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CIA malware and hacking tools

wikileaks.org

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Re: CIA malware and hacking tools

#711

Post by jwtadvice »

supergirl wrote: post #680
abandonliberty wrote: post #485

It's interesting to note that Julian Assange didn't demonstrate control of the wikileaks private key during his Reddit AMA 1 month ago: https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/5n58sm/i_am_julian_as... Considering the political situation unfolding in the US and who this leak weakens, there is some evidence that wikileaks is not in the hands of a neutral party. There is clear motive right now for undermining the CIA. Th…

> This comment was immediately down voted on Reddit. Someone is seeking to control the narrative. Please...

The number of times I've had perfectly reasonable ideas downvoted immediately on reddit...

Re: CIA malware and hacking tools

#712

Post by jungletime »

Wikileaks seems to be supporting Trump as the lesser of two evils. Why they see the other side as more evil, is not entirely clear, or on what information it is based on. it could be they know more than we, and can't release it. Or it could be something like getting revenge for the apparent assassination of DNC leaker.

Re: CIA malware and hacking tools

#713

Post by elif »

redahs wrote: post #685
alpha_squared wrote: post #603

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For the purpose of devil's advocate in this, I think it's possible to state truths and still be misleading and/or distracting from another narrative. Just because something is true doesn't necessarily explain what the motive is for releasing that information. It's certainly healthy to have at least a shadow of a doubt as to what WikiLeaks's motivations are when it's already shown that it can either restrain itself fr…

We also know that Mr. Assange did lie about something in the past, his repeated claims that John Podesta's gmail password was 'password': http://www.politifact.com/punditfact/statements/2017/jan/06/...

From your link:

"a staffer tells Podesta that his Windows 8 login on what appears to be a new work computer is username: jpodesta and password: p@ssw0rd."

Re: CIA malware and hacking tools

#714

Post by caf »

bluejekyll wrote: post #479
clubm8 wrote: post #391

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The problem is that there are very few IT systems that are purely foreign. For example, if the CIA finds an exploit in a wireless router made in China and sold all over the world, that hole can also be found by others and used against targets in the United States. Is being able to hack others worth letting ourselves get hacked?

> Is being able to hack others worth letting ourselves get hacked? The answer to this for me is a clear no. What I was more questioning is given the CIA's role and job, I don't think it's necessarily their responsibility to do it. We're talking about a government agency who's purpose is to collect information about potential threats against the US, they have no reason to want to make that harder on themselves. If you…

If you want to debate changing the role of the CIA, and if or if not it should exist, that's a different set of questions. But given what their job is, why would they want to turn that funnel of information off? It's not in their interest to do that.

However, the CIA is still a part of the US Government, and as such it still should have a responsibility to work towards outcomes that are best for the US overall. When this appears to be in conflict with their direct mission, in many cases the correct response should be to punt the decision upstairs.

You wouldn't expect the US Forestry Service to take decisions harmful to the overall country even if it made their direct mission easier, would you?

Re: CIA malware and hacking tools

#715

Post by whelp »

abandonliberty wrote: post #485

It's interesting to note that Julian Assange didn't demonstrate control of the wikileaks private key during his Reddit AMA 1 month ago: https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/5n58sm/i_am_julian_as... Considering the political situation unfolding in the US and who this leak weakens, there is some evidence that wikileaks is not in the hands of a neutral party. There is clear motive right now for undermining the CIA. Th…

United Hack Of America

Re: CIA malware and hacking tools

#716

Post by handcreme »

swombat wrote: post #613
ismay wrote: post #576

Earlier quoted context omitted.

He very clearly explained his motives for not doing so in the AMA, and he gave an alternate POL by reading from the blockchain. This whole narrative of Wikileaks not being neutral is a very weird story, because they've never published anything that wasn't verified to be true. Since that's something they can't be attacked on, it seems that the strategy for discrediting Wikileaks has now become to accuse them of associ…

Journalism classes in Romania a few decades ago included exercises like: "Take this footage of snow in Bucharest and use it to tell a variety of different stories, e.g. 'Bucharest is paralysed by snow' or 'Bucharest enjoys fresh snowfall' or 'Bucharest efficiently deals with snow storm', etc". If we think that just because something is factually true no one is trying to fool us, we're quite the fools.

Totally off-topic, but reading your example made me realize how learning basic journalistic skills could improve my media literacy. Would you happen to have some book recommendation or any other suggestion on hand?

Re: CIA malware and hacking tools

#717

Post by FabHK »

msabalau wrote: post #489
verbify wrote: post #249

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The question also has a ham-fisted phrasing: > Have you ever been or are you now involved in espionage or sabotage; or in terrorist activities; or genocide; or between 1933 and 1945 were you involved, in any way, in persecutions associated with Nazi Germany or its allies? My grandfather, who lost his German citizenship in the 30s and had to leave Germany for England due to the persecutions associated with Nazi German…

Thus protecting the country from having to endure the sort of people who can't help but ignore the pragmatics of a question.

To be fair, though, the question is already pretty legalese, and presumably precisely as to remove the need for pragmatics or "wriggle room". How hard would it be to also clarify that aspect?

Re: CIA malware and hacking tools

#718

Post by dragonwriter »

jwtadvice wrote: post #710
redahs wrote: post #678

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> because they've never published anything that wasn't verified to be true Mr Assange repeatedly claimed that Podesta's gmail password was 'password' in interviews, which was false: http://www.politifact.com/punditfact/statements/2017/jan/06/...

This is a far, far cry from the kinds of quality journalism that Wikileaks does. It appears that the claim the password was 'password' wasn't a story in and of itself but an anecdote relating to the weakness of Podesta's password (which is true). Compare that to Clapper, Director of National Intelligence stating for the record under oath that national intelligence does not have a surveillance operation targeting Amer…

> Compare that to Comey, Director of National Intelligence

There is no Comey who has ever been Director of National Intelligence. I suspect you mean Clapper.

Re: CIA malware and hacking tools

#719

Post by appleflaxen »

Cookingboy wrote: post #646
coldtea wrote: post #597

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> There is clear motive right now for undermining the CIA. And why NOT to undermine the CIA?

Because we don't live in a Disney movie where everyone gets along and lives happily ever after? Do you think if we get rid of CIA the Russians will just disband the FSB? The Chinese will just suddenly become transparent and stop all international espionage? The entire world will suddenly love US and try to suck up to the biggest superpower?

The CIA doesn't follow the rule of law (as evidenced by this leak). Wanting to disband them is not the same thing as saying we shouldn't have a US intelligence agency.

Re: CIA malware and hacking tools

#720

Post by drharby »

alpha_squared wrote: post #603
ismay wrote: post #576

Earlier quoted context omitted.

He very clearly explained his motives for not doing so in the AMA, and he gave an alternate POL by reading from the blockchain. This whole narrative of Wikileaks not being neutral is a very weird story, because they've never published anything that wasn't verified to be true. Since that's something they can't be attacked on, it seems that the strategy for discrediting Wikileaks has now become to accuse them of associ…

For the purpose of devil's advocate in this, I think it's possible to state truths and still be misleading and/or distracting from another narrative. Just because something is true doesn't necessarily explain what the motive is for releasing that information. It's certainly healthy to have at least a shadow of a doubt as to what WikiLeaks's motivations are when it's already shown that it can either restrain itself fr…

Strongly concur.

Ask any military officer who is a ring knocker; telling a 100% truthful narrative in such a manner as to provide a false narrative is still grounds for breaking the spirit of the honor code, and thus grounds for disenrollment.

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