US Inadvertently Enabled Chinese Google Hackers

Phrogman writes "In this CNN article by Bruce Schneier, he states that the US Government inadvertently enabled Chinese hackers access to Google's Gmail. The article states 'Google made headlines when it went public with the fact that Chinese hackers had penetrated some of its services, such as Gmail, in a politically motivated attempt at intelligence gathering. The news here isn't that Chinese hackers engage in these activities or that their attempts are technically sophisticated — we knew that already — it's that the US government inadvertently aided the hackers.'" Update: 02/22 20:26 GMT by S : As readers have noted, Schneier said not long after he wrote this article that he no longer thinks this is what happened.

Comments

Open letter to Chinese computer professionals:

[Ethanol-fueled]

Proud computer experts of China,

We were made aware of your recent exploits concerning Google and a number of other Western corporations. We know that you have the facility to go after bigger and better targets, so why not go after the U.S. government itself? Instead of hacking Gmail to read average citizens' e-mail, you could go after congress and deliver to us their damming communiques. We want to know all about their marital affairs, business dealings, money streams, and even their bowel movements. We want them to know that they are being watched using the very systems they voted to put into place. We cannot do the same, for our society is becoming repressive and average citizens are being tried as war-criminals if not tortured detained indefinitely without trial.

You can do it. We understand that your government tacitly condones your hacking actions against U.S. interests. Google is your friend. The United States government is your enemy. Google will publicly condemn China and cause it to lose business. The U.S. government will not release public statements out of fear of humiliation, so they will not affect Chinese business. Get into their computers, post their secrets on Wikileaks, and you will be our heroes. After exploitation, publicly supply the methods of exploitation to humiliate our government. Our government are out of touch with reality and are stinking drunk with power and the money earned with capitalistic corporate greed. You must become heroes of the people. Not just your people, but the people of the world.

Re:Open letter to Chinese computer professionals:

[Anonymous Coward]

Clearly the citizens of America do not want it to stop. That is why they keep electing the same people over and over and over and over and over and over again, even when it's been shown that they do whatever they can to fuck over the average American.

So it must be the Will of the People for their government to behave in such a fashion.

Our "Cybersecurity Czar"'s first recommendation..

[Sloppy]

..should be: "Repeal CALEA."