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Russian Hackers Read Obama’s Unclassified Emails, Officials Say

nytimes.com

1–10 of 46 posts

Re: Russian Hackers Read Obama’s Unclassified Emails, Officials Say

#3
I am under the impression that attribution is a very difficult and often impossible process. If that is true, what is the point of including "Russian" in this headline? I would guess the most probable response would be something involving "fulfilling a narrative." Even if that is true, what makes "Russian" hackers more exciting then just "Hackers?"

I am not trying to pose some profound question. I am genuinely confused by this.

Re: Russian Hackers Read Obama’s Unclassified Emails, Officials Say

#4

Hello, National Security Agency: Preventing this sort of thing is your job. Once you're done snarfing up my personal data, perhaps you could attend to it.

IMO securing Presidential communications is of paramount importance to national security. Even the non-classified stuff. But there's little reward or glory for doing that. It's really a "small" task.

Compare to spending billions of dollars building gigantic data centers, tapping fiber everywhere possible, recording every scrap of communication metadata that exists, actively subverting computers, doing quid pro quo spying on our allies domestic communications in exchange for them doing the same to us. Etc. Etc. Etc.

The grandiose profligacy is unending. That's how bureaucrats get promoted and get job satisfaction.

Actual "National Security" for the President, well, that's obviously beneath them.

Re: Russian Hackers Read Obama’s Unclassified Emails, Officials Say

#5
Sounds perfectly alright to me. Remember that there are levels of classification. Unclassified (the lowest level) could be running through Gmail in plain text for all anyone at the White House cares. Anything of even minute importance will get a classification status.

(Also, Re: the NSA—they do the government's COMSEC, securing the classified data. OPSEC, the risk/reward policies regarding what data should be classified and so on, is a more distributed policy-making task, though they might have a hand in it. Requirements on a document's classification levels given its content are set by top-down Executive Orders.)

Re: Russian Hackers Read Obama’s Unclassified Emails, Officials Say

#6
post #3

I am under the impression that attribution is a very difficult and often impossible process. If that is true, what is the point of including "Russian" in this headline? I would guess the most probable response would be something involving "fulfilling a narrative." Even if that is true, what makes "Russian" hackers more exciting then just "Hackers?" I am not trying to pose some profound question. I am genuinely confus…

The article goes on to mention "Iranian hackers" and "Chinese hackers". Obviously all those enemies of the United States are up to no good and the US must raise a cyber army against them. Just for defence, of course. Like drone strikes and boots on the ground.

Re: Russian Hackers Read Obama’s Unclassified Emails, Officials Say

#8
post #3

I am under the impression that attribution is a very difficult and often impossible process. If that is true, what is the point of including "Russian" in this headline? I would guess the most probable response would be something involving "fulfilling a narrative." Even if that is true, what makes "Russian" hackers more exciting then just "Hackers?" I am not trying to pose some profound question. I am genuinely confus…

You have answered your own question.

Re: Russian Hackers Read Obama’s Unclassified Emails, Officials Say

#9

Hello, National Security Agency: Preventing this sort of thing is your job. Once you're done snarfing up my personal data, perhaps you could attend to it.

Fun fact: hackers are never American citizens somehow. It's 'cuz Americans are all model patriots. Obviously.

Re: Russian Hackers Read Obama’s Unclassified Emails, Officials Say

#10

Hello, National Security Agency: Preventing this sort of thing is your job. Once you're done snarfing up my personal data, perhaps you could attend to it.

IMO securing Presidential communications is of paramount importance to national security. Even the non-classified stuff. But there's little reward or glory for doing that. It's really a "small" task. Compare to spending billions of dollars building gigantic data centers, tapping fiber everywhere possible, recording every scrap of communication metadata that exists, actively subverting computers, doing quid pro quo sp…

More about prestige than security.
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