The United States invented the technologies - including TCP/IP - that the Chinese are using to rob our intellectual property.
4
The top WH cyber official and a top Obama security official declined to speak on the record, or to be interviewed? !
Well, just when can we expect some response, some accountability and some housecleaning?
Sure we need the congress to ‘come out of the Dark Ages and take steps to protect us.
But to take coordinated, well financed effort to stop cyber attacks on govt requires big big Govt. Just what the gop rw has been undermining for decades. It just may be worth it to them to tolerate atrocious computer hacking, as long as we keep our ‘freedom and liberty’ with small govt. That’s the excuse they’ll use, just wait for it.
The more they can point to the lapses in govt, that their own underfunding causes, the more they can discredit govt itself. These are the steps to their true aim-- Govt by corporations—unregulated and unaccountable.
Well, just when can we expect some response, some accountability and some housecleaning?
Sure we need the congress to ‘come out of the Dark Ages and take steps to protect us.
But to take coordinated, well financed effort to stop cyber attacks on govt requires big big Govt. Just what the gop rw has been undermining for decades. It just may be worth it to them to tolerate atrocious computer hacking, as long as we keep our ‘freedom and liberty’ with small govt. That’s the excuse they’ll use, just wait for it.
The more they can point to the lapses in govt, that their own underfunding causes, the more they can discredit govt itself. These are the steps to their true aim-- Govt by corporations—unregulated and unaccountable.
4
Congress has been shortchanging computer technology for decades. If it doesn't blow stuff up or buy votes, they ignore it. Now the United Staes is paying the prices for a deep seated problem. Computer systems run on decades old software and cheap hardware. Systems jobs went overseas, even critical Defense jobs. Education is poorly funded, so other countries are far ahead of us in science and technology. If the Chinese hackers will wipe out the financial records and pay delivery systems of our politicians, we may see the necessary changes. The problem for the Chinese will be finding old programmers who know COBOL and FORTRAN. Funny, the government systems resemble Congress, old and outdated.
5
There can be no doubt that the most obvious "hacker" is the NSA. They want everything, they'll take everything, no one will stop them because no one can stop them.
2
Yet another example of locking the barn door after the horse is gone. Do we need a stronger argument for stopping the massive data collection by NSA?
1
It is a well known secret that China has an army of Cyber Warriors employed full time to launch Cyber attacks across the globe. US is the primary target. It is naive on the part of the Senator to say that he is angry and frustrated. Instead they should put together a comprehensive Security Management Program with a SOC (Security Operations Center) monitoring the Networks, Applications and Computers 24x7x365. Banks and large enterprises run SOC and they regularly conduct Vulnerability assessments and Security audits - use SIEM tools to manage Security. All this is not rocket science - it is a basic requirement in the IT management in any organization. Instead of blaming and lamenting the US Government should make it mandatory to all government agencies to come under a Cybersecurity baseline and issue guidelines for Security Management.
IT Security is not an ornamental ritual. The threats are real and you can not play catch me if you can game with Hackers. They are well organized, sumptuously funded and very smart guys. You need to fight them every second to secure your data and information. US Government can be well advised to take the advise of independent security bodies such as ISACA to craft a security program. It is a surprising and alarming fact that after RSA, Target, Anthem and other high profile attacks US has not realized the critical nature of Information Security. US runs NSA and has the best brains in Cyber Security...it is not ignorance but complacency.
IT Security is not an ornamental ritual. The threats are real and you can not play catch me if you can game with Hackers. They are well organized, sumptuously funded and very smart guys. You need to fight them every second to secure your data and information. US Government can be well advised to take the advise of independent security bodies such as ISACA to craft a security program. It is a surprising and alarming fact that after RSA, Target, Anthem and other high profile attacks US has not realized the critical nature of Information Security. US runs NSA and has the best brains in Cyber Security...it is not ignorance but complacency.
1
But we have to cut the federal budget in the domestic area and spend more on the military. B.O. has been talking about this for years. But Congress, not a care in the world. Our Congress IS dysfunctional and not serving us properly.
1
So... When we have a Congress that won't spend a nickel to paint the house or fix the roof or even pay the help, is anyone surprised that we are in decline? Now the fix will cost more than the padlock.
4
President Barack Obama has frequently raised China's activities in cyber space as a significant source of concern.
The cyber threat from hackers, criminals and state actors is one of the greatest challenges America faces on a daily basis, and it's clear that a substantial improvement in the cyber defenses is overdue.
The cyber threat from hackers, criminals and state actors is one of the greatest challenges America faces on a daily basis, and it's clear that a substantial improvement in the cyber defenses is overdue.
Instead of spending so much money spying its own citizens through the NSA, this is where tax payers money should go!
We are at war on a new battlefield. Everything's at stake, and we are losing.
The problem with companies and governments who seek to be information accumulators is that they build the targets that enable the hackers to do damage. The NSA seeks to "collect all of it," which simply means that they have done the work to enable the hackers to "get all of it." There are outrageous amounts of information collected that are unnecessary to provide services.
One thing that would help would be to immediately outlaw the possession of social security numbers by any entity except Social Security Administration and force the insurance, banking and medical industries and all businesses, state agencies and schools to purge this universal key to tracking American individuals from their databases. There should be astronomical fines and mandatory long jail terms for those who violate this law.
One thing that would help would be to immediately outlaw the possession of social security numbers by any entity except Social Security Administration and force the insurance, banking and medical industries and all businesses, state agencies and schools to purge this universal key to tracking American individuals from their databases. There should be astronomical fines and mandatory long jail terms for those who violate this law.
4
The problem is, human beings are fallible. Given enough opportunity and incentive, they will go and click on some unsavory link, and presto, their computer is infected, and consequently their whole organization is compromised. Or they will have easily guessable passwords or pin codes and fall victim to so-called dictionary attacks.
Actually, there are really very, very few instances where such break-ins have happened because the attacker was able to guess a password, or break strong encryption, or even take advantage of the recent vulnerabilities that have been discovered in widely used software. Thus, it all really comes down to establishing a process that is mandatory and not possible to bypass, and taking the human factor out of it by using machine generated keys instead of passwords and using biometrics on top of everything.
All this costs money. If we had spent the trillions (actually only a small part of it) on fixing this problem rather than in futile warfare, we would not have had such breaches. It is still not too late. Some of the more ignorant anti-science/anti-education war hawk types need to be thrown out of congress, and more enlightened people need to be elected into office, so they can start instituting the right policies and allocating the government budget appropriately.
Actually, there are really very, very few instances where such break-ins have happened because the attacker was able to guess a password, or break strong encryption, or even take advantage of the recent vulnerabilities that have been discovered in widely used software. Thus, it all really comes down to establishing a process that is mandatory and not possible to bypass, and taking the human factor out of it by using machine generated keys instead of passwords and using biometrics on top of everything.
All this costs money. If we had spent the trillions (actually only a small part of it) on fixing this problem rather than in futile warfare, we would not have had such breaches. It is still not too late. Some of the more ignorant anti-science/anti-education war hawk types need to be thrown out of congress, and more enlightened people need to be elected into office, so they can start instituting the right policies and allocating the government budget appropriately.
5
Back in the 1990s, when I ran a small part of a Federal agency's computer system, we had so little money to take care of the systems - including security and disaster preparedness and backup - that I had to put in a formal request for any expense in excess of .... $25.00. I don't believe budgets have been increased significantly since then. When OPM refers to antiquated systems they mean it - there are whole areas being run by 286's and lucky to have them.
Somebody's got to pay the bill.
Somebody's got to pay the bill.
5
More government is always the solution to all problems including the problem of incompetently managed government. We should have Washington take over child rearing next. blink blink
2
We are at war with China, Isis, russia, Iran and north Korea and all our president focuses on is the mythical war on climate change.
One wonders how long it will take before American citizens wake up to the silly ruse played upon us by this president and the liberal news media.
Hopefully before it's too late to prevent the loss of our country.
One wonders how long it will take before American citizens wake up to the silly ruse played upon us by this president and the liberal news media.
Hopefully before it's too late to prevent the loss of our country.
Retrofitting will probably not work; if it hasn't already been hacked it probably isn't worth hacking. The focus now should be crafting an up to date, agile system with talented managers able to keep us ahead of the hackers going forward.
It is now time for citizens, businesses and government to collaborate on defense of the country, unless of course we plan on giving up our wealth, private property and rights to a potentially harmful communist regime! I enjoy my rights and privileges as an American. The torch of liberty will continue to illuminate our path and burn those who attempt to oppress us.
2
This puts a new (and mordant) twist on President Obama's promises to create a more open, transparent government.
3
He didn't say more competent though. Did he?
1
While Obama is trying to score points against Congressional inaction (which is like shooting fish in a barrel), the Chinese (and everyone else) are scoring points against American citizens and businesses. The President is the Commander in Chief. Chinese hacking is an act of war. OPM is a busted agency. The OPM ownership of the security clearance system has been entirely incompetent for years, if not corrupt. Mr. President, do something effective for a change.
2
You could easily insert in the list of things “ O course we believe” the parts of government that have been hamstrung by the GOP since 1980. This issue of failure to secure our governmental systems in spite of warnings is one more of the things they were going to do better for no money at all. You could be forgiven if you thought that the thing FDR was mocking here was in fact the very basis of GOP dogma since at least 1980.
Let me warn the nation against the smooth evasion which says: 'Of course
we believe all these things. We believe in Social Security; we believe in
work for the unemployed; we believe in saving homes. Cross our hearts
and hope to die, we believe in all these things; but we do not like the way
the present administration is doing them. Just turn them over to us. We
will do all of them; we will do more of them; we will do them better;
and best of all, the doing of them will not cost anybody anything.
Franklin D. Roosevelt
On republicans
"Most Republican leaders have bitterly fought and blocked the
forward surge of average men and women in their pursuit of
happiness. Let us not be deluded that overnight those leaders
have suddenly become the friends of average men and women."
FDR 1940
"I shall give the Republician orators some more
opportunities to say 'Me, too.' "
FDR 1940
The cycle has come round again lets get to work.
