recently won the Interactive Prize in the Children's Bafta (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) Awards, which were announced in November.

Mr Acton Smith recently revealed Mind Candy was working on three non-Moshi projects, all of which were designed to be used on smartphones and tablets.

'Gadget luddite'

ARM's Warren East helped build the British chip designer into one of the world's most successful tech companies.

The firm's chip architectures power the vast majority of smartphones and tablets on the market, with clients including Samsung, Apple, Sony and LG.

Mr Smith also helped expand the firm into the computer server market, with Dell, AMD and HP among companies to begin using ARM-based processors to run data centre products.

Despite repeated rumours of the firm becoming a takeover target, Mr East has long defended its business model of staying independent and licensing its intellectual property to a broad range of customers.

"A partnership business model enables us to always work with the winners," he told the BBC last year.

"Somebody who might be the leading mobile phone supplier of the day is using our technology, but we're also working with other players who perhaps are more aspirant leaders."

ARM chief executive Warren East

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Warren East said 12 years was long enough to be in charge of ARM when he spoke to the BBC's Ben Thompson in March

Despite this, he once described himself to the Daily Telegraph as a "Luddite when it comes to gadgets".

Since stepping down from ARM, Mr East has joined the board of other tech firms including Dyson, Rolls-Royce and BT.

Netmums

Other tech-related names included in the honours list include:

  • Cathy Court, Siobhan Freegard and Sally Russell, co-founders of the parental support website Netmums (OBEs)
  • Joanna Shields, chief executive of Tech City UK, a government investment group for London-based start-ups (OBE)
  • Michael Bracken, executive director of the Government Digital Service, which brought public services together at the gov.uk website (CBE)
  • Dr Hamid Mughal, director of global manufacturing at engine maker Rolls-Royce (OBE)
  • Penny Power, founder of Ecademy, a business-focussed social network (OBE)
  • Dr Jenifer Tennison, technical director at the Open Data Institute, which advises the government and other organisations on how best to make data available to the public (OBE)
  • Margaret McKenna, co-founder of the online training provider Learning Pool (OBE)
  • Colette Bowe, chair of telecoms and media regulator Ofcom (CBE)
  • Richard Eyre, chairman of the Internet Advertising Bureau trade association (CBE)

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ACLU sues US over NSA spying

31 December 2013 Last updated at 09:43 ET

The US government is being sued by civil liberties groups for details about the National Security Agency (NSA) overseas surveillance programme.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) wants to find out what happens to data on Americans the NSA scoops up.

The lawsuit comes three days after a US judge ruled that a separate NSA spying programme was lawful.

More details of the NSA's access to phones and networking hardware have been released by privacy campaigners.

Hardware hit

The lawsuit was filed by the ACLU and Yale University's Media Freedom and Information Access Clinic, and seeks information about the "vast quantities" of data that the NSA has been found to be collecting.

It was "inevitable" that data sent by Americans would be gathered as part of this surveillance system that targets overseas communication, said ACLU staff attorney Alex Abdo in a blog post.

The ACLU wants the courts to make the US government provide details of the executive order that established the overseas spying programme. It said that there being little or no oversight of the programme was cause for concern.

"We now know too well that unchecked surveillance authority can lead to dangerous overreach," wrote Mr Abdo.

In a separate development, New York District Judge William Pauley dismissed on 27 December a lawsuit filed by the ACLU in June, which claimed that the way the NSA tracked million of calls contravened the US constitution.

In his ruling, Judge Pauley said there was no evidence that the "bulk telephony data" collected by the NSA was used for anything other than "investigating and disrupting terrorist attacks". The ACLU said it would appeal against the ruling.

The legal wrangles come as privacy campaigner Jacob Applebaum released details of other NSA spying programmes that targeted hardware.

In a speech given to the Chaos Communications Congress in Hamburg, Mr Applebaum said the NSA had managed to put back doors into products made by Cisco, Dell, Apple, HP, Huawei and Juniper Networks.

"Basically their goal is to have total surveillance of everything that they are interested in," Mr Applebaum told the conference.


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Digital boosts video and music sales

31 December 2013 Last updated at 20:06 ET

Digital services like Spotify, Netflix and iTunes have helped boost sales of video and music in the UK, according to figures from entertainment retailers.

Digital sales of video grew by 40% in 2013, helping to offset a 6.8% decline in sales of physical formats.

Music streaming, meanwhile, saw a 33.7% rise and now accounts for nearly 10% of consumer revenues from recorded music.

The overall UK music, video and games market was worth £5.4 billion in 2013, up 4% on 2012's total of £5.1 billion.

Kim Bayley, director general of the Entertainment Retailers Association (ERA), said this was "a stunning result after at least five years of decline".

Digital video, which includes iTunes downloads as well as streaming services like Netflix and Lovefilm, made up 30% of 2013's total video sales of £2.06 billion.

Skyfall, the latest James Bond film, was the year's biggest-selling video, having shifted 2.96m units since its release in February.

The first instalment of the Hobbit franchise, An Unexpected Journey, was the second biggest seller, having sold 2.06 units since its release in April.

The picture for the British music scene is not as rosy with overall sales falling by half a percent.

Physical sales of music have fallen by more than 7%, while digital sales' 3.5% rise is lower than a 15% percent boost seen in the previous year.

The slack has been picked up however, by streaming of music via such services as Spotify and Deezer which saw subscription revenues rise to £103.1m, according to estimates from the BPI (British Phonographic Industry).

The trade body put the total value of UK recording music sales at £1.04 billion. Digital sales, not including streaming revenues, account for around 40% of that total.

'Weak release schedule'

For all digital's advances, physical formats still account for more than half - 56% - of all sales of music, video and games in the UK.

Blu-ray video was the best performing physical format, with sales of almost £252m constituting a 10% increase on 2012.

But vinyl albums also saw a significant increase over the last 12 months, with sales in 2014 more than doubling to £14.6m.

Now That's What I Call Music 86 was the biggest-selling album of 2013, having shifted 1.2m copies. Its sister titles, Now... 85 and Now... 84, were the year's second and third biggest-selling albums respectively.

One Direction were the biggest selling single UK act for 2013, surpassing Emeli Sande - whose album was released in 2012.

Their 685,000 copies sole mean no single UK artists sold more than one million copies, a first for more than 20 years.

The ERA's Kim Bayley attributed the overall drop in music sales in 2013, in part, to "a weak release schedule".


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