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Feds Pay Millions For Bogus Spy Software
gosuperninja writes "The US Government paid tens of millions of dollars to Dennis Montgomery because he said he had created software that could decode secret Al-Qaeda messages embedded in Al-Jazeera broadcasts. Even though the CIA figured out that his software was fraud in 2003, other defense agencies continued to believe in it. To date, the government has not prosecuted Montgomery, most likely to save itself the embarrassment."
Mr. Montgomery is about to go on trial in Las Vegas on unrelated charges of trying to pass $1.8 million in bad checks at casinos.
I'd say he has more than a "penchant" for gambling, it sounds like this guy genuinely has a problem.
Gambling issue aside, the sad thing regarding his behavior is that it's probably more commonplace than we're aware of. After 9/11, government officials were and still are under serious pressure to produce results, and often all too eager to sign a few papers here and there if it would magically solve their problems. The government trying to save face is merely a symptom, and should be treated as such. The only things I can think of that would discourage this behavior is active prevention through transparency and follow-up enforcement when that fails. One way or another, these charades must not be allowed to continue. I'm sure there's a lot more where that came from which fell into the well along the way, and it's going to add up. After all, it is the taxpayer that will shoulder the weight of these transactions.
vos nescitis quicquam, nec cogitatis quia expedit nobis ut unus moriatur homo pro populo et non tota gens pereat.
If we have this solid evidence, file suit against the government for criminal negligence. Do something that will force them to lay punishment down on the lying son of a bitch.
Still waiting on Serviscope_minor to wake up to fucking reality and realize that Jessica Price isn't going to fuck him.
When the message decoded to "There's a sucker born every minute."
It certainly does make them look stupid when they're supposed to be protecting us from a big, determined, ruthless threat like Al-Qaeda and it ends up that they can't even protect themselves from simple fraud. It makes them look unnecessary, too, and that's the part they can't stand. It's the sort of thing that can make the political pressures no longer operate in their favor. Until this event they had the whole "be afraid!" thing working well for them.
In any kind of merit-based organization that would mean firing and replacing every decision-maker who chose to invest in this software. That's how they could regain credibility, by showing that they won't tolerate such gross incompetence within their ranks. Otherwise the question remains valid: how do they propose to protect the entire country from shadowy underground terrorist organizations bent on our destruction if they cannot even protect themselves from a common con-man?
It is a miracle that curiosity survives formal education. - Einstein
This kind of hoaxes happens all the time. Check out Quadro Tracker and friends...
... compared to the future waste on dubious cyber security software...
I realize this is winter..but must we go on with the repeats?"
The C.I.A. never did an assessment to determine how a ruse had turned into a full-blown international incident, officials said, nor was anyone held accountable. In fact, agency officials who oversaw the technology directorate — including Donald Kerr, who helped persuade George J. Tenet, then the director of central intelligence, that the software was credible — were promoted, former officials said.
I worked at one of the 'Agenices' and during my time there (in the last 3 years) I worked with a similar fellow. He was introduced to me as this utter genius. An independant subcontractor who, with his never seen friend, had come up with a software solution that could allow their laptop to snoop on any Internet traffic, anywhere in the world at any time...instantly. "It sees everything, you just look at the part that interests you", he explained to me. Sort of like a machine running Wireshark with the NIC in PROM mode, but for the entire Internet. No one in the Gov questioned him. No a single soul. He was a contractor (like myself) and was being paid so much that he was given two billets to cover the cost. So I sat through his presentation and immediately threw a BS flag. He flipped out, stormed out and no one knew what to do. I did my best to explain the facts that made his claims impossible. I asked the room if they'd ever tested his system in a real world environment. "Call your wife, have her get online and tell her what's going on. Then have Peter look at her traffic". After about a half-hour, they started to realize what had happened, you could see it on their faces. Thing is, this guy had been paid millions in funding a salary. I don't think his business partner ever existed. What did they do about it? Nothing. You see, in order to go after him, they'd look foolish. Not going to happen. Not in the Intel community.
