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The NSA's Cyber-King Goes Corporate

foreignpolicy.com

61–70 of 77 posts

Re: The NSA's Cyber-King Goes Corporate

#61
post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The NSA's job isn't private cyber security. Also, non-competes are evil.

The point is there seems to be different rules governing people who come from different positions or social classes in our society.

The best known example for this are bankers. As a rule of thumb, bankers don't go to jail.

Re: The NSA's Cyber-King Goes Corporate

#62
Ok, I didn't read it. But I am of the strong opinion that what is for sale is political expertise and connections, not any particular technical expertise.

Perhaps toss in some particular narrow-band legal and program (as a human endeavor, not a technical skill) knowledge.

Most "revolving door" activity in DC centers around these areas of expertise and influence (politics, connections, legalese), as far as I have observed from my distant perch.

Re: The NSA's Cyber-King Goes Corporate

#63
post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not everything developed by the government is automatically supposed to be available to the public so I guess I don't understand your point.

The point is how is it acceptable that a previously-public-servant can have insider knowledge about "secret" government patents and he can obtain a license to use the technology but I cannot? That's absurd and an abuse of power and privilege.

Did it say he was going to use secret patents?

Or just that he was going to use NSA patents?

Because the NSA maintains a list of patented technologies that they offer to the public on various terms: http://www.nsa.gov/research/_files/tech_transfers/nsa_techno...

Re: The NSA's Cyber-King Goes Corporate

#64
post #53

Government agencies about to be inundated with sales pitches from General Alexander's company in 3...2...1... Same thing happened when Admiral Fallon retired and suddenly discovered his long hidden cyber security talent at NeuralIQ. This is a way for these guys to use influence to sell things to agencies they used to run.

How can we forget Chertoff, and his lobbying/fear mongering on behalf of body scanner manufacturers. He very transparently used his credentials as former Secretary of Homeland Security to get his client's devices installed in every airport in the country.

And Tom Ridge, who joined the board of Savi Technologies/Lockheed Martin to push the use of RFID tracking on military shipments and port security.

Re: The NSA's Cyber-King Goes Corporate

#65
post #58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The government never paid him a million dollars.

How would you know? The US intelligence budget clocks in around $52 billion. You don't think a few million could be allocated if it was the most-expedient way of making something happen?

If you mean that the government could offer him a million now to expose a client's network, sure, but they could offer that to anyone.

Re: The NSA's Cyber-King Goes Corporate

#66

"Alexander said that if he determines that he needs to use technology or methods that the NSA has patented, he will pay for a license". Why can the NSA patent anything at all, preventing the public from using the technology it generated with taxpayers' money?

Why can't anyone license the public sector work of the NSA?

Re: The NSA's Cyber-King Goes Corporate

#67

I wouldn't hire a security company run by the former head of the NSA. Is there any question in anyone's mind that if he was approached by the government to put a backdoor in your company's product or infrastructure, he wouldn't hesitate for a second to say yes?

The government never paid him a million dollars.

Can't the government use everything they know he has done with them to ban him entirely from the sector? Some kind of conflict or interest or just hang him with something and put out a black mark.

Re: The NSA's Cyber-King Goes Corporate

#68
post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think it's a little more than an endorsement deal. He knows deep inside information into what surveillance programs the NSA operates. I read it as follows: "we guarantee your company's IT infrastructure will no longer be seen as a low hanging fruit to the NSA"

> He knows deep inside information into what surveillance programs the NSA operates. I assume any application of that information would have him arrested too.

Who's the last high-ranking military officer who left the US military to join the industrial part of the military-industrial complex to get arrested for using classified information in their new job?

Or was your comment sarcastic irony?

Re: The NSA's Cyber-King Goes Corporate

#70
post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The point is how is it acceptable that a previously-public-servant can have insider knowledge about "secret" government patents and he can obtain a license to use the technology but I cannot? That's absurd and an abuse of power and privilege.

Did it say he was going to use secret patents? Or just that he was going to use NSA patents? Because the NSA maintains a list of patented technologies that they offer to the public on various terms: http://www.nsa.gov/research/_files/tech_transfers/nsa_techno...

Even if he uses knowledge, methods, practices, routines, guidelines, etc from his time serving at the NSA -- I would expect a NDA to prevent him from using any of that knowledge -- my company made me sign one, and so do most.
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