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CIA Details Agency's New Digital and Cyber Espionage Focus

coondoggie writes: It's about 10 years late to the party, but come October 1, the Central Intelligence Agency will add a new directorate that will focus on all things cyber and digital espionage. The CIA's Deputy Director, David Cohen, said to a Cornell University audience last week that once the new Directorate of Digital Innovation (DDI) is up and running, "it will be at the center of the Agency's effort to inject digital solutions into every aspect of our work. It will be responsible for accelerating the integration of our digital and cyber capabilities across all our mission areas—human intelligence collection, all-source analysis, open source intelligence, and covert action."

35 comments

  1. Oh no... by EmeraldBot · · Score: 2

    the Central Intelligence Agency will ad a new directorate

    Let loose the Hump Day Camel upon the masses!

    --
    "Set a man a fire, he'll be warm for the rest of the night. Set a man afire, he'll be warm for the rest of his life."
    1. Re:Oh no... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      the Central Intelligence Agency will ad a new directorate

      Let loose the Hump Day Camel upon the masses!

      Hump Day Camel, CIA new mascot. perhaps?

  2. It's a distraction. by DoofusOfDeath · · Score: 1, Offtopic

    It's all a distraction until CIA officials, agents, and various past elected officials are tried for their crimes against humanity: torture. It's time to re-convene Nuremberg.

    1. Re:It's a distraction. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's all a distraction until CIA officials, agents, and various past elected officials are tried for their crimes against humanity: torture. It's time to re-convene Nuremberg.

      Do you even realize what the Nuremberg trials were about? You should be modded troll just for downplaying the Nuremberg trials by several orders of magnitude by implying it's comparable to a couple dozen guys in jail at gitmo.

    2. Re:It's a distraction. by DoofusOfDeath · · Score: 1

      Do you even realize what the Nuremberg trials were about? You should be modded troll just for downplaying the Nuremberg trials by several orders of magnitude by implying it's comparable to a couple dozen guys in jail at gitmo.

      Yes, I do. Maybe I'm just a bleeding-heart conservative, and have a soft spot for even a small number of tortured detainees.

  3. Was there a contest ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ... to squeeze as many buzzwords as possible into a government memo?

  4. What's what by PopeRatzo · · Score: 1

    it will be at the center of the Agency's effort to inject digital solutions into every aspect of our work.

    And your work.

    --
    You are welcome on my lawn.
  5. Howzbout by Anomalyst · · Score: 3, Interesting

    they secure the existing digtal assets of country from the not-so-scary-ists and educate the federa/state employees about social engineering. If they cant pass a basic cyber security evaluation, put them to work cleaning restrooms and kitchens where they wont endanger the rest of us.

    --
    There is no right to feel safe thru security vaudeville at the expense of everyone's freedom, privacy and tax money.
    1. Re:Howzbout by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
  6. Holy crap ... by gstoddart · · Score: 4, Funny

    it will be at the center of the Agency's effort to inject digital solutions into every aspect of our work. It will be responsible for accelerating the integration of our digital and cyber capabilities across all our mission areas--human intelligence collection, all-source analysis, open source intelligence, and covert action

    My god but that sounds like came out of a mission statement generator.

    The CIA just fucking got Uberered

    We seek to leverage synergies and holistically solve problems problems using agile methods and cutting edge technology while streamlining existing process via the generous application of "jazz hands".

    And one time, at Band Camp ...

    --
    Lost at C:>. Found at C.
    1. Re:Holy crap ... by nastyphil · · Score: 1

      Yes it is a mission statement. Mission statements are an important element in any sustainable governance ecology. They provide guidance when procedure, process and policy fail. Why are we here? What are core domains and responsibilities? Etc.

      --
      Dialectician. Archology.
    2. Re:Holy crap ... by chipschap · · Score: 1

      "sustainable governance ecology" .... wow ... don't forget to add synergy, proactivity, breakthrough innovation, client goal convergence, resource utility maximization, etc.

      "guidance when procedure, process and policy fail" ... a little too late at that point, my friend.

    3. Re:Holy crap ... by rtb61 · · Score: 1

      It was always going to be really lame when the largest crime organisation in the history of mankind starts to play at public relations after a decade of torture, blowing innocent people to bits with drones, turning countries into failed states, generating millions of refugees, being by far the largest drug dealers on planet and basically all round political and business extortionist are us. Recruiting gets pretty hard when all you get to pick from is shit and so the PR merchants must go to work. Want to be a privacy invasive douche bag that considers social democracy evil and political activists of all stripes as criminals waiting to be turned in target practice, then they have a job for you. Psychopathy a core job requirement, they only hire their own.

      --
      Chaos - everything, everywhere, everywhen
    4. Re:Holy crap ... by Tokolosh · · Score: 1

      More like mission creep. What could possibly go wrong?

      --
      Prove anything by multiplying Huge Number times Tiny Number
    5. Re:Holy crap ... by Tokolosh · · Score: 1

      You forgot "leverage". Leverage is very important, a core value, in fact.

      --
      Prove anything by multiplying Huge Number times Tiny Number
    6. Re:Holy crap ... by chipschap · · Score: 1

      Thank you, yes. We must leverage innovative solutions in order to increase mindshare and achieve increasingly challenging objectives in today's ever-shifting geopolitical climate.

  7. Stepping on the NSA's toes by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Your tax dollars, hard at work being redundant.

