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Did China Hack The CIA In A Massive Intelligence Breach From 2010 To 2012? (ibtimes.com)

Posted by EditorDavid on from the spies-vs-spies dept.

schwit1 quotes the International Business Times: Both the CIA and the FBI declined to comment on reports saying the Chinese government killed or imprisoned 18 to 20 CIA sources from 2010 to 2012 and dismantled the agency's spying operations in the country. It is described as one of the worst intelligence breaches in decades, current and former American officials told the New York Times.

Investigators were uncertain whether the breach was a result of a double agent within the CIA who had betrayed the U.S. or whether the Chinese had hacked the communications system used by the agency to be in contact with foreign sources. The Times reported Saturday citing former American officials from the final weeks of 2010 till the end of 2012, the Chinese killed up to 20 CIA sources.

14 of 115 comments (clear)

  1. You'll never be in media with that attitude. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

    For no particular reason we cannot have headlines written like that for at least the next 4 years...

    Proper Headlines:
    Massive Chinese Data Breach Cripples CIA
    Administration in Chaos Over Chinese Hack
    Did Russia Pass Hacked Information to China
    Crippling CIA Hack Leaked, Did Trump Know?
    Trump Failed to Act On Chinese Hacking Allegations

    1. Re:You'll never be in media with that attitude. by ShanghaiBill · · Score: 4, Insightful

      For no particular reason we cannot have headlines written like that for at least the next 4 years...

      Proper Headlines:
      Massive Chinese Data Breach Cripples CIA
      Administration in Chaos Over Chinese Hack
      Did Russia Pass Hacked Information to China
      Crippling CIA Hack Leaked, Did Trump Know?
      Trump Failed to Act On Chinese Hacking Allegations

      None of those are "proper" headlines, because there is no actual evidence that they are true. TFA does not contain a single named or quoted source. It consists entirely of rumors, conjecture, and innuendo.

      The reason that Betteridge's Law of Headlines is generally accurate is that using a question as a headline is a great crutch for weak journalism.

  2. Strategic competitors by Beeftopia · · Score: 5, Insightful

    China and Russia are strategic competitors. We should strive to have good relations with both, enhance partnership at points of shared interest, but also realize they are competitors. And for cryin' out loud, we should not be outsourcing a vast amount of our manufacturing base and knowledge to a strategic competitor. Enhancing economic partnership, certainly. Giving up our manufacturing base to one or the other is madness.

    The pundits tell us we're a smart advanced country, manufacturing is beneath us. However, countries like China, Japan, and Germany, with national IQs equal to or greater than ours, cultivate manufacturing. So there's that.

    1. Re:Strategic competitors by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Insightful

      You're a fucking fool.

      THIS is the only goddamned fucking planet we have to live on.
      And you're talking about competition and war.
      Fuck that and fuck you.
      We're past the stone ages, dark ages, renaissanse,
      computers, etc.
      Sit down at the goddamned table and figure out how the
      hell HUMANITY is going to survive another 1000 years
      without blowing each other the fuck up over this fucking
      COMPETITION of yours.

    2. Re:Strategic competitors by Beeftopia · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Sit down at the goddamned table and figure out how the
      hell HUMANITY is going to survive another 1000 years
      without blowing each other the fuck up over this fucking
      COMPETITION of yours.

      The economy - of any country - is a competition for resources. Take the most homogeneous, socialist northernmost Scandinavian country - Norway or Sweden - and it's still a competition for resources. Take a heterogeneous country that's only relatively recently been hewn from the frontier, like the US and it is most assuredly a competition for resources. Even with disinterested technocrats (which is a fantasy construct, like unicorns - all humans have preferences and desires) allocating resources, people are still going to compete to accrue more resources.

      And if within any country it is a competition, you may rest assured externally it is more so of a competition.

      It doesn't need to be violent. There can be accepted rules of the game, like baseball or football. But, like, don't like it, doesn't matter. It is what it is.

  3. Probably by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    It takes a special combination of arrogance and stupidity to believe that the U.S. can infiltrate and spy on every other intelligence organization on the planet, but somehow nobody is able to do the same to us using the same security vulnerabilities we leave in software specifically so people can be spied upon.

    So yes, I do believe the CIA was breached.

    1. Re:Probably by ShanghaiBill · · Score: 4, Insightful

      If this was a result of a "software vulnerability" then a lot of people at the CIA need to be fired and/or jailed. There is absolutely no reason that a list of double agents should be stored online or even on a computer at all. The "need to know" actual identifying information should be limited to the each asset's direct handler. Even the handler's boss doesn't need to know. Instead, the asset himself can be given secondary contact information and a code word to use if the main handler goes silent. Knowledge segmentation is standard spook tradecraft. How could they possibly screw up something so simple so badly?

  4. Re:Oh great, another one! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Actually we just have our reporters emerging from their 8 year hibernation.
    They are very cranky a little out of it.

    For example, this one did not get the memo not to go back so far in time.

  5. The NSA's role? by whoever57 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Perhaps if the NSA concentrated on cyber security instead of cyber attacks, this might not have happened?

    --
    The real "Libtards" are the Libertarians!
  6. Re:Clearly the only viable options are... by ma1wrbu5tr · · Score: 1, Insightful

    The deaths started after HRC became Sec. State. and had a non-secure private email server. Coincidence?

    --
    Why can't we go back to using jumpers to configure slot adapter cards? Why? I say!
  7. Re:Clearly the only viable options are... by MatthiasF · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Secretary of State doesn't receive that kind of information. That's National Security Council or private briefings. Would have never been shared by email, not even secure email.

  8. Just doing their job? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Insightful

    Remember the comments that the three letter agencies were just "doing their job" when Snowden exposed that they have been spying every other countries, including allies?

    So, Chinese spies hacking the CIA, they are just doing their job. What's the big deal?

  9. Re:Clearly the only viable options are... by AutodidactLabrat · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Satan keeps his word
    not so Trump
    Stop libelling Satan!

  10. Re:Clearly the only viable options are... by Maritz · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Before long, Republicans are going to want to impeach Trump themselves. You can talk about it being partisan, but the reason Putin wanted Trump in is because of his incompetence, not his political views. Even partisan democrats are saying put the psychotic white-christian-america Pence in instead. At least he has a functioning brain.

    --
    I do not want your cheap brainburning drugs. They are useless for work. And I am a working man today.