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Snowden: Hack of an NSA server is not unprecedented, publication of the take is

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Re: Snowden: Hack of an NSA server is not unprecedented, publication of the take is

#71

Post by irishcoffee »

jmnicolas wrote: post #22
irishcoffee wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 5) Knowing this, NSA's hackers (TAO) are told not to leave their hack tools ("binaries") on the server after an op. But people get lazy. I know enough to say that this sentence reveals a lot about what snowden knows, and what he doesn't. Mostly the latter. He doesn't seem to understand the context and meaning of acronyms he uses.

I know enough to say that an anonymous comment on the internet pretending to know about NSA procedures & jargon is not worth much especially when said comment is attacking someone we know for sure had access to the NSA.

Alright bud. I don't have a facebook, twitter, instagram, or any of that other stuff, so I'm not sure how to refute your claim of anonymous. I can say that anonymous hostile replies sure don't do much to further the conversation. What do they say, something about pots and kettles?

Re: Snowden: Hack of an NSA server is not unprecedented, publication of the take is

#72

Post by irishcoffee »

pests wrote: post #52
irishcoffee wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 5) Knowing this, NSA's hackers (TAO) are told not to leave their hack tools ("binaries") on the server after an op. But people get lazy. I know enough to say that this sentence reveals a lot about what snowden knows, and what he doesn't. Mostly the latter. He doesn't seem to understand the context and meaning of acronyms he uses.

The quoted tweet uses two acronyms. Which is incorrect? You say acronyms as a plural. Can you please identify two or more specific usages (hopefully with citation!) of Snowden using acronyms incorrectly?

TAO is composed of much more than hackers, and hackers are in other groups besides TAO. No, I don't have link-able sources.

Re: Snowden: Hack of an NSA server is not unprecedented, publication of the take is

#73

Post by vardump »

jmnicolas wrote: post #34
abstractbeliefs wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Because twitter has a vast public reach, more so than an individuals blog. It's also really easy to use by journalists who get pre-made sound bites, which is a bonus for the sources too - they can more easily edit and shape how they are quoted. While a blog would be much better quality, quality journalism doesn't sell nearly as well as highly-polarised, bite-sized clips.

I know that, but Snowden is less superficial than politicians and journalists : he has convictions at least.

Right now it seems like the only game he can play, whether or not he actually wants it.

Re: Snowden: Hack of an NSA server is not unprecedented, publication of the take is

#74

Post by at-fates-hands »

balabaster wrote: post #50
pjc50 wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So this seems to be the "Dr Strangelove" scenario playing out, but with (fortunately) exploits rather than nuclear weapons. It sounds like many countries have other significant exploits into other countries, but this isn't "admitted"; it's not an unignorable public fact (+). The Russian destabilisation plan is to get Western countries to see NSA attacks on them and lose trust in the US - plus an attack on the concept…

It takes Russia pointing this out to make us lose trust in the U.S.? I think the U.S. has done this all on their own. Snowden was just the latest whistleblower showing the world they can't be trusted. There were others before him, but it got swept under the rug. We all know the U.S. election system is flawed to a point of being broken and thus democracy as we like to believe it's supposed to work doesn't even exist.…

>> If you hadn't already lost faith in the U.S. election system years ago, then you've got your head in the sand.

The only check on this is the separation of powers, and even then, career politicians, special interests, and tons of money have way too much influence. Add in the fact that the press were supposed to be the check on government and now they're firmly in bed with the political parties. All you get is the incredibly slanted, biased, and spun stories to influence you so all you get is their viewpoint. I can't imagine how I would see the world if I only read the New York Times and only watched MSNBC.

If some of the fringe third parties would all come together and find a common platform, it would certainly replace my faith in the current system.

Re: Snowden: Hack of an NSA server is not unprecedented, publication of the take is

#75

Post by BoringCode »

chatmasta wrote: post #66
BoringCode wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's also entirely possible that unicorns are real.

I really don't think it's an unreasonable possibility. It's a known fact Snowden worked for CIA and even received deep cover training while working in Geneva. Much of his behavior is not that of a hapless IT admin, but someone well trained in HUMINT operations. He comes from a multigenerational military family. That's the kind of background that breeds strong loyalty to the state, and the exact kind of background fro…

People in the IC often "jump ship" to private contractors. Be it for better pay, hours, or whatever. I don't find it hard to believe that Snowden would go to a private contractor. No conspiracy there.