Doh! Should have finished reading the entire article before posting. This went on with contracts being awarded up until the Obama administration, with people likely still around who made some of the decisions.
the grand budget axe will fall on these agencies and they'll *have* to act. I just wonder how many times they have to be spanked by these frauds before they feel the pain...
What's pretty disturbing is that the government is so gullible over such a lie that's ridiculous on its face. Really, secret messages from Al Qaeda in Al Jazeera? Why not hidden messages from Al Qaeda on MTV or CNN? That would be just as plausible.
I'm still mystified by how much neocons despise the channel. No wonder Bush planned to bomb Al Jazeera, he was so quick to jump onto the false notion. Never mind that Al Qaeda hates Al Jazeera and has done so for years (AQ supporters call it "Al-Khinzeera," which means The Pig)
http://yro.slashdot.org/story/09/12/25/0019250/Fraudulent-Anti-Terrorist-Software-Led-US-To-Ground-Planes
This is another tech story which doesn't really involve tech: humans can get paid a lot to tell people what they want to hear too. Feds would really like to believe that Al-Jazeera is somehow connected to terrorism, even though it's a preposterous idea, and they're happy to pay someone for that information so they don't look like frauds themselves.
# cat
Damn, my RAM is full of llamas.
More than ever, especially at the government level?
With closed source, they just get magical black boxes that somehow work (or not, in this case), without actually understanding what it does. Unless they want to spend more money reverse engineering the whole thing.
This month, our government has proposed a budget in which we confess that we're so fucking poor that we cannot afford to subsidize nutritional supplements for babies born with low birth weight. And yet there seems to be a whole parallel word of government, where insane shit like this must still look insane, but fuck it, we'll fund it anyway, because we're rich and we don't give a fuck. I mean seriously, who could possibly make the decision "Yeah, that's worth paying for" when they hear a sales pitch like this? Only an organization that's so flush with money that they're experimenting with using it for toilet paper. It's a little shocking, given the nature of all the sacrifices the government is forcing on normal people.
And the previous sentence, "Mr. Montgomery, 57, who is in bankruptcy and living outside Palm Springs, Calif..."
Whatever his cut of the $20 million the government paid, he evidently didn't make good use of.
FTA:
"A Pentagon study in January found that it had paid $285 billion in three years to more than 120 contractors accused of fraud or wrongdoing. "
- They didn't ask to see source code for something so delicate as this?
- They didn't probe too deep into how the technology actually works, just took his word for it?
- They didn't test it before paying for it?
Hopefully I'm not the only confused one?
Yet another way to waste money in the fight against terror.
This one sunk $85M on a bogus bomb detector used widely in Iraq until its export was banned-- ie demand for it was still present and they wanted to continue importing into Iraq! http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/newsnight/8471187.stm
Airport body imagers, duct tape and plastic wrap... Is there no end?
Twenty mil would buy a lot of Slashbeer and Firehose accounts. Come on, someone, get onto it!
Don't blame me, I voted for Baltar.
Even before 9/11, they were blowing money on thousand dollar toilet seats and quackery like divining rods to locate land mines.
They're children and need close supervision. As much as I hate taxes and government spending, we need to spend more money on oversight. They need to be watched like hawks.
Why are you letting these clowns ruin our country?
So if the CIA found out they were hokey, why didn't they get booted off of the GSA schedule, or the spook equivalent?
370H55V
There are a lot of people doing research (defense or anything) who honestly believe their work is real and practical despite fundamental impossibilities. Some of these results end up with glowing reviews here on Slashdot.
In highly technical fields, it's really easy to push BS past just about anyone, even other specialists in your field. The best con artists in science honestly believe their research is real. They run entire companies or research centers. They push their employees extremely hard for positive results, fire employees who can't deliver and turn a blind eye to the signs that the data is misrepresented, oversold or just plain faked.
The same thing happens on the granting/contracting side. They push for results and ignore warning signs. In extreme cases, almost the entire scientific apparatus gets played.
