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NSA Targeting Domestic Computer Systems
The NSA was originally supposed to handle foreign intelligence, and leave the domestic spying to other agencies, but Presto Vivace writes with this bit from CNET: "'The National Security Agency's Perfect Citizen program hunts for vulnerabilities in 'large-scale' utilities, including power grid and gas pipeline controllers, new documents from EPIC show.' 'Perfect Citizen?' Who thinks up these names?"
"The program is scheduled to continue through at least September 2014," says the article.
'Perfect Citizen?' Who thinks up these names?"
Answer in subject line.
Knowledge is how to play a game, intelligence is how to win, wisdom is knowing what game to play.
I am not a number i am a free man..... ...infor-matin infromation
we want
People seem to forget that Intelligence gathering is only part of NSA's mission.
They are also tasked with ensuring the security of the nations computers, cryptosystems and more recently critical infrastructure. But people will believe what they want to believe, so any more when people ask me if stuff in Enemy of the State is accurate I tell them 100%. They're not likely to believe that no, it could actually take weeks-months to get reliable intel data and it's usually generated by some analyst that's 17-25 years old sitting in some windowless building with a crappy computer.
And who better than somebody who knows how the other side thinks?
So the NSA is looking at the vulnerabilities over stuff deployed in USA ? What is the problem ? They also have a mission of protecting and giving advice for the national security ( heck, national security agency, do people fail at english comprehension test ? ).
NSA publish guides on how to secure linux or windows, do explain what the federal agency should do to be secured, so that seems logical to do the same for lots of things not "computer" related, if that can be used to disrupt the country. That's not different from checking a router for problem, or checking a phone if officials use them.
That's truly a fucking non news.
>hunts for vulnerabilities in 'large-scale' utilities
It's not like they're spying wholesale on American citizens...wait, they're already doing that, too.
I think the whole foreign/domestic spy division is pretty much gone at this point. Not saying it's right, just the reality.
That's our life, the big wheel of shit. - The Fat Man, Blue Tango Salvage
'Perfect Citizen?' Who thinks up these names?"
People who are so deluded they think destroying our way of life is the same as saving it.
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The NSA is tasked with collecting intelligence from foreign sources as well as securing US government information systems from attack. As the private entities listed are components of our nation's critical infrastructure, keeping them secure is probably a good idea. I wouldn't wait for Siemens and its ilk to step up to this task.
Its probably not a perfect separation of government, private industry, domestic and foreign intelligence tasks. But since the NSA has the expertise, I say let them help out. Its not like operating utilities and other infrastructure companies isn't already subject to extra regulation and oversight. Its just a shame the SEC/CFTC doesn't keep as close an eye on our banks.
Have gnu, will travel.
Up to 9/11 the FBI was the domestic counterpart to the CIA. After 9/11 all lines got blurred.
That's not what its charter says, which restricts it to "foreign intelligence or counterintelligence" and prohibits the NSA "acquiring information concerning the domestic activities of United States persons".
10 PRINT CHR$(205.5+RND(1)); : GOTO 10
Up to 9/11 the FBI was the domestic counterpart to the CIA. After 9/11 all lines got blurred.
The FBI never had the power of the CIA. The CIA can do clandestine ops while the FBI does not have the authority to do clandestine ops without the specific and expressed permission granted by the President. This is a major difference.
Domestic clandestine operations are operations which can be said to not exist at all. The CIA for example could run a clandestine CIA operation which does something clearly illegal such as hack a bunch of websites and then claim the terrorists did it. I'm not saying this sort of false flag is something the CIA would do, usually the FBI would do something like that but it's a possible example of a clandestine operation. The civilian government would believe criminals or cyber-terrorists did it.
Hah, but this is the US Government. Since when does "what the charter actually says" have anything to do with what the TLA actually does?
There is ZERO reason for SCADA systems to be connected to the Internet.
You are being MICROattacked, from various angles, in a SOFT manner.
With the homeland security monolith growing into a huge machine that consumes cash and excretes bullshit and the FBI and CIA so dysfunctional and jealous that the FBI managed to depose the head of the CIA on "moral" grounds it actually makes sense to pass things over to a bunch that look like they actually work for a living, no matter what their current responsibilities are.
That is, using the lists generated by people that denounce their US citizenship sorted by income by their last two years of citizenship?
In addition, I'm quite sure that the NSA can always trade with other friendly countries for what its charter does not allow them to have.
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