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Botched CIA Communications System Helped Blow Cover of Chinese Agents

foreignpolicy.com

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Re: Botched CIA Communications System Helped Blow Cover of Chinese Agents

#161

Post by wowzerz »

anonu wrote: post #76

This is a fascinating story. But I always think about what the motives are to reveal such information. What you read is always different than the actual... In a separate note, I'm not sure technically what the right solution is, but I imagine an encrypted stenographic message on a popular peer to peer internet service would be the best way to avoid detection. ... When the entire web is being monitored.

It’d be best to imagine something else. Stenographers are much too busy in court, recording transcripts of proceedings as they transpire. They wouldn’t have time to help avoid detection.

I think it’s probably better to use a stegosaurus, given their spiked tail, and boney plates, which will scare off any attackers.

Or maybe just safely conclude that casually pondering what might or might not work isn’t good enough, and cannot compare to what’s faced in a real situation, where simply knowing what the word steganography means wouldn’t help either.

Re: Botched CIA Communications System Helped Blow Cover of Chinese Agents

#162

Post by wowzerz »

pertymcpert wrote: post #125
evntllyCnsistnt wrote: post #74

Knowing how absurdly insecure any civilian consumer system is (laptop, smart phone, home assistant, self driving car), with zero day fire-and-not-a-drill-at-all advisories, pretty much every month, I don’t get how this sort of thing happens. I also fail to see how a decision like this could be made: The CIA had imported the system from its Middle East operations... To China? The degree of technical differences betwee…

How could one time pads be broken?

No one really tries to break encryption, when side channel attacks can capture a message during the process of encryption.

No one thinks in encrypted text. The plain text is always created and then translated over to the enciphered copy. The plain text will always exist in some way, so that a message may be proof-read before sending. Even if printed on the sceen of a secure display monitor.

If an environment is stifling enough, it might be painfully obvious that someone is stepping out of line to work on carefully disclosing secrets. Obviously laws don’t matter in China, and if there’s a scent of dishonesty in the wrong context, I’m sure it wouldn’t take much find a way to watch every second of someone’s humble existence, if they’re not above executing pregnant women to send a message about what not watching your husband gets you.

Re: Botched CIA Communications System Helped Blow Cover of Chinese Agents

#163

Post by pc86 »

hunterjumper06 wrote: post #157
pc86 wrote: post #129

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No, it shows that unfortunately you don't know what you're talking about. Federal employee salaries are set by legislation and may not be changed. They can't get bonuses or anything else. Contracts are bid and are paid out of completely different budgets.

Yes, we actually can get yearly bonuses though they are minimal and tied to the performance rating process and tenure to the agency (at least at my agency). For those that are interested, I’d check out the General Schedule pay scales on the Office of Personnel Management’s (OPM) website. OPM is the agency responsible for providing guidance to federal agencies on all matters related to HR. OPM’s pay scales: https://ww…

The "S" in SCI stands for Sensitive, not Special. You might be thinking of Special Access Programs.

Re: Botched CIA Communications System Helped Blow Cover of Chinese Agents

#164

Post by wowzerz »

secfirstmd wrote: post #130
evntllyCnsistnt wrote: post #74

Knowing how absurdly insecure any civilian consumer system is (laptop, smart phone, home assistant, self driving car), with zero day fire-and-not-a-drill-at-all advisories, pretty much every month, I don’t get how this sort of thing happens. I also fail to see how a decision like this could be made: The CIA had imported the system from its Middle East operations... To China? The degree of technical differences betwee…

What direct cryptographic attack do you know that works on a one time pad? (Aslong as the randomness used to build it is real, it is implemented properly and not re-used etc)

User error, for one. People get sloppy and reuse a not-so-one-time-pad. That alone compromises secrets with frequency analysis.

Re: Botched CIA Communications System Helped Blow Cover of Chinese Agents

#165

Post by mikec3010 »

GVIrish wrote: post #138
mikec3010 wrote: post #103

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Shows a contradiction/hypocrisy. They have the money, but just choose to spend it on corporations and not humans.

