We Are Deep In the Heart of Texas

Nomadic seasons of farming adventures with nature thrown in to include; a pinch of family, snippets of friends, counting our blessings, paying IT forward, home school, and the spicy things I decide to rant about.















Tuesday, December 7, 2010

SERIOUSLY? Wikileaks

Assange has been arrested despite the promise to spill the POISON PEN (another dump) and will fight extradiction to Sweden for allegations of rape.  Do you, gentle reader really believe one lowly solider (Manning) downloaded 100s of thousands of classified documents onto a disc and gave it to Wikileaks?

It is just a little too convienant and very James Bond to think of only one culprit bringing down a government let alone twenty of them.  What I do know from working with Communications Squadrons, they have monitoring devices of downloads (going to hard drives or discs) and uploads (info going to another source).

Here is a few points to consider:

Security clearances have become a dime a dozen. 

(It used to be a rare occurence to need a clearance, took FOREVER and a day to get one, and was super easy to lose it for just about anything to include: DUI, DWI, seeking mental health counseling, marriage without approval to a foreign national, fights, not paying bills, assualts, domestic violence and a few other life events.)

With advance in techonology it's foolish to believe secure is SECURE.

Secure is only as secure as the last disgruntled employee who has been fired. 

Hacking is more prevelant and is harder to dectect which is why commands have been built to combat cyber terrorism.

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Once, a long time ago as an inspector I asked a security police man at the ECP (entry control point);  'How would you know if something is classified?'  To which he replied, 'It would be marked as classified.'

Normally this would be a correct answer.

Then I asked him, 'Who do you believe does the marking of classified documents?' His answer, 'I do not know.'  This in itself is a problem because basically anyone could mark a document or not mark a document as classifed. 
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From watching this unfold from the warmth of my home; I have come to realize that our security programs are still a reactionary one.  Yes, I do know we have built cyber warfare systems but, those are only as good as the imagination of 'good hackers.'

Honest folks just have a hard time imagining someone within their 'family' willing to do harm. What puzzles me is; why has there not been a investigation (public) of hackers because the shape of this event is just too large in scope.  Another point, there are too many hands in the pot and in this case our muddling government got burned by an wayward child?

I guess the emperor needed new clothes -- just too easy of an explanation in my opinion. 

Steps off the bits and bytes

6 comments:

Sharon said...

I haven't the foggiest.

Jim said...

Mal, I don't have the experience that you have with this stuff but I find it hard to believe that 'every in the know' didn't already know what was leaked.
I don't see the seriousness that certain governments (mostly western) are taking on all this. Are they embarrassed that what they said behind closed doors is 'out' now. They all say things after the cameras are shut off!
Or are they a little pissed to have lost, or think they have lost, a little POWER and how dare that the common folk, US, learn certain things that directly affect us anyway!
I don't believe half of the 'seriousness' of the whole thing.....just a diversion tactic to throw 'smoke' in our faces......all to keep their POWER over each other.
Jim

Jim said...

Read: 'everyone in the know....'
Jim

Anonymous said...

I wonder if Assange will ever face extradition to the US? He'll probably get a slap on the hand and probation if convicted for rape in Sweden.

Nekkid Chicken said...

Hugs Sharon

Jim, I believe this is the first of many public embarassments yet to come for the US and other diplomats. What bothers me is; I believe the information Assange published was not downloaded by one disgruntled solider but, the system was hacked. Then again, what I do find interesting is the case being brought against Assange. I will write more about it later when I do a little more research.
Thanks for commenting,
Mal

Naw, Old Geezer --- He will get a slap on the wrists I believe for the sexual assualt charges, will make a deal not to be extradited to the US (keeping Swiss info private, and then poke the US some more with his long reaching humiliation fork. JUST MY HUMBLE OPINION

Greg (Accessible Hunter) said...

I'm not sure about the how, why or who, but I believe this information is dangerous and the people responsible for disclosing it should be prosecuted.

This information will probably end up taking some people's lives.