In any kind of merit-based organization that would mean firing and replacing every decision-maker who chose to invest in this software. That's how they could regain credibility, by showing that they won't tolerate such gross incompetence within their ranks
Somehow, I think I could live with this.
If the only way you can accept an assertion is by faith, then you are conceding that it can't be taken on its own merits
So if they don't prosecute now, then it has nothing to do with saving themselves embarrassment at all.
It's almost refreshing to think that apathy may still be alive and well and working within today's governing bodies.
File under 'M' for 'Manic ranting'
I read this article and I have to wonder...the CIA and Air Force believed at some point that his software could detect a black blob as a terrorist from a black blob who's not a terrorist, off of a UAV video feed. So did they incorporate this into their Rules of Engagement (ROE) at some point and actually declare anyone hostile based on feedback from his software? Because if this is the case, then this guy is probably guilty of more than just ripping the government off. If the government admits to wrongfully killing someone based on bogus software, then who is liable and at what level? On another note, he claimed he could decipher hidden messages in Al Jazeera broadcasts. For this to be correct, Al Jazeera would have to be providing some form of communication services for Al Queda. Did anyone believe there was a link? And if this were the case, why would Al Queda telegraph their plans on an open channel given the more secure alternatives. It pretty much fails the common sense test. Oh well... More government buffoonery for our general entertainment.
Guy passing bogus checks to casinos: One point eight million dollars.
Guy defrauds US government: Tens of millions of dollars.
Seeing Guy hanged for treason alongside idiotic government bureaucrats who helped perpetrate this boondoggle: priceless
"A government is a body of people usually -- notably -- ungoverned." -Shepherd Book
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It certainly does make them look stupid when they're supposed to be protecting us from a big, determined, ruthless threat like Al-Qaeda and it ends up that they can't even protect themselves from simple fraud.
And if Al-Qaeda has any intelligence, they'll stop attacking us with bombs and hijacked airplanes and start sending us Nigerian spam. And thus, the war on terrorism takes a backseat to the war on spam.
How about just not giving them so much money to begin with? The US government is a child who spends who entire allowance, and rather than figuring how to spend it more wisely just takes more money from his parents wallets.
Drink.... More... Ovaltine?
The reason these individuals were not fired is because it's a merit-based organization. A meritocracy penalizes failure and rewards success. By penalizing honest mistakes the people who end up on top may not be those with the most merit, but those who hide their mistakes the best. This has the added detriment of not allowing the organization to learn from its failures.
It's more like sending them to the shop with the grocery money and a shopping list. There may be some unnecessary items on the list, but the rest are needed to keep the family going for the week; they know what some absolute essentials are, with the rest goes on a mix of personal interest and things which they like but can't make themselves.
When they return you get toilet paper, a $40 beef roast and an assortment of candies, with some more oversight they could've returned with something which more closely resembles your shopping list.
Slashdot wrote about this last year, after Playboy wrote about it. Playboy's story was pretty good.
The moral of the story is anyone who gives good Powerpoint is destined to grow rich
---
http://whitherthenytimes.blogspot.com/
Fear is the mind killer....
That an American (non) Society.
This kind of thing is depressingly common. While working at the National Security Agency I witnessed similar abuse, for instance I was at some of the meetings discussing the funding of the Vivomind project which was also clearly bogus. http:...//www.vivomind.com/
This was all over DC-area radio between 2002 and 2005. The advertisement spot invited listeners to go to a web site with a name similar to "fightterrorism.org" and join a distributed-computing network that would search for stegenographic messages in the media.
Kriston
Just fire the auditor(s) who didn't do his/her/their job(s), which is to audit contractors and ensure they are meeting the terms of the contract.
Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?
Man who leaps off cliff jumps to conclusion.
You're a moron.
The "patent" by Dennis Montgomery is a *patent application*. It looks like garbage to me. The US government got hustled, in my opinion. Maybe Mongtomery should sell the screen rights to his tale. He may not live to tell about it, though, because he has been passing hot checks at the casinos in Nevada.