Let me warn the nation against the smooth evasion which says: 'Of course
we believe all these things. We believe in Social Security; we believe in
work for the unemployed; we believe in saving homes. Cross our hearts
and hope to die, we believe in all these things; but we do not like the way
the present administration is doing them. Just turn them over to us. We
will do all of them; we will do more of them; we will do them better;
and best of all, the doing of them will not cost anybody anything.
Franklin D. Roosevelt
On republicans
"Most Republican leaders have bitterly fought and blocked the
forward surge of average men and women in their pursuit of
happiness. Let us not be deluded that overnight those leaders
have suddenly become the friends of average men and women."
FDR 1940
"I shall give the Republician orators some more
opportunities to say 'Me, too.' "
FDR 1940
The cycle has come round again lets get to work.
1
With a defense budge of well over $600 Billion, it would make sense to actually appropriate enough money to protect American citizens from cyber espionage. You know, to defend them from foreign governments.
2
None of this is new. This "sudden crisis" is the result of decades of Republicans in the presidency and in Congress enriching a few people by piggybacking the entire U.S. economy on the Chinese work force, the Chinese economy, and the Chinese educational system. Now we're "suddenly" faced with long-ignored facts like Chinese ownership of a good chunk of our economy and Chinese invasion of our data systems, we will finally be forced to deal with ineptitude and mindless penny-pinching of our increasingly right-wing Congress.
On Monday this problem needs to be handed to the Republican obstructionists in Congress. Let's demand that they explain, NOW, exactly what they intend to do, NOW, to keep us from losing the cyberwar they brought on us.
On Monday this problem needs to be handed to the Republican obstructionists in Congress. Let's demand that they explain, NOW, exactly what they intend to do, NOW, to keep us from losing the cyberwar they brought on us.
2
It is time for a new cabinet member. The Secretary of Cyber Security would offer oversight and direction of computer security for the government and advice to the private sector.
2
I feel less safe knowing the government is spying on Americans than I did walking into airports without a pat down or a body scan. Our government should work on keeping our own information secure and to create off grid storage of personal information. We do not need our economy attacked through our computers.
1
At a conference a few years ago, Bill Gates presented the latest version of Microsoft's gaming platform. The game he demonstrated was violent and stupid, and because I sensed that he was embarrassed to be shilling for it, I raised my hand and asked a question: "I've read that government computers stems are so outdated that the FBI can't do complex searches and agencies can't efficiently share information. Instead of presenting entertainment as Microsoft's signature product, why don't you volunteer to re-wire Washington?"
The government had spent years investigating Microsoft's monopoly in tech, so that got a big laugh.
But Gates did have a serious answer: "I've observed that change happens when people seriously want to it happen."
If that's so --- and I think it is --- the government just isn't serious about cyber-security.
The government had spent years investigating Microsoft's monopoly in tech, so that got a big laugh.
But Gates did have a serious answer: "I've observed that change happens when people seriously want to it happen."
If that's so --- and I think it is --- the government just isn't serious about cyber-security.
3
The problem likely was that they were using Microsoft software in the first place. Time and time again it's been proven that not only is proprietary software far less secure than open source software because of the small number of eyeballs on the code, but most such as Windows come with back doors built in just for American spies which it doesn't take much for a foreign hacker to find. Only when they wake up and start using Linux based servers with technology like SELinux (developed largely and used by the NSA) will our information ever be safe.
2
The time has come to get out of the war business and start taking care of The United States. We cannot continue to spend all our dwindling resources on war. This country is in desperate need of an overhaul. How many millions are going to be spent on the respective clown cars this election? All so the partisan bickering can continue and not one significant thing gets done for our country. The obscene wealth for individuals and corporations at the expense of America has got to stop. I am so angry!
4
So when will our Government and the corporations do something about this? These cyber security problems have been going on long enough that we should be able to prevent them. Let's act now before it is much too late. We know of the problem, now let's get some protection from these invasions.
2
Will somebody please tell me why old information (on at leaast older, "retired" federal employees, over say 65) can't be physically removed from the outside world wide web using sufficiently large capacity removable hard drives or similar solid state devices? Use an internal web type system (LAN?) which can not be hacked.
I know we need "instant" information on our currently active members, but it appears as far as hackers are concerned, theirs are apparantly as clever as ours and there are probably plenty of "ours" that are now "theirs". The idea that the world wide web and all the special sensitive sites it hosts can be so frequently hacked by just plain smart people in Korea, China, Russia, and Africa, etc. There is no lack of smart people in the world.
I say let's get all the sensitive but withing reason older information which we have in this country physically off the web and backed up on very high capacity storage devices which can be returned to the web when and if required. All files are important, but even paper burns. What did we do before the web?
I know we need "instant" information on our currently active members, but it appears as far as hackers are concerned, theirs are apparantly as clever as ours and there are probably plenty of "ours" that are now "theirs". The idea that the world wide web and all the special sensitive sites it hosts can be so frequently hacked by just plain smart people in Korea, China, Russia, and Africa, etc. There is no lack of smart people in the world.
I say let's get all the sensitive but withing reason older information which we have in this country physically off the web and backed up on very high capacity storage devices which can be returned to the web when and if required. All files are important, but even paper burns. What did we do before the web?
1
What we need is major civil service reform. You rarely if ever hear of a corporation (Target, for example) getting hacked a second time. Why? Because they act immediately to fix the problem, which means getting rid of inefficient or ineffective managers and employees, so the good and effective managers can get things done. You bring good strong effective managers and employees into the government and they get stymied every time because they cannot fire civil service employees, pretty much ever. And if they try, it's two years of more bureaucratic paperwork and hearings etc., so they don't even try, and then even the good managers and employees become lethargic and complacent because they cannot get any traction for their efforts. Total bureaucratic bloat, as evidenced by the comments below from people who have worked in the public sector. Which also shows that the good employees and managers leave the government voluntarily because they are so frustrated at not being able to do what they are capable and want to do.
1
The Pearl Harbor of INFOSEC. We are finding that our government doesn't quite work well in the age of cyber warfare and terrorism. Government wants NSA to track us, but can't protect its sensitive personnel records. TSA failed miserably recently even though we've spent billions of dollars on it.
And on top of that, consumers and executives benefit from the Chinese control of the supply chain, thus it is principally they who are to blame for our dependency on the Chinese. I don't think voters are going to want to undertake measures against the Chinese. Business and consumerism is far too intertwined with them to bring about any effective response. We can't take an offensive posture with the Chinese.
The best we can do is to blame ourselves for not defending our networks, which we have failed to do in this case. If government is pushing for greater surveillance of its citizens by emphasizing the threat of terrorism, then it has just lost more credibility with this security breech.
So long as we keep buying Chinese goods and rely on them for manufacturing and cheap labor, our citizens will be happy. It is so critical to please the consumer that no primary candidate has made an issue of China. I think that defending our networks is only half of the equation. The other is to manage effectively our relationship with China.
And on top of that, consumers and executives benefit from the Chinese control of the supply chain, thus it is principally they who are to blame for our dependency on the Chinese. I don't think voters are going to want to undertake measures against the Chinese. Business and consumerism is far too intertwined with them to bring about any effective response. We can't take an offensive posture with the Chinese.
The best we can do is to blame ourselves for not defending our networks, which we have failed to do in this case. If government is pushing for greater surveillance of its citizens by emphasizing the threat of terrorism, then it has just lost more credibility with this security breech.
So long as we keep buying Chinese goods and rely on them for manufacturing and cheap labor, our citizens will be happy. It is so critical to please the consumer that no primary candidate has made an issue of China. I think that defending our networks is only half of the equation. The other is to manage effectively our relationship with China.
6
I agree with your statement regarding our purchasing cheap products from China is a part of this equation. We are being foolish, saving pennies while losing jobs. If you don't like what China is doing, don't support them.
1
This is what happens when you "starve the beast". Thanks Republicans!
35
No, this is what happens when you trust the government to protect your records. Remember, this is the same government that hasn't even switched to computer records for it's own pension system:
--Here, inside the caverns of an old Pennsylvania limestone mine, there are 600 employees of the Office of Personnel Management. Their task is nothing top-secret. It is to process the retirement papers of the government’s own workers.
But that system has a spectacular flaw. It still must be done entirely by hand, and almost entirely on paper.--
http://www.washingtonpost.com/sf/national/2014/03/22/sinkhole-of-bureauc...
--Here, inside the caverns of an old Pennsylvania limestone mine, there are 600 employees of the Office of Personnel Management. Their task is nothing top-secret. It is to process the retirement papers of the government’s own workers.
But that system has a spectacular flaw. It still must be done entirely by hand, and almost entirely on paper.--
http://www.washingtonpost.com/sf/national/2014/03/22/sinkhole-of-bureauc...
Yeah, let's just throw tons of more money at it. Yeah, more money that's the answer to everything, right? More money = more employees = more bureaucracy = more paperwork = more confusion and more bloat = more hacker success. Less money = streamlining, = less bureaucracy = more efficiency = less vulnerability.
1
This is far worse than any partisan rhetoric will cure. The leaders in both parties are to blame. Enough of the finger pointing. We have a major problem.
2
I am sure we are trying to hack their data bases too.Don't try to excuse our weakness by blaming China-they won this battle and we need to work harder.
3
complacency is a consequence of an undisciplined indulgence in convenience...afflicted thus, is it any wonder that, for far too many of us, the effort stand watch is just plain annoying (whether in terms of national service or informed citzenship)...when calamity strikes we are very good at outrage and bluster (just listen to our electeds) and reactive adjustment to any threat once it's proven by calamity...an expensive, inefficient TSA is only the latest example of an alarm sounded and a guard posted long after the bad guys (their names and activities known or knowable well before) have done their thing, (the slackening of security and alertness after the first world trade center attack was practically an invitation to a second try)...the cyber strikes, despite warnings in the air long before the november report, are another example...the condition of the hacked systems was deplorable, again, an invitation to disaster...
the butt covering statements of those in charge over the years (from w and his warhawks to post katrina's "brownie, to the cia liars who denied nsa date dredging, to the amtrak bosses after the delaware train wreck, to the OPM flack-catcher in today's paper) even their dismissal, will to do nothing to change the pattern...we have to stop making excuses and give those jobs to disciplined, qualified and willing individuals...the ranks hold a number of talented persons who could get the jobs done, just listen for the warning voices that have gone unheard.
the butt covering statements of those in charge over the years (from w and his warhawks to post katrina's "brownie, to the cia liars who denied nsa date dredging, to the amtrak bosses after the delaware train wreck, to the OPM flack-catcher in today's paper) even their dismissal, will to do nothing to change the pattern...we have to stop making excuses and give those jobs to disciplined, qualified and willing individuals...the ranks hold a number of talented persons who could get the jobs done, just listen for the warning voices that have gone unheard.
