funsec mailing list archives
Re: Outsourcing, and rebranding, (national) security
From: Jeffrey Walton <noloader () gmail com>
Date: Mon, 26 Aug 2013 14:40:57 -0400
On Mon, Aug 26, 2013 at 2:21 PM, Rob, grandpa of Ryan, Trevor, Devon & Hannah <rmslade () shaw ca> wrote:
I was thinking about the recent trend, in the US, for "outsourcing" and "privatization" of security functions, in order to reduce (government) costs. For example, we know, from the Snowden debacle, that material he, ummm, "obtained," was accessed while he was working for a contractor that was working for the NSA.
The government lied when it claimed "Snowden was fabricating digital keys [sic]. There was no clever, spy-vs-spy stuff: : "Last week NSA Director Keith Alexander told the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence that Snowden was able to access files inside the NSA by fabricating digital keys that gave him access to areas he was not allowed to visit as a low-level contractor and systems administrator. [1] The NSA apparently provided that information through MS Sharepoint (did you really think there were security controls in place that met expectations): [2]. The NSA is pursuing a policy of remving humans from the loop: [3]. The company that provides background checks is also being investigated: [2].
Considering both these trends; outsourcing and PR, I see an opportunity here.
That's the cool thing about being government. You can lie with impunity, and there's no need to for PR campaigns. Its not a mess that needs cleaning up because nearly everyone is complicit. No one is held responsible during the act or accountable after the fact. Jeff [1] "Greenwald: Snowden’s Files Are Out There if ‘Anything Happens’ to Him", http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/06/25/greenwald-snowden-s-files-are-out-there-if-anything-happens-to-him.html [2] "Snowden’s Impact on the Enterprise: How Mobile Security is Evolving Post-NSA Leak", http://www.wired.com/insights/2013/07/snowdens-impact-on-the-enterprise-how-mobile-security-is-evolving-post-nsa-leak/. [3] "NSA to cut system administrators by 90 percent to limit data access", http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/08/09/us-usa-security-nsa-leaks-idUSBRE97801020130809. _______________________________________________ Fun and Misc security discussion for OT posts. https://linuxbox.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/funsec Note: funsec is a public and open mailing list.
Current thread:
- Outsourcing, and rebranding, (national) security Rob, grandpa of Ryan, Trevor, Devon & Hannah (Aug 26)
- Re: Outsourcing, and rebranding, (national) security Jeffrey Walton (Aug 26)