That's a situation created by Congress, not federal agencies. Federal agencies with dire needs for high demand/high pay skills would love nothing more than to be able to hire full-time employees at market rates but it is very difficult for them to do so because of the federal pay scale and hiring guidelines. It's part of the whole charade of smaller government. The number of actual government employees is reduced but…

> but then the government pays...

That's my point. They have the money, but something-something..."policy"...something-something.... It goes to corporations instead of people.

Re: Botched CIA Communications System Helped Blow Cover of Chinese Agents

#166

Post by hunterjumper06 »

pc86 wrote: post #163
hunterjumper06 wrote: post #157

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, we actually can get yearly bonuses though they are minimal and tied to the performance rating process and tenure to the agency (at least at my agency). For those that are interested, I’d check out the General Schedule pay scales on the Office of Personnel Management’s (OPM) website. OPM is the agency responsible for providing guidance to federal agencies on all matters related to HR. OPM’s pay scales: https://ww…

The "S" in SCI stands for Sensitive, not Special. You might be thinking of Special Access Programs.

Yes! Thanks for the correction. I am so used to the acronym soup that I occasionally slip up on definitions. Lol!

Re: Botched CIA Communications System Helped Blow Cover of Chinese Agents

#167

Post by mikec3010 »

pc86 wrote: post #129
mikec3010 wrote: post #103

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Shows a contradiction/hypocrisy. They have the money, but just choose to spend it on corporations and not humans.

No, it shows that unfortunately you don't know what you're talking about. Federal employee salaries are set by legislation and may not be changed. They can't get bonuses or anything else. Contracts are bid and are paid out of completely different budgets.

> you don't know what you're talking about.

Personal attacks aren't welcome here.

The government has the money. As evidenced by their defense budget.

The government does not pay the money to their employees. As evidenced by NSA employees making less than high-grade truck drivers.

The government does pay billions to corporations such as Lockheed or Booz, etc.

SO let's recap: they have the money, they just choose not to pay it to their employees. But instead it inexplicably gets rerouted to rent-seeking gatekeepers.

Re: Botched CIA Communications System Helped Blow Cover of Chinese Agents

#168

Post by pc86 »

hunterjumper06 wrote: post #166
pc86 wrote: post #163

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The "S" in SCI stands for Sensitive, not Special. You might be thinking of Special Access Programs.

Yes! Thanks for the correction. I am so used to the acronym soup that I occasionally slip up on definitions. Lol!

I spent the better part of two years absolutely positive it stood for Secure Compartmentalized Information. :)

Re: Botched CIA Communications System Helped Blow Cover of Chinese Agents

#169

Post by qaq »

mikec3010 wrote: post #165
GVIrish wrote: post #138

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's a situation created by Congress, not federal agencies. Federal agencies with dire needs for high demand/high pay skills would love nothing more than to be able to hire full-time employees at market rates but it is very difficult for them to do so because of the federal pay scale and hiring guidelines. It's part of the whole charade of smaller government. The number of actual government employees is reduced but…

> but then the government pays... That's my point. They have the money, but something-something..."policy"...something-something.... It goes to corporations instead of people.

Who are "they" in this case? If you think there is broad electoral support for removing government pay caps I have a bridge to sell you :).

Re: Botched CIA Communications System Helped Blow Cover of Chinese Agents

#170

Post by qaq »

hunterjumper06 wrote: post #157
pc86 wrote: post #129

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No, it shows that unfortunately you don't know what you're talking about. Federal employee salaries are set by legislation and may not be changed. They can't get bonuses or anything else. Contracts are bid and are paid out of completely different budgets.

Yes, we actually can get yearly bonuses though they are minimal and tied to the performance rating process and tenure to the agency (at least at my agency). For those that are interested, I’d check out the General Schedule pay scales on the Office of Personnel Management’s (OPM) website. OPM is the agency responsible for providing guidance to federal agencies on all matters related to HR. OPM’s pay scales: https://ww…

"I get to do things that I would never get to do in the private sector" well I know people who switched from NSA to private sector and pretty much keep doing the same things :) So I guess it depends :)
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