4
Cyber criminals of today do not niggle on credit card information, they're targeting valuable medical records and personnel files, that's why they represent more dangerous threat to the national security it was before. The reports about sensible data leaks appear more often... Cyber investigation fails to expose cyber spies as well as they are unable to secure information from their attacks.
1
This is not at all uncommon. I found that the grades at a college were similarly unprotected, and I informed the registrar. She treated my information as a nuisance. The grades are still unprotected.
7
The head of IT in my department, who has no IT experience, has made it clear that anyone talking about the problem *is* the problem.
Congress needs to end the partisan games and get busy on real national security issues, as opposed to focusing on killing gnats in the Middle East.
Besides Manhattan-style projects to defend our national data, we need to prepare for war with China. Had FDR been President during a long series of attacks on the United States by China, we would have declared war on that aggressor a long time ago.
Let's not wait until China owns every last corporation in America and has every last piece of intelligence on us. Time is not on our side. We need to act right away.
Besides Manhattan-style projects to defend our national data, we need to prepare for war with China. Had FDR been President during a long series of attacks on the United States by China, we would have declared war on that aggressor a long time ago.
Let's not wait until China owns every last corporation in America and has every last piece of intelligence on us. Time is not on our side. We need to act right away.
10
dont be silly, Apple and Walmat wont allow it
1
Secretary Clinton's decision to use private email seems more and more reasonable, even prescient.
21
You are aware aren't you, that the DoS still prefers to use typewriters? There's a very, very good reason....
Lethargy? Not really- complacency. Few who work for the federal government are fired for doing poorly at their job. If they are asked to leave as part of some political pressure they are ushered into another form of employment courtesy of the tax payers.
3
When I worked for a federal agency in the IT department I observed an agency where it was forbidden to offer technical insights or opinions. The so-called technical managers became enraged if anyone offered opinions that had not been asked for. It was an atmosphere of fear and intimidation and many people throughout the agency disliked their jobs, were demoralized and claimed to be overworked. My security clearance took so long that I had been on the job for months before it was ever completed (if it was actually ever completed at all). Now, my reward for that service is to go and claim 12 months identity theft protection.
17
These Federal managers are acting just like any person acts when they have no idea of what they are doing...they become outraged by any suggestions that might help them. They are afraid of showing their ignorance and react by showing their arrogance, stemming from their insecurities of not knowing what they are doing.
1
After reading all these comments, I will say without hesitation that the U.S. Congress is in the pockets of corporate America, the banksters, and their legal enablers. I know this may sound simplistic; however, I speak from many years of being "on the inside."
Corporate America, the banksters, and their legal enablers have only one goal: maximization of profit. If the Congress doesn't fall into line, they back another horse (traitor).
Corporate America, the banksters, and their legal enablers have only one goal: maximization of profit. If the Congress doesn't fall into line, they back another horse (traitor).
19
Have been, will be. Count on it. Andrew Jackson, back in 1832 had the same worry. He was right then. You are SO right now.
Eighty years ago Will Rogers said that we have the best Congress that money can buy. Still true!
1
Where were the 800,000 Homeland Security personnel on this one and where has all our mega billions in security money gone to if we have all these out dated systems?
16
If surgeons worked as Congress does, there'd be people hobbling around with half-amputated legs. Congress is paid to oversee the federal bureaucracy. They've been too busy tilting at each other to do the job they're paid for. Let's recall all of them and have a new election for Congress.
13
Social security numbers and passwords are antiquated. It is 100% certain to be hacked. Why not make security measures like biometrics a routine part of everyday authentication. More security features are not going to do it, making what the hacker hack useless might...
5
I voluntarily teach rudimentary principles of cyber security to seniors. I would be willing to do the same for members of congress.
21
But they wouldn't accept your offer. You might be a spy for the Democrats and especially Obama whom they, the GOP hates with a passion only saved for the devil.
1
They would not listen unless you promised that after class they could bomb a developing nation back into the stone age.
One of the reasons US government information systems are so vulnerable they are old and dilapidated. They are so out of date, and I am speaking from experience, that it does not take a very sophisticated hacker to break into them. Because of the federal procurement process, by the time a contract is awarded to a developer to build a system, the technology is already out of date, and as we saw with the rollout of Obamacare, often does not work properly, and then much work needs be done to work the bugs out. But then, it ultimately comes down to secure computer practices and training, especially drilling it into the federal "workforce" not to open phishing and suspicious emails and stop swapping pornography among themselves, a common practice in the military, through email.
15
The US technology infrastructure is a mess. The systems and hardware are outdated. The procurement process is so bad that no high tech companies will even bid on work. The staff is incapable of managing large scale projects.
Despite Obama's learning firsthand all these lessons from his health care system rollout, he has never bothered to devote attention to the technology infrastructure of his own government. There was a technology guru mentioned once, I believe. One person acting alone.
The president has zero interest in this. There is no big political constituency for it. No big name to be made. One has to be genuinely interested in efficiency and making things operate more effectively, which are just words to this president.
Despite Obama's learning firsthand all these lessons from his health care system rollout, he has never bothered to devote attention to the technology infrastructure of his own government. There was a technology guru mentioned once, I believe. One person acting alone.
The president has zero interest in this. There is no big political constituency for it. No big name to be made. One has to be genuinely interested in efficiency and making things operate more effectively, which are just words to this president.
3
There is also the fear factor, which encourages sticking to well-known contractors: even if they are not the best choice, problems they cause are less likely to bring criticism down on the agency. And Congressional unwillingness to sort out its own committees to facilitate appropriations and oversight. Plus the difficulties that arise in trying to standardize anything across agencies. Time for Congress and the parties to stop fear mongering and work together - as well as providing funding, not only for hard- and software, but also for managers who have the skills and backing to oversee contracts!
With a trillion dollar budget proposed, our government should earmark some of that money for updated computer systems. Cut out some foreign aid or aid to those who don't want to work.
So,if the TPP were in place, and China were a member, would we be able to retaliate against this aggression? Or, would some corporate tribunal inform our once sovereign government that this was not permitted? Perhaps the Chinese will have saved us from ourselves if this motivates enough politicians to ignore their corporate minders.
9
What is amazing is that while the US has spent and continues to spend a fortune in its NSA program spying on its own citizens using electronic surveillance techniques it has neglected to protect its own citizens and organizations from electronic hacking by foreign sources. It does not matter if the cyberattacks are from China, Russia or any other quarter. The fact is that the US has not developed electronic security systems for its organizations that are robust to block any and all cyberattacks. This is reprehensible and represents a gross mismanagement of resources and an abrogation of the analysis and assessment of security risks.
We find ourselves in an age of cyber warfare where the risks for cyberattacks are high, the capital damage from cyberattacks is very high and the vulnerability of organizations is also very high. This new age of cyber warfare is unlike all prior wars where armies and fleets of warships and aircraft face each other on fields of battle, even with high tech weapons systems.
America is technologically the most advanced nation on this planet. Meanwhile a fortune of resources is spent on developing useless conventional and high tech weapons systems. For example, while the F-35 is years behind planning and is grossly over budget, it is fraught with operational and performance problems.
Does America want to be the leader in the new age of cyber warfare with robust defensive and offensive electronic systems ???
We find ourselves in an age of cyber warfare where the risks for cyberattacks are high, the capital damage from cyberattacks is very high and the vulnerability of organizations is also very high. This new age of cyber warfare is unlike all prior wars where armies and fleets of warships and aircraft face each other on fields of battle, even with high tech weapons systems.
America is technologically the most advanced nation on this planet. Meanwhile a fortune of resources is spent on developing useless conventional and high tech weapons systems. For example, while the F-35 is years behind planning and is grossly over budget, it is fraught with operational and performance problems.
Does America want to be the leader in the new age of cyber warfare with robust defensive and offensive electronic systems ???
5
There's an overriding lesson here.
We do need a government. There are many things only a central government can do.
But much that the government attempts it doesn't do well. And some things - far too many things - it does with complete incompetence. Two reasons, one we can do something about, the other will be difficult.
There's far too little accountability in the byzantine rules that govern the civil service. This can, and needs to, change. Individuals need to be responsible for doing their jobs well. Be it the secret service, the IRS, the IT people. This we can fix, or at least improve.
The harder problem, the one we must live with: the government is too big to fail.
But we can downsize it a bit; competing private companies often do things better. With oversight, regulation, a watchful press, and competition. This is why many of us who vote conservatively (yes, Republicans) for less government involvement in our lives, may have it right.
A quick memo to those those who often advocate "single payer" as the solution to all the nation's health care problems. It won't work; bad as things are now, single payer (the government) will likely only make things worse.
Now, lets get to work reforming the federal civil service to increase accountability.
We do need a government. There are many things only a central government can do.
But much that the government attempts it doesn't do well. And some things - far too many things - it does with complete incompetence. Two reasons, one we can do something about, the other will be difficult.
There's far too little accountability in the byzantine rules that govern the civil service. This can, and needs to, change. Individuals need to be responsible for doing their jobs well. Be it the secret service, the IRS, the IT people. This we can fix, or at least improve.
The harder problem, the one we must live with: the government is too big to fail.
But we can downsize it a bit; competing private companies often do things better. With oversight, regulation, a watchful press, and competition. This is why many of us who vote conservatively (yes, Republicans) for less government involvement in our lives, may have it right.