Re: Snowden: Hack of an NSA server is not unprecedented, publication of the take is

#76

Post by Someone1234 »

irishcoffee wrote: post #68
opaque wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Care to elaborate? TAO ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tailored_Access_Operations ) seems fine to me.

TAO is composed of much, much more than "hackers". To give him the benefit of the doubt, his comment shows willful ignorance of this fact.

No it doesn't.

To use an analogy this is like someone saying the "US Army" in reference to infantrymen specifically and then someone, such as yourself, coming along throwing their hands up and saying "The US Army is composed of much more than just 'infantrymen,' this comment shows willful ignorance of that fact."

We can all read the Wikipedia article on the TAO[0]. You aren't fooling anyone by acting like you know more than is publically available, and trying to correct someone who provably worked for the NSA seems at best arrogant, at worst ridiculous.

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tailored_Access_Operations

Re: Snowden: Hack of an NSA server is not unprecedented, publication of the take is

#77

Post by cloverich »

Declanomous wrote: post #64
imglorp wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah I don't understand why people don't just blog and be done with it, without all the formatting gredue. Then, you can just post a link on your twitter and say "hey, see my new blog post".

If HN and Reddit are any indication, if you post a link to a blog post, people will respond without reading it. People don't like switching domains, especially if they are browsing from an app. (Myself included)

Sure but that's not just being lazy, its also a learned habit. There's a great deal of blog posts (like most writing in general) that is 5% information and 95% fluff. Sometimes you want the art, sometimes (esp. the engineering mindset) you just want the information. Skipping to comments frequently yields this, often with bonus comments like "I'm an actual expert and that post is very innaccurate".

Re: Snowden: Hack of an NSA server is not unprecedented, publication of the take is

#78

Post by cinquemb »

irishcoffee wrote: post #72
pests wrote: post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The quoted tweet uses two acronyms. Which is incorrect? You say acronyms as a plural. Can you please identify two or more specific usages (hopefully with citation!) of Snowden using acronyms incorrectly?

TAO is composed of much more than hackers, and hackers are in other groups besides TAO. No, I don't have link-able sources.

Seems like it would a be a fun multidisciplinary place to work, but wouldn't wanna jump through all the hoops and tend to weight any quest for "secret" knowledge with such that the limit approaches zero.

Re: Snowden: Hack of an NSA server is not unprecedented, publication of the take is

#79

Post by geggam »

balabaster wrote: post #50
pjc50 wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So this seems to be the "Dr Strangelove" scenario playing out, but with (fortunately) exploits rather than nuclear weapons. It sounds like many countries have other significant exploits into other countries, but this isn't "admitted"; it's not an unignorable public fact (+). The Russian destabilisation plan is to get Western countries to see NSA attacks on them and lose trust in the US - plus an attack on the concept…

It takes Russia pointing this out to make us lose trust in the U.S.? I think the U.S. has done this all on their own. Snowden was just the latest whistleblower showing the world they can't be trusted. There were others before him, but it got swept under the rug. We all know the U.S. election system is flawed to a point of being broken and thus democracy as we like to believe it's supposed to work doesn't even exist.…

Why do people insist on calling the US a democracy ?

It is a Constitutional Republic with the only democratic process being the representatives you elect .... represent you ... sometimes... if they feel like it.... unless they have been bribe^H^H^H^H lobbied to do otherwise.

Re: Snowden: Hack of an NSA server is not unprecedented, publication of the take is

#80

Post by hueving »

chatmasta wrote: post #66
BoringCode wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's also entirely possible that unicorns are real.

I really don't think it's an unreasonable possibility. It's a known fact Snowden worked for CIA and even received deep cover training while working in Geneva. Much of his behavior is not that of a hapless IT admin, but someone well trained in HUMINT operations. He comes from a multigenerational military family. That's the kind of background that breeds strong loyalty to the state, and the exact kind of background fro…

It's just as likely he was operating on direct orders from the president himself because he feared the power of the NSA and needed the public against it!

That's the thing about conspiracies, when there is no proof or reasonable cause you're free to just make up whatever you want.

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