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US Military's cyber command unit grapples with cluster of deaths by suicide

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Re: US Military's cyber command unit grapples with cluster of deaths by suicide

#91

Post by TFNA »

Loquebantur wrote: post #44
aeortiz wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm an agnostic, but when I read about what he does, it makes me devoutly wish that hell exists. He has made countless people's lives hell on earth, and he doesn't care at all. No one is holding him accountable in this life: it's inconvenient for those in power.

It's a systemic issue, not due to one man. What gets overlooked here is the US IC itself being a probable cause: the habit of "housecleaning" by killing individuals suspected to be possible (even only prospective) leaks of inconvenient information is very real. The recent cluster of weird deaths and disappearances of scientists linked to secret military research has a similar pattern to it: a statistically highly unl…

Almost every discussion here on HN about those "deaths and disappearances of scientists linked to secret military research" has been about how, when you actually dig into the data, they have been very statistically likely.

Re: US Military's cyber command unit grapples with cluster of deaths by suicide

#92

Post by breppp »

sandworm101 wrote: post #74

This isn't Russian assassins. They kill specific notable people, not functionaries. Nor is this about not being able to talk about work. Working in these fields becomes your life. You talk about it all day. They don't want to talk about it more, certainly not at home. This is about over-qualification in a narrow field. These are people for whom there is only the one job. Then ... something happens that threatens that…

That's an interesting theory and I am not saying you are entirely incorrect, but I'd imagine that the vast personnel of cyber-adjacent roles in the US Military have better civilian prospects in tech than a Air Force pilot with an eye problem.

Re: US Military's cyber command unit grapples with cluster of deaths by suicide

#93

Post by TheMayorOfDunce »

wbl wrote: post #72
Loquebantur wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What gets overlooked here is the US IC itself being a probable cause: the habit of "housecleaning" by killing individuals suspected to be possible (even only prospective) leaks of information is very real. The recent cluster of weird deaths and disappearances of scientists linked to secret military research has a similar pattern to it: a statistically highly unlikely density of "suicides, accidents & mishaps".

The US doesn't even kill foreign leaders. Our intelligence service doesn't have the skills or appetite, let alone citizens. The resulting scandal would make the Church commission look like nothing, not to mention the impact on recruitment.

Surely you've reached the conclusion by now that "resulting scandal" no longer steers policy, or even any noteworthy degree of public outrage.

Re: US Military's cyber command unit grapples with cluster of deaths by suicide

#94

Post by strictnein »

Loquebantur wrote: post #40
cookiengineer wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There's lots of people working for NATO and federal agencies in Europe that have been assassinated by the luckystrike branch of the FSB. The name comes from the Telegram account with underscores in between, and they're essentially recruiting kids or former inmates for GTA style missions. Starts with simple stuff like package rerouting, then goes on to gathering intel about places, people, putting in USB flash drives…

What gets overlooked here is the US IC itself being a probable cause: the habit of "housecleaning" by killing individuals suspected to be possible (even only prospective) leaks of information is very real. The recent cluster of weird deaths and disappearances of scientists linked to secret military research has a similar pattern to it: a statistically highly unlikely density of "suicides, accidents & mishaps".

> "is very real"

Except it's not.

Re: US Military's cyber command unit grapples with cluster of deaths by suicide

#95

Post by analognoise »

SubiculumCode wrote: post #61
inigyou wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

None. No vulnerability. The population and the RNC just voted for a known Russian asset for some reason.

Our vulnerability is an open internet that includes Russia, leaving our populace completely open to Russian influence campaigns of micro targeted propaganda, recruitment, and incitement.

I like how the “Chinese propaganda” against datacenters was found to be mostly a collection of facts.

While Russian propaganda is more clumsy and emotional, we’ve produced such an unequal society with such low regular education and outright corruption that people fall for it. That says something negative about US, not them.

If we admit our system cant even survive an open internet, it should be dismantled or reformed rather than free exchange closed.

Re: US Military's cyber command unit grapples with cluster of deaths by suicide

#96

Post by itsdesmond »

jas- wrote: post #67
cushychicken wrote: post #57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Used to work in this field. You're correct: not being able to talk about it is the worst part. This is equally true of successes as well as challenges. I did some cool, very impactful stuff in that job. I will go to jail for a long, long time if I ever go into detail about it.

If you speak to the correct people about illegal activities and unlawful orders you will not.

It’s wild to, in a thread about an unusual number of suicides among a branch of government doing secret stuff, say that folks talking about that secret stuff would be a good idea.

I am absolutely not saying that is what’s happening here, suicide of folks put in stressful situations is to be taken seriously. But like… c’mon guy, surely this exact premise has been a direct-to-Amazon-Video release.

Re: US Military's cyber command unit grapples with cluster of deaths by suicide

#98

Post by AngryData »

squidbeak wrote: post #15
rbanffy wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Presidents come and go and, hopefully, this one will be held accountable.

Just as important, the US will need to figure out exactly what strings Putin's managed to attach to Trump - kompromat? threats? bribes? elaborate man management? something else? - or this vulnerability could be exploited again.

I think Trump is just that naturally that stupid and always has been.

Re: US Military's cyber command unit grapples with cluster of deaths by suicide

#99

Post by yndoendo »

lesuorac wrote: post #73
amarcheschi wrote: post #63

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What can you say, if anything, without going into detail?

Everybody here is all so small minded. The government has spent centuries doing spycraft and has a budget in the billions.

When you know you can't kill the message, kill the messenger.

This is the tactic used when journalist Gary Webb started reporting on the USA involvement with selling crack to Americans so they could fund Contra insurgents in Nicaragua.

They did this so well that other news organizations turned on the journalist.

I could easily imagine the USA not wanting to patch holes so they have access to the systems and these experts know this.

Re: US Military's cyber command unit grapples with cluster of deaths by suicide

#100

Post by breppp »

cookiengineer wrote: post #38
YesThatTom2 wrote: post #11

I suspect the Cold War of cyber warfare that is happening is orders of magnitude bigger than the public knows. Imagine knowing this and not being able to get emotional support from your friends and family.

There's lots of people working for NATO and federal agencies in Europe that have been assassinated by the luckystrike branch of the FSB. The name comes from the Telegram account with underscores in between, and they're essentially recruiting kids or former inmates for GTA style missions. Starts with simple stuff like package rerouting, then goes on to gathering intel about places, people, putting in USB flash drives…

Haven't found a lot about it online, other than https://www.polskieradio.pl/395/7786/artykul/3438674,russian...

Do you have any references about it?

This is very reminiscent of Iranian intelligence modus operandi in Israel and world wide lately, currently with not a lot to show for

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/jul/06/how-iran-sough...

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