A quick memo to those those who often advocate "single payer" as the solution to all the nation's health care problems. It won't work; bad as things are now, single payer (the government) will likely only make things worse.
Now, lets get to work reforming the federal civil service to increase accountability.
3
Alex, you cannot turn this information breech into a justification for Republican smaller government. It just doesn't work. If you believe that smaller government is the solution, it is business that has forced our dependency on China. If you're going to disparage government, then you're going to have to address big business.
Your "quick memo" has no research behind it. And, Republicans elected George W. Bush and look what happened. The devil is in the implementation. If you believe in smaller government, then you are going to have to elect someone who can be effective in implementing it. Quick memos won't do it.
Your "quick memo" has no research behind it. And, Republicans elected George W. Bush and look what happened. The devil is in the implementation. If you believe in smaller government, then you are going to have to elect someone who can be effective in implementing it. Quick memos won't do it.
7
There is another point of view of course. The curious non-Parliamentary form of government we enjoy in the United States encourages interest-group politics, and that in turn encourages legislative roadblocks. If governmental functions were surrendered to private interests, who do you suppose would supervise the contractors? Think Blackrock, for example. The federal government limps from crisis to crisis because political control of the government is so fractured. That would not change with "privitization" and "free markets."
1
Every time I read someone slamming single-payer medical care as being "unworkable", I can't help but roll my eyes. It works very well for the countries in the world rated highest in quality of life for its citizens. It's not untested; far from it. It's tried and true and the people who live in those countries guard their health care systems zealously. Nothing works well when half of the people in power are committed to sabotaging it in the name of their corporate sponsors. I doubt that there are many who have lived with single-payer who would choose to live under the US system instead, unless they are wealthy and able to pay for medical care outright. I've lived under both systems (had good employer-paid insurance while in the US), and I can say without reservation that the single-payer system not only works well for patients, it costs far less than the cobbled-together morass that is American health care.
2
Basics can't be kept secure yet they want to collect even more.
Heads should roll after this, the other dept intrusions as well as Anthem, Blue Shield etc as they are related. The tech is "antiquated" and likely the beaucrats also. All moving like turtles.
Tech is as important an investment as your bombs, more so today. Maybe this is why our intelligence is so flawed so often? Put some of that Defence money into it. As well we need for-real experienced people to do anti-hacker checks UP TO the MINUTE, people who live & breathe this and catch every subtle shft.
A possible recommendation for the job: Edward Snowden.
Heads should roll after this, the other dept intrusions as well as Anthem, Blue Shield etc as they are related. The tech is "antiquated" and likely the beaucrats also. All moving like turtles.
Tech is as important an investment as your bombs, more so today. Maybe this is why our intelligence is so flawed so often? Put some of that Defence money into it. As well we need for-real experienced people to do anti-hacker checks UP TO the MINUTE, people who live & breathe this and catch every subtle shft.
A possible recommendation for the job: Edward Snowden.
5
I really don't get it. So many people here complain about China (let's fight it, boycott it, warn it, punish it, etc).
But the point of the article is that the system was vulnerable! Therefore, the logic of the comments is: "Let's create an inferior system and hope that all the people/countries are "nice to us". That's not how the world works unfortunately.
"Be Prepared", courtesy of the Boy Scouts.
But the point of the article is that the system was vulnerable! Therefore, the logic of the comments is: "Let's create an inferior system and hope that all the people/countries are "nice to us". That's not how the world works unfortunately.
"Be Prepared", courtesy of the Boy Scouts.
15
If the system cannot be fully protected, the next step is to discourage attacks. We may not be able to upgrade our technology infrastructure, but we have other methods to send a message to China that it will pay for these attacks.
Please dotry to connect the dots here…in the end our trade deficit w/ China had wrecked our domestic economy…. the security issues are part of it of course but if you start buying made in USA products that is good for the American workers, the consumers and hits China in their pocket which is what they really care about. Even if there were no security issue we still have lost 95% of our manufacturing jobs because of our on sided trade deal w/ China.
Read, and reread, the Art of War, which holds that the highest form of warfare is to get complete control of an enemy's assets without him ever realizing there was a war. That is the type of war we are engaged in. It was brought to our notice in 1945 when Igor Gousenko defected to the Canadiens.
War is cultural. The winner is the nation who survives the succeeding generations; not just the immediate engagement.
It is fought by exploiting social/cultural weaknesses, begining with international relationships -- our reputation among other nations who might support us in a crisis. Then control over the government and military by introducing chaos; finally, the people themselves, which is now happening. Complete control of resources.
Eastern languages are inflected. There is no room for ambiguity. Say what you mean, mean what you saw. Watch out for what is not being said.
China will not act unless it is certain that it doesn't need to do so because it already controls the situation, just as US patriots/rebels did in 1775.
[The first translation of the Art of War was in 1772.]
The adversary is the mind that governs, not the item.
We have been among the worst among leading nations in universal education, health care, incarceration, sense of security, unity. The most powerful influence is foreign born -- and that's not Obama. Controlled chaos is the most effective weapon of war. It decided Trenton, Midway, and Vietnam (but against us). Unity and determination are requisite.
War is cultural. The winner is the nation who survives the succeeding generations; not just the immediate engagement.
It is fought by exploiting social/cultural weaknesses, begining with international relationships -- our reputation among other nations who might support us in a crisis. Then control over the government and military by introducing chaos; finally, the people themselves, which is now happening. Complete control of resources.
Eastern languages are inflected. There is no room for ambiguity. Say what you mean, mean what you saw. Watch out for what is not being said.
China will not act unless it is certain that it doesn't need to do so because it already controls the situation, just as US patriots/rebels did in 1775.
[The first translation of the Art of War was in 1772.]
The adversary is the mind that governs, not the item.
We have been among the worst among leading nations in universal education, health care, incarceration, sense of security, unity. The most powerful influence is foreign born -- and that's not Obama. Controlled chaos is the most effective weapon of war. It decided Trenton, Midway, and Vietnam (but against us). Unity and determination are requisite.
6
.."lack of management focus ... contributed ..."
So who will lose their job? Who will be accountable? NOBODY.
(Judy like the gov't people who recently mailed out live anthrax by mistake. ) Until the U.S. gov't adopts a policy of true accountability, where people are fired for incompetence, nothing will change. These things will keep happening.
So who will lose their job? Who will be accountable? NOBODY.
(Judy like the gov't people who recently mailed out live anthrax by mistake. ) Until the U.S. gov't adopts a policy of true accountability, where people are fired for incompetence, nothing will change. These things will keep happening.
6
What's why we need some more hundreds of billions to make our data more secured. All the money were spent on spying on American citizen and collecting phone data? CIA and NSA should fix it somehow.
1
As a government employee I am appalled that basic, common-sense security was not used to protect important (I would say vital) government employee information. And I am furious because I am certain that, without a security audit for ALL federal government agencies (preferably by an experienced private firm such as Mandiant) and increased funding/attention to building up-to-date security systems, there will be more hacking stories like this.
Treat government employee data as valuable as military/intelligence secrets and design a security system accordingly, or there will be more shocking stories of inadequate security like this in both the private sector, and public.
Treat government employee data as valuable as military/intelligence secrets and design a security system accordingly, or there will be more shocking stories of inadequate security like this in both the private sector, and public.
10
So while the administration was using massive surveillance to keep track of the mundane activities of citizens, the Congress was chasing another Benghazi investigation and holding its breath until the other side burst... NOW can we reform how legislative districts are formed?
3
Digital counterattacks will eventually drive them to the negotiating table. We are never short on military responses, let's go on the cyber offense.
2
I can't believe it! Can you? NYT writes "But by the time the report was published, Chinese hackers had already cleaned out tens of thousands of files". And NYT continues "Even today, the agency is struggling to patch numerous vulnerabilities." And NYT further wrote "A number of administration officials on Friday painted a picture of a government office struggling to catch up, with the Chinese ahead of them at every step."
Can you seriously believe it? The USA and Silicon Valley and Mircosoft and Apple and all the rest in the USA cannot keep their files safe? Who can believe that? Yet the Chinese apparently routinely hacks any file in the USA they want!
So who's fault is it? If you go and leave your front doors and your back doors open, who's fault is it if you get burgled?
Are the Amerians so stupid that they cannot even keep their files safe? And if their files are so unsafe, then can it be true only the Chinese have hackaed them? Why not the Indians? Or the Russians? Or the Japanese? Or the Israelis? Are they being so kind that they avert their eyes from looking at US files?
Can you seriously believe it? The USA and Silicon Valley and Mircosoft and Apple and all the rest in the USA cannot keep their files safe? Who can believe that? Yet the Chinese apparently routinely hacks any file in the USA they want!
So who's fault is it? If you go and leave your front doors and your back doors open, who's fault is it if you get burgled?
Are the Amerians so stupid that they cannot even keep their files safe? And if their files are so unsafe, then can it be true only the Chinese have hackaed them? Why not the Indians? Or the Russians? Or the Japanese? Or the Israelis? Are they being so kind that they avert their eyes from looking at US files?
4
The US has to call China on this.
And that means making some tough moves.
The US has to refuse to trade with China and threaten to cut of relations with them.
That hurts us, but its pretty badly...but you cannot do business with dishonest people....China.
And that means making some tough moves.
The US has to refuse to trade with China and threaten to cut of relations with them.
That hurts us, but its pretty badly...but you cannot do business with dishonest people....China.
1
Like the crumbling bridges, deteriorating roads, airports and railroads, the computer systems are infrastructure in need of repair. Countries in this century and beyond need reliable, secure, high tech highways if they are to compete in the global marketplace. We have fallen far behind the rest of the world by investing only in wars and ignoring our own country. We need to create well paying jobs - which cannot be exported - to make the necessary repairs to broken systems and launch us into the future. We used to be the best, now we seem to be the last.
10
I prefer the Clinton solution. All sensitive information should be maintained on private servers . Only paper copies should be turned over to government for retention until the government gets its cyber security house in order. Hacking and Snowden are justification to declare a war on leaks as part of our war on terror
1
You seem to be repeating the current NARA regulations for retention of government material.
