Al-Qaeda Used Basic Codes, Calling Cards, Hotmail

jd writes "In startling revelations, convicted terrorist Ali Saleh Kahlah al-Marri admitted that Al Qaeda used public telephones, pre-paid calling cards, search engines and Hotmail. Al-Marri 'used a '10-code' to protect the [phone] numbers — subtracting the actual digits in the phone numbers from 10 to arrive at a coded number.' The real story behind all this is that the terrorists weren't using sophisticated methods to avoid detection or monitoring — which tells us just how crappy SIGINT really is right now. If the NSA needs to wiretap the whole of the US because they can't break into a Hotmail account, you know they've got problems. FindLaw has a copy of al-Marri's plea agreement (the tech-related information begins on page 12), and the LA Times has further details on his case."

Comments

Re:This is not a surprise

[CalvinTheBold]

I have a similar story. The NSA hires entry level mathematicians for a pittance. They money they offered wasn't enough to raise a family, so I went with a job at a defense contractor that paid 50% more.

This "crating" thing you mention... I've never heard the term, but I've seen the effects. Some people settle down for a nice, steady, mind-numbing job in a SCIF because they know it's basically guaranteed employment for as long as the program lasts. You can spend your entire career doing the same thing for the same project, all while tidily walled off from the world because of security constraints. My peers and I joke that it's welfare for engineers.

Re:Really? What Exacty Is Your Suggestion?

[synthespian]

Oh, wait, prostitution is illegal in the US, right? Then cooperate with the Netherlands. Hehehe.