NSA Suggested Clinton Use A $4,750 Windows CE PDA (arstechnica.com)

An anonymous reader writes from an article on Ars Technica: When former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was pushing to get a waiver allowing her to use a BlackBerry like President Barack Obama back in 2009, the National Security Agency had a very short list of devices approved for classified communications. The General Dynamics' Sectera Edge and L3 Communications' Guardian were the two devices built for the Secure Mobile Environment Portable Electronic Device (SME PED) program. They were the only devices anyone in government without an explicit security waver (like the one the president got, along with his souped-up BlackBerry 8830) could use until as recently as last year to get mobile access to top secret encrypted calls and secure e-mail. At the time Clinton was asking for a phone, only the Sectera Edge was available (the Guardian was running behind in development) and it required multiple server-side and phone-side e-mail additions, desktop synchronization software, and other supporting products. The "Executive Kit" version of the Edge, priced for government purchase at $4,750, included: Type 1 Sectera Edge (GSM or CDMA) device plus: Executive Carry Case, Leather Holster Travel Charger, Red/Black USB Cables, Vehicle Charger, Earbud, Stylus 10-pack, microSD Card with User Manual, Spare Battery, Privacy Shield 4-pack, Antivirus Software, Apriva Email Client and Perpetual Rights fee and Office Suite for Windows CE.

Comments

The NSA was not doing their job

[Required Snark]

In the real world, the President, VP, Secretary of Defense and Secretary of State all deal with the most sensitive information in the government. They all need the highest protection possible for their communications. This even includes their personal communications, because bad actors could take advantage of any information, even something as trivial as knowing when someone is going to be out with their family.

The NSA made a value judgement about the person holding the position, and ignored the national security aspects involved. It was clearly a personal snub based on political prejudice.

The NSA budget is in the multi billions of dollars, and yet they "can't afford" to support the Sec of State? This is just another one the lies that the security establishment pumps out all the time. It's in the same category as pretending that they are not mindlessly hoovering up all electronic information over the entire globe, or that they haven't already cracked the iPhone in the San Bernadino terrorism case. They lie compulsively, and it wrecks their ability to do their job right.

Instead of engaging in a 100% politically motivated witch hunt of Hillary Clinton, why doesn't the Congress investigate the incompetence and corruption of the US security establishment? They'll never do it, because the Congress is neck deep in their own personal corruption. It's an open secret that Congress and their staff make personal profit (i.e. serious wealth) by using information they get from intelligence sources. Congress and staffers are the only people in the US who are exempt from restrictions on stock trading using insider information. And one way or another, insiders at the NSA, FBI, CIA, DHS, etc etc get a cut of the pie.

So keep in mind that all this fuss about Hillary Clinton also serves the purpose of distracting attention from just how poorly our security establishment operates, and how much money the put in their pockets. Greed and incompetence go hand in hand, and the current setup rewards the worst possible behavior.