1
More gross ineptitude while we spend our money on useless wars, illegal aliens wants, and giving necessities to those who choose not to be productive. Our infrastructure crumbles, our defense posture fails, and our technology security is rusting paint on the ship of state.
3
Many who are "unproductive" are not so by choice. Imagine yourself as the third or sixth generation of a small Maine town that has always depended on fishing and forest products for jobs. The fishing has been destroyed by highly capitalized out-of-state trawlers that have eradicated the spawning schools. The mill then became the principal source of employment for the whole town. You have a mortgage on your house, taken to send your children to the university. You don't really know anyone who lives more than 150 miles away. Then an out-of-state corporation buys the town mill, and since it already owns a competing mill on the other side of the state, it closes the mill. Because it doesn't want competition, it sells the mill for its scrap value to a recycling company (also out of state). You are in debt for your mortgage and your car, you are suddenly out of work, and you have no contacts in any other state. Tell me what you will do now? Move to Bucksport, Maine, and give it a try.
2
So...the government struggles to keep up. What a shocker.
Time for the government to juxtaposition the virtues of a secure intranet against the virtues of the insecure internet, I would have say.
Time for the government to juxtaposition the virtues of a secure intranet against the virtues of the insecure internet, I would have say.
This kind of incompetence should not be tolerated. How can such dangerous malfeasance occur? Don't we have management systems in place? Don't we have management leadership and capable IT people in these critical areas of government? The answers seem clear. We aren't getting what we're paying for and a bunch of careers should probably be over. With this kind of sloppy carelessness, we are on our way to third world status. We aren't going to like it when we become a suburb of Beijing or Moscow.
1
Well, now the Chinese have declared war on 4 million US federal employees in positions to take action each and every day against Chinese interests. These employees should be working to leverage the influence they have to push back. The US should be investing in cyber security and cyber warfare capabilities. Silicon valley resources need to be put on warfare status on behalf of US interests. Hopefully, all US citizens need to wake up to what is happening and support whatever it takes to mobilize massive defensive and offensive measures.
1
Guess what: old government and military employees know lots of "old" secrets. And today they are often increasingly careless about talking about them. Unfortunately though, "old" nuclear and military secrets say, are still vital.
1
This failure is an intelligence debacle. The enemies of the US now have all kinds of information they can use to find, bribe, blackmail, and eavesdrop on the specific people they need for undermining the security of the country. Will anyone take responsibility?
1
There are a number of people on this thread blaming the Chinese for our nation's woes and the closing of the gap between our two countries.
Those people need to quit whining, look in the mirror and consider who is truly to blame. China has invested in infrastructure and education in the hard sciences. We spend our money to fight costly wars and our top schools spit out hedge fund managers and bankers. China has made its products competitive on every continent. The only thing we've exported on a large scale in the last 10 years were subprime mortgages.
The boycott-Made-in-China "strategy" only works until the next competitive player enters the marketplace and with that as our call to action, it certainly won't be us. They're doing something right, maybe we should listen and learn instead of jeer and pout.
Those people need to quit whining, look in the mirror and consider who is truly to blame. China has invested in infrastructure and education in the hard sciences. We spend our money to fight costly wars and our top schools spit out hedge fund managers and bankers. China has made its products competitive on every continent. The only thing we've exported on a large scale in the last 10 years were subprime mortgages.
The boycott-Made-in-China "strategy" only works until the next competitive player enters the marketplace and with that as our call to action, it certainly won't be us. They're doing something right, maybe we should listen and learn instead of jeer and pout.
10
Just a thought...perhaps the NSA and GCHQ should try snooping on the Chinese instead of wasting all their time and energy snooping on their own citizens.One would think that the the internal threat to National Security was less of a problem than an external one and clearly this shows a complete lack of competence on behalf of so called intelligence agencies.
3
How much more evidence do we need to prompt us to reexamine all of our economic and diplomatic relationships with China? These intrusions into our governmental agencies are no difference than a military invasion of our country and should be treated as such. That gang that rules China has no respect for the human rights of its citizens and show a similar disrespect for international law and the sovereignty of other countries.
3
Let's face it people. Although not a traditional military or covert war, we are in the mist of an economic war. What we see China doing is just the "tip of the iceberg". Untill we have the tools in place to ensure cypersecurity, our open and unprotected system of democracy is endangered. What we need is the defense department to team up with MIT and come up with a program that fries any server and individual computer after we find its been tampered with from another country.
1
Why is our government so incompetent? From the Secret Service to the VA to our computer security, we look like idiots. "Management" seems incapable of recognizing, let alone changing or fixing anything.
Why is this the case? Why are there huge backlogs in security clearances? Why are reports of data problems routinely ignored? Why have we become seemingly incapable of doing anything effectively?
Why is this the case? Why are there huge backlogs in security clearances? Why are reports of data problems routinely ignored? Why have we become seemingly incapable of doing anything effectively?
10
The only thing this Administration seems adept at is preventing its own information from leaking. Notice its lack of transparency? Of course, there's no stonewalling or spinning narratives on the internet.
It's hard to get much done when someone is drowning you in a bathtub.
5
Two reasons. Hiring freezes and public sector unions.
This was a sophisticated operation that thwarted Einstein, the Government security program, put in place to stop just such an intrusion and now government employees will probably get 12 free months of credit monitoring. China's bellicose posturing in the South China Sea is a signal they don’t respect us and intrusions into our infrastructure is a sign they don’t fear us. Will the Administration view this as an act of aggression? Will the next Pearl Harbor be a massive Cyber Attack on the Homeland or worse our Nation’s military? It seems we on track to play with the Communists for a long time but Chess games can end rather suddenly.
6
If you think the Chinese are playing chess then you've already lost. Go look up what type of sophisticated board game Chinese play.
1
I wonder if Chinese remember our role in forcing opium on Chinese population?
For certain Americans have forgotten.
For certain Americans have forgotten.
2
...but never surprisingly as both can see it unfolding. And that's, 'on track to continue playing with the communists.' Private (capitalism) has been 'playing' with public (communism) since its rise in...well, early antiquity. Plato wrote about it around 380 BCE (formally BC)...
1
I know I won't do it, but I know I should only pay cash, never buy anything online and completely remove myself from the internet
4
That's impossible. We are all part of the Internet whether you use credit or not.
2
Not sure it'll work, because hackers still may steal your personally identifiable information, which is stored on the server...
Moreover, cyber espionage usually focuses on stealing commercial or government secrets, they are not interested in your credit card information.
Moreover, cyber espionage usually focuses on stealing commercial or government secrets, they are not interested in your credit card information.
I would like to follow in your footsteps but not with the belief that my communications and creative efforts will be "safe"
Anyone can hack my phone or my mail. I never send my musical productions in digiral form but that won't really protect a copyright once it does make the so called air waves. Maybe sky writing via a crop duster will come back in vogue (encrpyted smoke of course).
Anyone can hack my phone or my mail. I never send my musical productions in digiral form but that won't really protect a copyright once it does make the so called air waves. Maybe sky writing via a crop duster will come back in vogue (encrpyted smoke of course).
Government regulators are so ready to levy fines, often enormous fines, on private companies that experience data theft, yet so unable to keep their own house in order. Easier to judge than be judged.
What to do? At least one commenter has suggested that critical systems should simply be kept off the public internet. It actually not quite that simple, but certainly this would help a lot. (But the government also needs to be transparent, and current, public data does need to remain accessible.)
And, pray tell, how are the attacks occurring? Is it vulnerabilities in MS Windows, social engineering (stealing passwords and the like) or something else? If its Windows, then it's time to switch to a different OS, such as Linux.
Bottom line: the government needs - NEEDS - to get its cyber house in order. The government has too much data, which citizens are often legally required to provide. Like at the IRS. The civil servants responsible for protecting this data need to do just that. Or be replaced.
What to do? At least one commenter has suggested that critical systems should simply be kept off the public internet. It actually not quite that simple, but certainly this would help a lot. (But the government also needs to be transparent, and current, public data does need to remain accessible.)
And, pray tell, how are the attacks occurring? Is it vulnerabilities in MS Windows, social engineering (stealing passwords and the like) or something else? If its Windows, then it's time to switch to a different OS, such as Linux.
Bottom line: the government needs - NEEDS - to get its cyber house in order. The government has too much data, which citizens are often legally required to provide. Like at the IRS. The civil servants responsible for protecting this data need to do just that. Or be replaced.
4
This is a total outrage! How can we possibly tolerate the Chinese doing this to us?!!!
It's not like we are doing the same thing to them, our or allies, or our own citizens. Oh, we are? The NSA you say? Well then, never mind.
The xenophobia, hysteria and hypocrisy of this comments section would be amusing if so many you didn't really believe it.
Perhaps if the NSA put their billions of dollars toward making the system secure rather than systematically undermining the security then, with some basic common sense (absent in this case), we could all be safe and secure with our data on the internet.
It's not like we are doing the same thing to them, our or allies, or our own citizens. Oh, we are? The NSA you say? Well then, never mind.
The xenophobia, hysteria and hypocrisy of this comments section would be amusing if so many you didn't really believe it.
Perhaps if the NSA put their billions of dollars toward making the system secure rather than systematically undermining the security then, with some basic common sense (absent in this case), we could all be safe and secure with our data on the internet.
16
Well said!
Isn't it hilarious that the three-letter agencies on one hand seriously suggest to weaken encryption and, on the other hand, see sensitive data fall victim because of weak security?
Isn't it hilarious that the three-letter agencies on one hand seriously suggest to weaken encryption and, on the other hand, see sensitive data fall victim because of weak security?
4
The point is that NSA takes care actually about spying on average US citizens, not protect sensible data from cyber attacks! Sad, but true...
It's not "xenophobia" at all, it's the reality of the nearly total loss of manufacturing jobs & companies in the USA and the economic impact on US workers. Why do we need to import nearly everything, including chickens for our grocery stores, from China when we have always led in manufacturing in the past….which was the backbone of the US economy and the engine that drove our middle class. Not to mention that we now have very little choice as most everything is made in China.