Why is Slashdot double-spacing all the lines in some posts, such as this one?
It's more of a case of, "look, we're doing something: we purchased this fancy software." It's probably a case of too much money chasing too few real solutions. If you don't spend the money, your budget is reduced next year. Thus, there's pressure to spend it on something, even if it's shit.
I know of some local agencies that stuck the title "Homeland Security" into their name to get funds. They didn't significantly change what the did, they merely painted it differently on their brochures. "Sure, we hunt down gangs, but some of those may be Al Quida gangs. Somebody has to keep an eye out for them. Therefore we're protecting America from Al Quida."
Sure, they might also find unicorn gangs in the process. Does that mean they should get unicorn funding?
Table-ized A.I.
The reason these individuals were not fired is because it's a merit-based organization. A meritocracy penalizes failure and rewards success. By penalizing honest mistakes the people who end up on top may not be those with the most merit, but those who hide their mistakes the best. This has the added detriment of not allowing the organization to learn from its failures.
Two things. One, if the Department of Agriculture made this mistake then I'd say ok, they just got conned, hope they catch the bastard. I wouldn't expect them to be any more difficult to con than any private business or individual. It's different when you have a Department of Homeland Security with all sorts of forensic, investigatory and other law enforcement powers available to it and they're still vulnerable to a common thief. I'm betting that catching the really hardcore terrorists is going to be much more difficult than not falling victim to a common thief. That's the difference, or if you like, that's where there is a demonstrable lack of merit. It calls into question their basic ability to fulfill their stated purpose. A wisely managed organization provides answers to such questions in the form of accountability.
Second, why is it OK for the government to "make an example" of the citizens by handing out extremely harsh penalties that grossly exceed what would fit the crime/tort in the case of things like computer intrusion or copyright infringement, but not OK to make an example of bureaucrats who should know better and then make idiotic decisions that waste our money? The institution can learn from its mistakes by getting rid of people who show such incompetence. The people who remain will understand that they need to get their shit together. Their replacements can be briefed on why there was a job opening for them. Getting rid of the incompetents and allowing the institution to learn from its mistakes are not mutually exclusive.
A third point could be made. The DHS falls under the law enforcement powers of government. It is also a political institution. It is staffed by people who want power and want us to believe that they can be trusted to use it properly. With that power needs to come responsibility and accountability. Therefore, I consider each one of their jobs to be expendable. If they are incompetent, not only should they be fired; they should have never been hired in the first place. I'd be far more sympathetic if this happened to the employees of a company that makes widgets, because none of them are demanding political power.
It is a miracle that curiosity survives formal education. - Einstein
an assortment of candies
is this the cause of the obesity epidemic?
The playboy article is way better to read the full story, if you got time.. http://www.playboy.com/articles/the-man-who-conned-the-pentagon-dennis-montgomery/
What a riot!
Millions of US Tax Dollars funneled to a Drunk!
Airlines diverted due to "Analysis" from a Drunk!
Just goes to show.
Electing a drunk like George (Johnny) Walker Bush and NOW the half-breed freak-show Barak-O-Vision to continue the US penis dance just cracks me up.
-Toodles
-308
PS
Barak has a real problem!
Libya!
And soon Saudi Arabia!
Admiral Mullen has been dispatched to bulk-up the Kingdom, but will the Kingdom be receptive.
In no less than three week the bulk-work of the Bush-Obama Terror network have fallen.
Soon the tsunami will wash ashore in Washington D.C. U.S.A.
Believe.
...Dibbler's Dragon Detector (Terry Pratchett, Guards! Guards!).
"....Was there some way of detecting dragons themselves? He'd had a look at Cut-me-own-Throat Dibbler's dragon detectors, which consisted solely of a piece of wood on a metal stick. When the stick was burned through, you'd found your dragon.."
