Live data from Hacker News

CIA malware and hacking tools

wikileaks.org

101–110 of 1001 posts

Re: CIA malware and hacking tools

#101
post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> If these actions are being done domestically against US citizens, with no just cause sure I will get upset, but that has yet to be seen. May I just ask, why does this distinction matter? Why do you believe the world should be divided into "people who were issued bits of paper by my overlords" and "people who weren't"? I never understood this division in other people's heads. It leads to all sorts of philosophical p…

That has less to do with how I feel and more to do with how the CIA is setup. Their role in domestic affairs is severely restricted, that is primarily the job of the FBI which has more requirements to conduct "searches". For them to be operating to the fullest extent of their perceived role, I can't find myself to be upset.

"their role in domestic affairs is severely restricted"

You're delusional if you still believe this.

Re: CIA malware and hacking tools

#102
post #32
post #5

Based on the overview alone (of course I can't read the entire report that fast!), this is exactly what I expect a spy agency would be doing -- if they were not then I would be disappointed. What exactly in the admittedly shortened list am I supposed to be upset about? It makes no distinction between US citizens and overseas parties. If these actions are being done domestically against US citizens, with no just cause…

> this is exactly what I expect a spy agency would be doing From Wikileaks' overview: "In the wake of Edward Snowden's leaks about the NSA, the U.S. technology industry secured a commitment from the Obama administration that the executive would disclose on an ongoing basis — rather than hoard — serious vulnerabilities, exploits, bugs or "zero days" to Apple, Google, Microsoft, and other US-based manufacturers. ... "Y…

Not to nitpick, I absolutely agree that the NSA should be responsible for disclosing this type of information to help secure the USA and its infrastructure.

The CIA on the other hand has clear (though not always followed) directive to only act outside the US and to act against foreign nationals.

It's less clear to me that they should be required to disclose these. Another post makes the claim that the CIA may have lost these, that case seems clearer that they must disclose to protect US interests.

Re: CIA malware and hacking tools

#103
post #89

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Can you point to any instance during the election when a leak was not precisely timed/filtered to damage the Clinton campaign and/or advantage the Trump campaign?

Wikileaks' political alignment doesn't have anything to do with the authenticity of the material they provide.

Also it can be explained by the simpler hypothesis of Assange not liking Clinton without bringing Russia into things.

see http://www.mediaite.com/online/julian-assange-hillary-clinto...

and similar

Re: CIA malware and hacking tools

#105
post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They're being paid by the spooks! On a serious note, doesn't cyberwarfare sound more like it could lead to nasty consequences, such as regular warfare, rather than preventing it?

As nuclear proliferation becomes more and more common, "regular warfare" is going to become impossible. The reality is that there isn't going to be a traditional war with any nuclear power. WW2 was the last big state on state conflict -- that cannot happen again. Since 1948, the US vs. USSR model has applied, where nuclear powers have proxy wars at the fringes with various minor states. As nukes become available to 2…

> WW2 was the last big state on state conflict -- that cannot happen again.

Respectfully, the belief that large-scale war was impossible between modern states was prevalent prior to the First World War.

I strongly believe that there will eventually be another large conflict, and that the only reason there hasn't been one to date is because we've managed to maintain the balance between Russian and American interests throughout the Cold War.

The collapse of the Soviet Union marked the beginning of a transitional state, and we've not reached a stable balance of power since.

Re: CIA malware and hacking tools

#106
post #89

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Can you point to any instance during the election when a leak was not precisely timed/filtered to damage the Clinton campaign and/or advantage the Trump campaign?

Wikileaks' political alignment doesn't have anything to do with the authenticity of the material they provide.

No, but it does have to do with what authentic material they provide. There's a reason courts require "the whole truth"

Re: CIA malware and hacking tools

#107

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Can you point to any instance where WikiLeaks has released information that was not authentic and correct?

Can you point to any instance during the election when a leak was not precisely timed/filtered to damage the Clinton campaign and/or advantage the Trump campaign?

If anything Wikileaks presented a pretty ripe opportunity to replace Clinton with a candidate that could beat Trump in the general election. Nobody seized it and the Dem's lost. But yeah, blame Russia.

Re: CIA malware and hacking tools

#108

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Germany knows they're there, are you kidding?

A slight correction: "Germany is an US occupied country since the end of WWII". This is the truth about Nato, friendship between US and Japan, EU countries, South Korea, etc... There are no friends in geopolitics, only masters and slaves.

Mr. Putin, is that you?

Edit for downvoters: perhaps the sarcasm was a bit over the top, but my point is when someone compares the EU and NATO to slavery, I start to wonder.

Re: CIA malware and hacking tools

#109
post #5

Based on the overview alone (of course I can't read the entire report that fast!), this is exactly what I expect a spy agency would be doing -- if they were not then I would be disappointed. What exactly in the admittedly shortened list am I supposed to be upset about? It makes no distinction between US citizens and overseas parties. If these actions are being done domestically against US citizens, with no just cause…

I'm sorry but I didn't realize it was a requirement for spies to exist to have a free society.

Re: CIA malware and hacking tools

#110

I wonder if, supposing a legit war use, those tools would work. Maybe in taking down some enemy tech infra, but on collecting information, i really have doubts. That would be too much data to process unless they had specific targets. Human intelligence would be much more effective. Anyway, I remember a story of a US submarine that hacked soviet cables in the 70s or 80s.

More, being those tools not effective, development and maintenance is stupid spending, and certainly the tools are having other uses. My conspiracy side looks at CIA like a public sector (state owned) company in Brazil: they are not owned by the government, but by the chaste of unionized workers that work there.

"Deep State"

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deep_state_in_the_United_Sta...

Post reply on HN