All bogus. This "happens" right as the U.S. is tussling with its own surveillance issues. The majority of U.S. citizens are against surveillance, but the powers that be in the U.S. are surely in favor of it. We are being spoon-fed bogus headlines to persuade the gullible U.S. masses that surveillance of our--and everybody else's--every move is necessary. Stay tuned as more and more of our rights as U.S. citizens are confiscated day by day.
13
We'd be much better off if the N.S.A. allocated more resources to protect us against cyberattack rather than spy on us.
16
given what we know about the stuxnet attack launched by the u.s. to cripple iraq's nuclear reactors, we may well assume that the u.s. has also initiated cyberattacks in china. as gen. ripper might put it, nobody thought we weren't going to get our hair mussed.
it did in fact get mussed. perhaps it is time to issue some rfp's for a cybergel to fix it. good for business.
it did in fact get mussed. perhaps it is time to issue some rfp's for a cybergel to fix it. good for business.
2
There’s a simple solution to this problem. Put critical systems on private networks completely disconnected from the public Internet.
4
They already are. The problem is with the semi-critical systems, which require data to be entered and read from the public internet. At some point, those systems ultimately talk to each other, and.....well, there you go.
Not a winnable battle. All we can do is make it more or less difficult to penetrate gov't systems. But, everybody else has the same problem.
Not a winnable battle. All we can do is make it more or less difficult to penetrate gov't systems. But, everybody else has the same problem.
2
Jack Welsh:
There is no real protection. But there is retaliation. And sending strong messages. In other words, using "realpolitiks" to discourage attacks.
There is no real protection. But there is retaliation. And sending strong messages. In other words, using "realpolitiks" to discourage attacks.
This should also apply to all critical infrastructure systems!
A China Hand once remarked to me that the Chinese think long and deep rather than focusing on short-term implications. The century of humiliation – events that spanned from 1839 to 1949 – is still keenly perceived by a generation who never personally experienced the tribulations, and it is one of the key drivers (whether subconsciously or consciously) in ensuring that modern-day China always stays two steps ahead of Western powers and multinationals.
This hoovering of personal data will be a strategic benefit in the long run – whoever analyzes the data will know who to approach when they want information, how to “work” an federal employee because they understand his or her vulnerabilities, and consider the psychological triumph, as headlines report this news and the American public is sent into a tizzy. The American government with its so-called superior technology and expertise appears weak.
The million-dollar question: how can this Administration and its leaders regain and articulate with success their overall strategic vision?
This hoovering of personal data will be a strategic benefit in the long run – whoever analyzes the data will know who to approach when they want information, how to “work” an federal employee because they understand his or her vulnerabilities, and consider the psychological triumph, as headlines report this news and the American public is sent into a tizzy. The American government with its so-called superior technology and expertise appears weak.
The million-dollar question: how can this Administration and its leaders regain and articulate with success their overall strategic vision?
3
Give me a break. The Chinese think "so long and deep" that they end up with leaders like Mao who killed millions of citizens.
while it doesn't look good that some American data is easily hoovered. It looks far worse that China has to block ideas from its people.
while it doesn't look good that some American data is easily hoovered. It looks far worse that China has to block ideas from its people.
9
Though China routinely denies involvement in hacking,similar methods, servers and habits of the hackers pointed to a single state-sponsored group.And even a spokesman for the Foreign Ministry in Beijing said suggestions it was involved in the OPM breach were "irresponsible and unscientific."
The blame is placed on the Chinese this time. Another time it is the Russians. Maybe the blame should fall on those who are in charge. Didn't we expect this? We've had other hacks. Didn't those get our attention. One person wrote about boycotting China. Check the bottom of your laptop. The chance are it was made in China. It happens also they hold the greatest part of our debt. We're listening in and hacking everybody, our our own citizens as well as world leaders who are suppose to be our friends. Our government has a responsibility to defend us against attack. They need to quit their winning and blaming others. The need to get busy and do their job.
7
These regular incursions of miscreants rummaging through government data, seemingly at will, clearly show that the U.S. Government is incapable of meeting its constitutional responsibilities to "form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquillity, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare and secure the Blessings of Liberty ...." If Government at least gave some evidence of trying, We the People could have some hope of our nation getting up off its back. But one stunning revelation after another of the impotence of our policies and feebleness of our defenses is utterly discouraging. Our government is now notable only for its blind partisanship, abject ignorance, lack of human compassion, and deadly militarism. We have an inert, bought-and-paid-for Congress, a notoriously politicized Judiciary, and an Executive branch stuffed with incompetents and devoid of leadership. Where is there to turn?
2
It might be time to look into severing the physical internet connections between the US and China.
2
The new cold war has started. Or has been going on while US companies such as Walmart made a profit and jobs were lost to China.
We need to put trade sanctions on China bring manufacturing home. Stop fighting wars in the middle east. Circle the wagons. And become energy independent and remove those new islands in the South China see.
We need to put trade sanctions on China bring manufacturing home. Stop fighting wars in the middle east. Circle the wagons. And become energy independent and remove those new islands in the South China see.
Yes I too am upset. Firstly, our rage should best be directed to our allies who sell sophisticated weapons to China and lastly, I'm going to boycott American companies that sell Chinese made products, so goodbye, Wal Mart, Home Depot, The Gap, Apple, Ethan Allen----with 20% of our imported products coming from our largest importer China I'm sure I'll put a dent in that $486 billion market.
1
@zDUde: "... I'm going to boycott American companies that sell Chinese made products ..."
Where will you buy your new computer and smartphone?
Where will you buy your new computer and smartphone?
1
This much is certain. The invasive ineffective NSA and the inept FBI investigators who actually interviewed one of the Boston Bombers prior to the Boston Marathon bombings proves they are all good at solely collecting data----who actually has time to analyze it? Who actually has time to even prevent a Chinese hacking attack? After all, the Tsarnaev tip came from the Russians. I'm certain the Tsarnaev duo only talked with their mother who resides in Dagestan all about the glory of living in good o'l USA.
Well at least my overseas Aunt Maria's double secret paella recipe is now part of the dragnet detritus---if I make a Freedom of Information Act Request to NSA for it, will it be released to me?
Unfortunately the hysteria that has eroded our liberties has left our fundamental right to privacy at the mercy of the executive branch and not the judicial branch---there is no safety from government tyranny--or ineptness, or apparently hacking by foreign governments.
Well at least my overseas Aunt Maria's double secret paella recipe is now part of the dragnet detritus---if I make a Freedom of Information Act Request to NSA for it, will it be released to me?
Unfortunately the hysteria that has eroded our liberties has left our fundamental right to privacy at the mercy of the executive branch and not the judicial branch---there is no safety from government tyranny--or ineptness, or apparently hacking by foreign governments.
1
What will it cost me for a look at the paella recipe? It sounds really good.
I warned about just this kind of attack a couple of years ago. I warned that our openness of culture would allow a foreign government to target individual citizens if they knew their job and where they live.
We have been incredibly irresponsible in handling technology in this country. I'm shocked that such a database would even have an internet connection.
This is what happens when we 'starve the beast'. The beast destroys us.
We have been incredibly irresponsible in handling technology in this country. I'm shocked that such a database would even have an internet connection.
This is what happens when we 'starve the beast'. The beast destroys us.
1
I guess this hacking thing by foreign countries is completely new and no one ever suspected that anything like this could ever happen. Thank god we know now because there is no doubt that our government will pull out all the stops to make sure this never, ever, happens again. I hope the government will warn business that this could happen to them too. But for business we probably don't have to worry, I'm sure they're already on top of this. I'll sleep good tonight knowing my banking, investments, medical data, and the multitude of web accounts is safe and impenetrable. Good night and sweet dreams.
2
I suspect your sarcasm may be too subtle, Perry.
1
It is interesting that this story is leaked by the US government without any data or government spokesperson supporting their claims. It is also laughable that Gordon Chang, a supposed Chinese expert who penned the NY Times bestseller, The Coming Collapse of China in 2001, is now on all of the cable news shows crying about how China is stealing all of our secrets. Obviously he is not a psychic about the rise of China and its non-existent collapse, yet he is still considered an expert on Chinese affairs. Hacking happens in intelligence and counter intelligence, as different countries attempt to obtain state secrets and information on potential high level government officials that they can eventually target for turning. The US is just as guilty as China and Russia, assuming this story is true which is subject to scrutiny. If it is a hack by criminal gangs then it is for financial reasons plain and simple. It could possible be a dummy file that the US wants China to believe is real by leaking it to US media thus fooling the Chinese officials. Anything is subject to high level scrutiny and all press releases should be assumed to be part of the government cover up process.
7
Systems that hold critical/sensitive data should not have internet exposure.
2
The reason warnings never work in the US is we are driven by the masses and the only way to incite the masses to action is to let things fail horrifically. The fuming public trusts nothing from experts but clamors for rolled heads after the disasters they create with their hear-no-evil games. In a nation like this every warning of any kind is inconvenient and the sounds of a troublemaker. So then why on Earth do we have any intelligence and research agencies at all if no one listens to them until total failure? It is certainly not intelligence if it is only headed after every disaster and then only for a few weeks before business as usual again. Democracy as we practice it simply does not work.
3
Pretty much we are convinced that this hacking originated in China.
As such, the big issue here is whether this was done by the Chinese government, common cyber-criminals, or a couple of 14-year-old mischief-makers in their parents basement.
That said can anyone here say "NSA"?
On top of this we have Snowden in these pages railing against surveillance, probably to justify his own traitorous, criminal behavior.
As such, the big issue here is whether this was done by the Chinese government, common cyber-criminals, or a couple of 14-year-old mischief-makers in their parents basement.
That said can anyone here say "NSA"?
On top of this we have Snowden in these pages railing against surveillance, probably to justify his own traitorous, criminal behavior.
2
We have spent huge amounts of money building computer systems to spy on everyone, including Americans themselves while spending almost nothing on protecting our privacy and security. The NSA opposes every improvement in network security and encryption because it makes their efforts to gather communications more difficult.
2
And now, our president wants to include China in the TPP. Brilliant. If you can't beat them, let them join you.
