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The CIA Says It’s Time to Up Its Cyber Game

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Re: The CIA Says It’s Time to Up Its Cyber Game

#11

Post by drzaiusapelord »

kabdib wrote: post #5
eatbuckyballs wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The NSA is primarily charged with Signals Intelligence, Where as the CIA is Human Intelligence. So it's actually a pretty clear line. They also have their own security clearance process (though they tend to recognize each others in join work). The Department of Homeland security is a bit different, they're charged with domestic operations and support (TSA). The FBI is a Domestic Detective agency for lack of a better…

Add to this list the Secret Service for financial fraud related things (as well as protecting government officials), including credit card fraud, phone fraud (at least in the 80s), and the odd whatever-the-hell-we-feel-like-doing fear-based thing (e.g., Steve Jackson Games). Rule of thumb: If something contains the word 'Cyber' in it, it's gonna be clueless, bureaucratic and political, and utterly incompetently done.

>Rule of thumb: If something contains the word 'Cyber' in it, it's gonna be clueless, bureaucratic and political, and utterly incompetently done.

Yet somehow Chinese and Russian cyberwar programs are pretty effective. Sounds like the US needs to catch up.

Re: The CIA Says It’s Time to Up Its Cyber Game

#12

Post by drzaiusapelord »

higherpurpose wrote: post #7
aluhut wrote: post #2

So with all the attention (advertisement/panic) the NSA has generated, the CIA wants a cut of the cake for themselves? That whole agency disco in the US is so confusing that I have the feeling this has to be the plan all the way or it's some kind of old cold war virus spawning divisions and agencies. Don't they all overlap? Is there enough reality for all of them to spy on?

I'm guessing that's exactly what it is. I think some of the Snowden leaks showed NSA already has a bigger budget than CIA and is also growing that budget at a much faster rate. Their budgets probably increase by $10 million for every "cyber" word they say in their presentations to Congress. The CIA wants in on that action.

It also might make sense that the NSA is a corrupt juggernaut and expecting them to do your heavy lifting isn't appropriate, especially when its clear that Clapper runs a security theater-like organization.

The CIA and other agencies having its own smaller team probably means better outcomes. This kind of thing probably works best with smaller and more nimble teams than big data gathering focused organizations like the NSA.

From a budget perspective, this is good cause to cut from the NSA and give to the CIA.

Re: The CIA Says It’s Time to Up Its Cyber Game

#15

Post by task_queue »

kissickas wrote: post #8

> In the wake of last year’s attack by North Korea against Sony Pictures Entertainment and numerous other breaches, the urge to hack back, or at least build up the means to do so when and if needed, has increased. So this is just casually accepted as fact now?

Doesn't matter if it's fact if it creates a nice narrative for increasing and securing funds and power.

Re: The CIA Says It’s Time to Up Its Cyber Game

#16

Post by bediger4000 »

drzaiusapelord wrote: post #11
kabdib wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Add to this list the Secret Service for financial fraud related things (as well as protecting government officials), including credit card fraud, phone fraud (at least in the 80s), and the odd whatever-the-hell-we-feel-like-doing fear-based thing (e.g., Steve Jackson Games). Rule of thumb: If something contains the word 'Cyber' in it, it's gonna be clueless, bureaucratic and political, and utterly incompetently done.

>Rule of thumb: If something contains the word 'Cyber' in it, it's gonna be clueless, bureaucratic and political, and utterly incompetently done. Yet somehow Chinese and Russian cyberwar programs are pretty effective. Sounds like the US needs to catch up.

Yet somehow Chinese and Russian cyberwar programs are pretty effective.

1. That vaunted "effectiveness" may be Just Another Missile Gap, i.e. a realistically non-existent threat used to drum up fear in the USA, to get greater funding from a terrorized public.

2. Lots of analysts say that both China and Russia tolerate unofficial hacking/cyberwar groups, as long as the targets are outside of China and Russia respectively. With some small amount of guidance done surreptitiously, the governments take advantage of a huge number of semi-criminals to serve "national security" needs without attribution.

3. Because of (2), ISO-9001, CMM level N don't apply. Faster coding. Similarly, Script Kiddies, Honkers and Nationalist Hackers don't do clearances, much less compartmentalized projects (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Security_clearance#Compartmente...) - this means that more people are available, from very diverse backgrounds, and they can collaborate and communicate as necessary.

Unless the USA is willing to quit being bureaucratic to the point of paralysis, it will never catch up.

Re: The CIA Says It’s Time to Up Its Cyber Game

#17

Post by AndrewKemendo »

balabaster wrote: post #14

"They will not, he said, work on behalf its corporate interests" Unless it's the RIAA, MPAA, MAFIAA or American Oil Interests... in which case, it's business as usual.

At least in the RIAA and MPAA cases, aren't the feds just enforcing piracy laws that are on the books?

I mean we can argue that RIAA/MPAA were the ones who got them into the books in the first place, but it's not like corporations can approach the CIA to perform economic espionage, despite what some may think.

Re: The CIA Says It’s Time to Up Its Cyber Game

#20

Post by pdkl95 »

How about we talk about the CIA's next projects after we finish the prosecution of those in the chain of command that are responsible for torture.

Or are attention spans so short and/or the agency so completely removed from the rule of law that we're going to let them get away with their crimes? If we're not even going to bother with the trial - acknowledging that we won't even bother trying to maintain the rule of law - then I guess that's sufficient proof that we have lost our republic, as we let it be replaced with feudalism.

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