Ever considered that the same people are in the same jobs until they are replaced? There was no instant change because magic doesn't exist and unfortunately the problem of every new administration is that sometimes the useless that spend vast amounts of effort looking good will appear in most circumstances to be the better choice than anyone that is competant. It's hard to find and dig out these people instead of a few blameless low level lackies that take the fall.
We'll probably see some of the same useless idiots embedded like poisonous ticks in these groups even though the upcoming Clinton, Palin and Beck administrations.
Um, they can't do a damn thing about it. In the United States, software does not have to do what the maker claims it does. You can not sue a software vendor for any "product liability" issue.
This is due to intensive lobbying by Microsoft et al, who based their argument on the simple fact that nobody understands how computers really work and so, software vendors can not be blamed when their products fail. I am not kidding. That line of BS plus a few tens of millions of dollars in the right pockets was all it took.
Since requiring software to do what the maker says it does would break the back of Our Digital Economy (this happened in the early 1990s IIRC) by Punishing Innovation, this exemption can not be repealed.
Oh really? With nothing but a few bottles of spirits a week I could bring home a different fourteen or fifteen year old girl for sex five or six times a week. Am I also an idiot for not doing so?
I consider that and being an accessory to the con job described above morally equivalent. The taxpayer is getting badly screwed without really understanding what is going on.
The BBC is a government funded George Orwell 1984 media machine. All the best news readers left the BBC for Al Jazzera.I report for Al Jazzera and get more stories published there than I do on slashdot.
All cows eat grass!
Check the cost of that house outside Palm Springs. I'd be surprised if it wasn't right around $20 million. Also, check his car. That'll be the difference.
Even in bankruptcy, your creditors cannot take your house and must leave you one car. If you used all of your ill-gotten proceeds to purchase your house, then the money can't be retrieved. The house can be foreclosed on if the payments on a mortgage aren't made, but if the house is paid off, it's safe from creditors.
Another common move is to divorce your spouse prior to any big lawsuit with potential damages to be applied. Your assets are split in half, then if you lose the lawsuit, the winner only gets the half of your assets you kept. Then you hook back up with your spouse and have the other half to enjoy. (See Robert Tiltonand Hulk Hogan)
Seth
$5 / month hosted VPS on linux = awesome!
That's not as far from the truth as you jokingly suggest. The original "Food Pyramid" promoted by the US government was based more on industry wants than sound nutritional science.
"Our Man in Havana" must have inspired this.
The problem is they would use it to buy an oversight machine from a contractor that would later turn out to be just an empty box with an antenna and some wires that aren't actually connected to anything at all.
Well, there's your problem right there. Al-Q is not a big, determined, ruthless threat, it's a bunch of petulant losers.
Watch this Heartland Institute video
Yeah, I agree with that too. Less money with a larger percentage spent on oversight.
I'm glad we were able to solve this problem together. Please let Congress know our directive. Later.
Why are you letting these clowns ruin our country?
Who is the person i can talk to sell my soft...
Wikipedia disagrees, but like you they're lacking a citation:
The nutritional guideline known as the food pyramid, and formally titled the Improved American Food Guide Pyramid, was originally drafted by Francesca Morris and was published by the FDB in Denmark in 1978 and later adopted by the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) in 1992 to replace the earlier food groups classification system.[citation needed]
I'd suggest that if your guess was accurate, the pyramid would have included lots of Whoppers, Coke, and curly-fries.
Just another day in Paradise
I give them my instructions every couple of years. Unfortunately there are a lot of assholes who live here and tell them to keep spending like drunken sailors.
Ah well, the day of reckoning is coming. This country is living on borrowed time (time is money) at this point.
I have not read the book yet myself (it's on my rather lengthy list of books to get to) but I'll refer you to Food Politics by Marion Nestle, a professor at NYU.
Also, assuming that Food Industry = McDonalds is just being willfully obtuse. Agriculture is big business in the US. Just ask Monsanto, ADM and Cargill. Cargill's yearly revenue is several times that of McDonald's.