Snowden revealed that our NSA essentially exploited vulnerabilities in telecom networks to siphon off data for storage, if not for analysis. All counties do what is alleged of Chinese. If we have a system is that highly vulnerable, we should blame ourselves, not the hackers.
The conclusion that the work was done by Chinese hackers is largely based on the IP addresses from where the 'attacks' happened. I am not sure how our experts ruled out IP address spoofing. If you use TOR browser, you are actually connected to the Internet with an IP address located in the Netherlands or wherever.
This stuff is not surprising.
Snowden revealed that our NSA essentially exploited vulnerabilities in telecom networks to siphon off data for storage, if not for analysis. All counties do what is alleged of Chinese. If we have a system is that highly vulnerable, we should blame ourselves, not the hackers.
The conclusion that the work was done by Chinese hackers is largely based on the IP addresses from where the 'attacks' happened. I am not sure how our experts ruled out IP address spoofing. If you use TOR browser, you are actually connected to the Internet with an IP address located in the Netherlands or wherever.
This stuff is not surprising.
4
What are the 1% and our corporate citizens doing about this situation? Oh wait, out of greed they are playing all sides for profit. Does the U.S. still have a real civil society or are we nothing more than consumers? Maybe, like so many of us Americans, China is looking for a nation that no longer exists in real terms and we have them and ourselves completely confused. A tragedy.
7
Do we ever learn? Why do we deny our basic tenets for the sake of China? "No cause is left but the most ancient of all, the one, in fact, that from the beginning of our history has determined the very existence of politics, the cause of freedom versus tyranny." (Arendt) US Companies wink at human rights violations in their Chinese sites. They wink at hacking. None take a stand with China. Will the United States will be mocked by the dictators who order the hacking of our government agencies - the least of China's crimes against the human race? For an endless greed, disgraceful American-made entrepreneurs move their companies to China. Have we not had enough of this experiment? It is time for the American government to reclaim our values from this corrupt and dangerous "friendship" with totalitarian China. How their leaders must laugh themselves silly to see us kneel to them.
3
Welcome (unfortunately) to the new normal. As someone who was potentially a victim of the latest hack, I have to recognize that this is more about the extraordinary capabilities of the hackers, and less about the lack of capability by our government.
1
Hardly extraordinary. They do this all the time with both private industry and Government information. Meanwhile our inept, incompetent President can't safeguard us, and he does nothing to respond to their brazen theft which is truly an outright act of war.
There should be severe trading consequences for things like this. That said, who's to say that we are not hacking into China's systems as aggressively as they are hacking into ours.
Bottom line: this is the new "arms race" - i.e. everyone trying to find ways to one-up the next nation and maintain hegemony. Why can't we all just get along?
Bottom line: this is the new "arms race" - i.e. everyone trying to find ways to one-up the next nation and maintain hegemony. Why can't we all just get along?
1
We could boycott one product from China. It could be one that has some relationship to the act of on-line theft, like one particular charger (go dark?) or it could be a symbolic act like recycling or doing without instead of buying a product on "Boycott China" day.
13
Outrageous. No, not just the hacking. The polite, tip-toe response to it by the Administration is outrageous. How many times do we say that we take these attacks seriously and those responsible will be held accountable, whatever that means? Outrageous also is that our government fails to encrypt personnel data leaving it vulnerable. It is not believable that the Chinese government is unaware of who are the hackers. Of course they know. The Chinese also know that sanctions such as tariffs will not happen. Americans love their Apple toys too much.
15
My Apple toys are encrypted.
'...Outrageous also is that our government fails to encrypt personnel data leaving it vulnerable...'
That's what I have been saying all along. Protect your sites from hacking and use 128 bit encryption, all the major database vendors offer that level of protection.
Why don't you guys leave your car key in the ignition and door unlocked overnight in downtown Wilmington and see what happens.
Nice to have "Chinese" in general as the fall guy for repeated failures in this country.
That's what I have been saying all along. Protect your sites from hacking and use 128 bit encryption, all the major database vendors offer that level of protection.
Why don't you guys leave your car key in the ignition and door unlocked overnight in downtown Wilmington and see what happens.
Nice to have "Chinese" in general as the fall guy for repeated failures in this country.
right! Who needs to differentiate democracy from tyranny when the wildest dreams of greed can come true? Shame on the American bred entrepreneurs for whom their riches are never enough. As long as the money keeps coming, cover your ears and eyes: against human rights violations in some of your own factories, hacking for sport, and loss of American jobs.
Judging by what I see at the large multinational I work for, the shared services concept now in fashion implicitely calls for more and more centralized databases, preferrably located in the cloud. Also with more and more telecoms links between entities that should not really be linked for the accomplishment of their missions. This makes the beltway bandits very happy as they generate a very profitable business in security, but is a tremendous risks to employees, customers and shareholders, for there is nothing more tempting then a large database with valuable contents, such as social insurance numbers and other good things sitting on the cloud. Perhaps the chineses hackers will finally help us kick some sense into all this fashion hype.
6
I wish there was a way to boycott Chinese products, but since corporations have moved all production out of the US we have little choice about where our goods come from. I certainly won't ever go visit there though, just like Russia.
4
While we have been spending the last decade in endless Middle Eastern Wars it seems China has clear economic and military strategic goals. It is time for our policy makers to start prioritizing of focus based on a clear strategic vision that includes the economy.
21
Our government needs to protect our borders. Now. Electronic and actual. Instead they spend millions on the totally useless TSA.
12
Are both the Chinese and the Russians sending a warning shot over perceived interference by the U.S. in their affairs?
5
Until there is some consequence for this sort of hacking, it will go on. If there is no cost, why should the perpetrators stop?
13
"...the third major intrusion of a federal agency in the last year. "
This is Obamacare rollout level ineptitude. This Administration needs to get focused on data security.
This is Obamacare rollout level ineptitude. This Administration needs to get focused on data security.
6
Corporations have been lax about tech security for years! Way before Obama came on the scene. Companies don't want to spend the money on high quality security. Can be very expensive. Knowledgeable anti-hackers don't come cheap!
It's time the U.S. Govt. let people whose personal information has been stolen obtain a NEW social security number.
9
The timing of the publicizing of this monster hack is striking, and should make anyone pause to consider the suspicious coincidence between the defeat of the full authorization of the Patriot Act and the subsequent news release that millions of people's personal information have been hacked and stolen. The CISA (Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act) bill makes the collection of massive phone records look measly compared to what this bill will allow NSA to do, and it is waiting for Congress to approve. Find out more about it, and don't believe the Chinese are behind this cyber attack just yet.
http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/jun/05/us-government-opm-hack...
http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/jun/05/us-government-opm-hack...
7
It strikes me that this era will be remembered for utter dependence in every aspect of life, from friendships to the management of world government, upon the internet.
I was in early middle age when this happened and remember very well the world without the damned thing. One day I was trotting to the mailbox to see if my letter had arrived, the next day my mail, and everything else, was scooped up into the system.
I love computers, I'm totally plugged in, totally reliant, no luddite, but no one really knows how this technology is going to play out. The fact that doing without it is now somehow unimaginable and that the destiny of nations may rely on it somehow holding things together bodes ill, I think.
It's possibly the biggest and craziest experiment in history.
I was in early middle age when this happened and remember very well the world without the damned thing. One day I was trotting to the mailbox to see if my letter had arrived, the next day my mail, and everything else, was scooped up into the system.
I love computers, I'm totally plugged in, totally reliant, no luddite, but no one really knows how this technology is going to play out. The fact that doing without it is now somehow unimaginable and that the destiny of nations may rely on it somehow holding things together bodes ill, I think.
It's possibly the biggest and craziest experiment in history.
28
All countries perform foreign espionage, against allies and enemies alike. No country is immune. Many of these data breaches have been traced to China or the Russian republics. Based on recent past events have shown that these governments actively pursue electronic attacks against the US. Is it any wonder that we suspect official foreign interference whenever an attack is traced back to either country?
If China or Russia is truly innocent and values their relationship with the US, they should make an effort to crack down on electronic theft, find those responsible, and prosecute them. Otherwise, tolerating the presence of independent hackers would be similar to harboring fugitives.
Not surprisingly, both China and Russia are among the world's more corrupt countries.
If China or Russia is truly innocent and values their relationship with the US, they should make an effort to crack down on electronic theft, find those responsible, and prosecute them. Otherwise, tolerating the presence of independent hackers would be similar to harboring fugitives.
Not surprisingly, both China and Russia are among the world's more corrupt countries.
4
Our IRS targets people for political reasons. The Government is failing to protect us against foreign powers. We allow Iran to get nuclear weapons, further destabilizing the middle east and sparking and arms race. Putin and China have no consequences for their aggression in cyberspace, in Crimea and Ukraine, in Tibet, in the oceans, no consequences and no deterrence. Awful, and scary.
7
What do you propose? The world is safer then anytime in recorded history. Sure, there are threats and challenges but nothing like the kind posed to our parents and their parents.
What is scary? Two superpowers in a nuclear standoff. What is scary? The flu killing 20,000,000 people. The ebola scare killed less then 10,000(? confirm these numbers)? The "war" in Syria has killed 200,000 - no small amount but Vietnam saw casualties of over 1.5 to 3.6 million. Need I go on?
I'll take today's threats and challenges over anything in the past.
What is scary? Two superpowers in a nuclear standoff. What is scary? The flu killing 20,000,000 people. The ebola scare killed less then 10,000(? confirm these numbers)? The "war" in Syria has killed 200,000 - no small amount but Vietnam saw casualties of over 1.5 to 3.6 million. Need I go on?
I'll take today's threats and challenges over anything in the past.
2
EHR guaranteed private. How many times were we promised that? Remember the contempt heaped on those who tried to express concern about the rush to mandate Electronic Health Records?
7
The Chinese hacking and Jihadist use of social media is the direct result of avarice by Silicon Valley entrepreneurs. Their "open internet" has been enabled by direct government subsidies, favorable tax treatment and lack of privacy regulation. Both Democrats and Republicans are responsible for this sorry state of affairs.