  8. How does one spell Boondoogle? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Is that the correct wordage?

    1. Re:How does one spell Boondoogle? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Here is how it goes; how it always goes:

      The CIA will Contract out to EDS for all the DDI Infrastructure work, for something in the way of $30B a year. (The exact number will be Classified.) Note that EDS is currently owned by HP, but is it really?
      Count the Election cycles.

      In the Spring of 2024, there will be a Congressional Investigation into the current $300B a year Budget, (The exact number will be Classified.), because the Write Only Memory Office Supply Database has to be recompiled time a pencil is Securely Destroyed, while Field Agents still have to use Western Electric shoe phones.
      As a gesture of Good Faith, another HP CEO is sacrificed so that they can go into into Politics, HP goes out of the Printer business, (Again. Any excuse...), and Pencils will now be replaced by Crayons, which will be nominally cheaper, easier to Securely Destroy, and can be sourced from Nigeria instead of China.
      The Investigation concludes that the Effort is underfunded, and will need a new Budget of $400B a year, (The exact number will be Classified.).

      In January of 2025, after the most expensive Election Cycle ever, (The exact number will be Classified.), a new House, Senate, and President will be sworn in.
      There will be a Congressional Investigation into the last Congressional Investigation. This Congressional Investigation will determine that DDI should be wound down, at a cost of $500B a year for twelve years. (The exact number will be Classified.)
      HP, a division of EDS, goes into the Shoe Phone business, introducing for the first time- Touch Tone Dialing.

      In 2036, there will be a Congressional Investigation...

    2. Re:How does one spell Boondoogle? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      yah, they be coming across the border right now, pardner. iz gotz my six shooter and some tnt and I can protext my sectorz. Ugh chugaluga and too much time on my hands.

    3. Re:How does one spell Boondoogle? by nickweller · · Score: 2

      This would be funny if it wasn't too close to the reality of how large-scale-projects are contracted out.

  9. This has nothing to do with Open Source as he says by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    This has nothing to do with Open Source as he says in the article. Maybe freely available data, but nothing to do with available source code.

  10. Horsefeathers by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    This is merely fluff to encourage the youth of the US to go into IT with the hope of landing a decent job when the harsh reality all of the jobs are going to whipsmart H1-B workers who will work for a minuscule salary.

  11. FTFY by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ...once the new Directorate of Digital Innovation (DDI) is up and running "it will be at the center of the Agency's effort to inject digital solutions into every aspect of our work. It will be responsible for accelerating the disintegration of the world's (and especially USA's) digital and cyber capabilities across all our mission areas -- human intelligence collection, all-source analysis, open source intelligence, and covert action."

    Jesus wept.

  12. That's the job for ... by Taco+Cowboy · · Score: 1

    ... they secure the existing digtal assets of country from the not-so-scary-ists and educate the federa/state employees about social engineering. If they cant pass a basic cyber security evaluation, put them to work cleaning restrooms and kitchens where they wont endanger the rest of us ...

    The above job description fits Hillary Clinton to a 'T'

    --
    Muchas Gracias, Señor Edward Snowden !
  13. plausible deniability CAPTCHA: axially by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    When they are paid off to perform some covert action for some large corporation, they can retroactively justify the action based on the espionage data they have selectively collected.

  14. True mission by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ... the new Directorate of Digital Intrusion (DDI) is up and running "it will be at the center of the Agency's effort to inject digital malware into every aspect of your work. It will be responsible for accelerating the degradation of your digital and cyber security across all our mission areas.

    There, fixed it for you. And I agree with another poster, this sounds like duplicating the NSA's job. The political assassination biz must be in a recession.

  15. "Agency's effort to inject digital solutions" by ayesnymous · · Score: 1
    ""it will be at the center of the Agency's effort to inject digital solutions into every aspect of our work."

    Wow they just come right out and admit it.

  16. Obfuscation, Misdirection, and Deniability by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The CIA is better at writing and disseminating obfuscated code than you are, whether it's embedded in an open source project or a piece of otherwise benign hardware. Really, they are.

  17. Directorate of Digital Innovation (DDI) by nickweller · · Score: 1

    People who use innovation' in the title usually don't have any.

    "effort to inject digital solutions .. will be responsible for accelerating the integration of our digital and cyber capabilities across all our mission areas"

    Won't that make it for the 'cyber' spies to hack your infrastructure.

  18. Laptops for all by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    And thumb drives... oh wait.

  19. "Digital and Cyber" by xeno · · Score: 2

    We can tell if you're working for an aging government agency if you still use the word "cyber" to describe anything since the 1980's.

    The funny part is "Cyber" is Hill-speak for "newfangled stuff" and the linguistic contortions are hideous: "His section is going to focus on cyber (and get the modems working right)" or "We're going to call in specialists who understand cyber (so that the VCR won't blink 12:00)." Cyber fits right into totally, grody, bitchin', illin', schweet, and wigging out. Living through the 80's was horrible the first time, and these guys just won't let go.

    The sad part is that it actually has a negative impact on recruiting for intel roles, on top of the fact that a .gov/.mil role pays half what you can make in the private sector with similar skills. Flash up the word "cyber" and the recruits that visualize Johnny Mnemonic and stand up quick... those are the ones you want to filter out. Eventually the professionals stand up, see that the pay is shit, and sit back down. So the system actually is biased toward low-skill chaff, or the equivalent of guys who will do anything to be a cop because they really really really want a gun and authority; precisely the kind that you want to keep out of intel positions. It kinda drowns out the good guys, the smart ethical ones who actually want to do the public good.

    Not good.

    --
    I think not...(*poof*)