MEET “DROPOUT JEEP” — THE NSA’S APPLE INFILTRATION PROGRAM

It sounds like a defective sport utility vehicle, but “Dropout Jeep” is really the code name for a program used by the National Security Agency to access your iPhone.

And no … the new fingerprint security feature on your iPhone 5S won’t save you.

The program – revealed by presenter Jacob Applebaum (@ioerror) at the 30th Chaos Communication Congress – enables the spy agency to remotely monitor, manipulate and steal data from any Apple iPhone.

“DROPOUT JEEP is a software implant for the Apple iPhone that utilizes modular mission applications to provide specific SIGINT functionality,” a slide from Applebaum’s presentation reveals. “This functionality includes the ability to remotely push/pull files from the device. SMS retrieval, contact list retrieval, voicemail, geolocation, hot mic, camera capture, cell tower location, etc. Command, control and data exfiltration can occur over SMS messaging or a GPRS data connection. All communications with the implant will be covert and encrypted.”

Translation? Not only is Big Brother inside your iPhone, he can make it do his bidding.

“Do you think Apple helped them build that?” Applebaum asked during his address. “I don’t know. I hope Apple will clarify that.”

Ya think? They better …

Our founding editor is a loyal Apple user (iMac, iPad, iPod and iPhone) … but he won’t be one if the company has been collaborating with government agencies on invading user privacy.

“Here’s the problem: I don’t really believe that Apple didn’t help them, I can’t really prove it but (the NSA) literally claim that anytime they target an iOS device that it will succeed for implantation,” Applebaum continued. “Either they have a huge collection of exploits that work against Apple products, meaning that they are hoarding information about critical systems that American companies produce and sabotaging them, or Apple sabotaged it themselves. Not sure which one it is.”

Either way, it is among the more frightening revelations about our government’s spy network … which recently received a stamp of approval from a federal judge.