1
JIMAN, which government subsidies to silicon valley entrepreneurs are you referring to? I'm not familiar. Favorable tax treatment? How does this directly result in hacking, can you say more, please?
4
Almost all basic research that is the backbone of the internet and computer age is and was bankrolled by the US government. It's a huge subsidy.
Some day many people will appreciate my promotion of a self reliant isolated America. Fences do make good neighbors.
If conflict develops, we can all blame President Obama and the Pentagon for instigating it.
If conflict develops, we can all blame President Obama and the Pentagon for instigating it.
3
Data privacy is just data security by another name. Privacy is a crucial issue in our private homes, on our private telephones, in our insurance records and in our federal government. The NSA is obviously suffering huge defeats in all these areas. In some cases, the NSA is an aggressor against American interests in terms of data privacy.
4
Can I sue the insurance company for losing my medical records and private personal health information?
16
They didn't lose it. They let it be shared, and without your consent. Ethically, the company should pay for failing to protect your information. But this is the U.S.; companies don't tend to pay for ethical or even legal malfeasance. They're people, too, after all. They aren't subject to the same laws as the rest of us, they can't vote, but they're entitled to as much free speech and legal protection from prosecution as their dollars can buy.
1
Congress shall pass no law abridging the rights of lobbyists:-) You *could* sue but you'd have to prove harm and the laws are so weak - thank you for nothing, Congress as the healthcare lobbyists own them all - that you'd get nothing even if you won. Until we citizens unionize on this issue and ensure the laws are tough enough healthcare CEO's will spend the minimum on security - read their lips, "it doesn't produce revenue so why bother?"
1
Surely China's websites have been breached and I am sure that we are not sitting idley by but perhaps like them we should not admit to what is happening. I wish that there was some way of not having to buy "made in China".
1
The insecurity of all this data, in addition to the lack of useful interconnections in the medical data realm, makes us wonder why the government is penalizing providers of medical care who don't employ electronic records with a 2% cut, in addition to the 2% cut they already 'enjoy' under the sequestration budget, on their already discounted payments for care.
1
i'm not condoning the Chinese hacking, but think about it. Why shouldn't they want to hack our federal computers? Isn't this to be expected? The fact that our security is this weak and ineffectual is astonishing.
24
The US govt seems to have thought that we could just outsource our manufacturing jobs to China, a totalitarian state, and that 1.3 Billion people and its despotic government would sit tight and do our bidding. No Clearly the Chinese want to be in charge now. They want to be starting the wars, grabbing the resources, stitching up their fuel, minerals and food chains and advancing their ruling class to be the most powerful on earth.
And they are going to make our record as world ruler look squeaky clean.
Either we roll over for short term gain (as we have these last 10 years) and the "communist" party and their cronies rule, or thinks are going to get ugly.
Not a happy prospect either way. So short sighted the outsourcing was.
And they are going to make our record as world ruler look squeaky clean.
Either we roll over for short term gain (as we have these last 10 years) and the "communist" party and their cronies rule, or thinks are going to get ugly.
Not a happy prospect either way. So short sighted the outsourcing was.
22
Is there company in the use that makes glass that can be used for smartphone screens? Is there a company that makes high grade steel in quantities large enough to be used for construction? Is there a company in the US that can make cameras. binoculars, medical instruments of high quality, or at all? Outsourcing isn't just to China and it's not just because it's cheaper. The US is not able, or willing, to produce high quality materials in lots of areas. How Japanese cars got into US market. Greed is the number one force driving business now. The US Government is spending too much money on the wrong things-like aid to other countries. Money that should have been spent on upgrading computers and systems.
7
The USA created & supported the creative environment for most of these innovations and patents/copyrights….we made 95% of our goods prior to our foolish trade deal w/ China (thanks to Nixon) so yes we do not need to import almost everything from China. Support made in USA companies, our quality is better and it actually creates jobs and grows our economy…let China innovate, who cares, we can grow, mine and produce most of what we need here and trade w/ countries that don't try to exploit us. In China R&D is simply going online and copying aka stealing the original work of others.
Let me ask a simple question: Do you believe that the US intelligence services spy on Chinese citizens? Given that they tap the cell phone of the German Chancellor, the answer would be: Yes, the US intelligence services do spy on the Chinese.
All nations should stop this childish behavior and respect the privacy of all citizens of the world.
All nations should stop this childish behavior and respect the privacy of all citizens of the world.
5
This clearly demonstrates that the US government is inept at cyber and information security!
6
At this point I am unconvinced. However, there is evidence now that the U.S. might do this just because we can. If the NSA's director can forget about a data program as massive and pervasive as the one we apparently had, what else might he or the rest of NSA's managment forget about or simply not know about. I have no love for China. My father was a member of the U.S. armed forces and I was a military dependent until I was twenty one. He died in the service just five years before Nixon's administration began to "normalize" relations with China. Our involvement in Vietnam was still in progress. Daniel Ellsberg made the "Pentagon Papers" available and so on. Two years ago Edward Snowden revealed the little we know about NSA. If I was a "millennial" I would need a lot more evidence than you provide and I am starting hear that that they do. Regardless of what American business has sold the U.S. could make a massive adjustment to an aggressive China and our clothes would still be in the wrapper. American labor has been disparaged for over half of our history but when needed they have worked near miracles. I hope it never has to happen again.
2
Spoiler Alert: The Communist Chinese have no respect or concern for international law or intelligent property. Worse, they will never, never, admit to any of their nefarious activities under any circumstances. Chinese hacking is directed to stealing any information, technology, or strategic intel that can be used for the benefit of the Chinese government.
If President Obama wants to stop Chinese hacking all he has to do is slap a 50% import duty on all products coming from China and drastically reduce our national trade deficit.
If President Obama wants to stop Chinese hacking all he has to do is slap a 50% import duty on all products coming from China and drastically reduce our national trade deficit.
12
And listen to US citizens howl when the price of a zillion goods goes up. Not gonna happen.
1
And then the people would have Obama's head for rising prices.
1
Anti-Chinese sentiment has for decades been an easy way to generate news and revenue for media companies.
While the Chinese certainly do a lot of bad things, that doesn't mean America doesn't. There's a lot of stereotypes floating around China that ironically also applies to the US. The media just likes focusing on China because it's news Americans like to hear and it's part propaganda. We want to hear bad things about other people and how good and saint-like we are.
Us Americans blame the H1B workers but defend companies' rights to abuse the system to exploit them and thus disadvantage American workers. Employers hire illegals yet we blame the illegals instead of arresting the employers for poor working conditions, human rights violations in trafficking. Harvard students, Boards of Ed have had recent cheating scandals.
While Chinese government hacks, so do Americans. Edward Snowden, your savior in the eyes of many, makes this point clear. That Americans are just like the Chinese, committing economic espionage. It doesn't make news though cause we're the good guys after all. How about Samuel Slater? Anyone remember their history class? Though the books don't say it, it was technically corporate espionage in those colonial times. Throughout history, Americans are just as guilty. It's not like we invent every single thing. We steal too. And let's not get started on our wars.
While the Chinese certainly do a lot of bad things, that doesn't mean America doesn't. There's a lot of stereotypes floating around China that ironically also applies to the US. The media just likes focusing on China because it's news Americans like to hear and it's part propaganda. We want to hear bad things about other people and how good and saint-like we are.
Us Americans blame the H1B workers but defend companies' rights to abuse the system to exploit them and thus disadvantage American workers. Employers hire illegals yet we blame the illegals instead of arresting the employers for poor working conditions, human rights violations in trafficking. Harvard students, Boards of Ed have had recent cheating scandals.
While Chinese government hacks, so do Americans. Edward Snowden, your savior in the eyes of many, makes this point clear. That Americans are just like the Chinese, committing economic espionage. It doesn't make news though cause we're the good guys after all. How about Samuel Slater? Anyone remember their history class? Though the books don't say it, it was technically corporate espionage in those colonial times. Throughout history, Americans are just as guilty. It's not like we invent every single thing. We steal too. And let's not get started on our wars.
5
Sure, sure, and America is a total police state, just like China's ...
Since China hacked the plans to the F-22 Raptor in the early 00's this could be seen as an improvement in our cybersecurity.
This Office of Personnel Management hack, like those of Anthem and Premera, has been traced to China, according to the fingerprints identified by the cited security experts. And China is taking great, grievous umbrage at this suggestion.
This simple girl has just one question: why is this not being categorized as an act of war? In another era this "attack" would have been conducted with other methods and weapons. But we'd still recognize it as an calculated, deliberate assault on our homeland, a breach of our democracy and community.
Let's use every available response - diplomacy, boycott, trade sanctions, restrictions on visas, etc. - to force the Chinese government to cease these deliberate breaches of our security. But stop pussy-footing around with cyber thieves! Horse thieves once were shot. It's called "grand theft auto" for a reason, and bank robbery is a federal offense. Cyber thievery is a crime that hasn't the level of punishment is deserves. And now that governments are using it (including ours) is should be called what it is - an act of war!
This simple girl has just one question: why is this not being categorized as an act of war? In another era this "attack" would have been conducted with other methods and weapons. But we'd still recognize it as an calculated, deliberate assault on our homeland, a breach of our democracy and community.
Let's use every available response - diplomacy, boycott, trade sanctions, restrictions on visas, etc. - to force the Chinese government to cease these deliberate breaches of our security. But stop pussy-footing around with cyber thieves! Horse thieves once were shot. It's called "grand theft auto" for a reason, and bank robbery is a federal offense. Cyber thievery is a crime that hasn't the level of punishment is deserves. And now that governments are using it (including ours) is should be called what it is - an act of war!
8
It really wouldn't have been. Countries have been spying on one another in peacetime forever. It's just scarier now because we (all major powers) can do it so much better now.
This Administration believes its job is to avoid wars. Going to war, even a cyber one, would be a big departure for it.
That said, a strong message to China would be a good idea.
That said, a strong message to China would be a good idea.
2
If there was any really serious concern about protecting privacy and personal information, wouldn't the first logical conclusion be to shut down the internet since that's the source of all the leaks and breaches?
Since the answer to such a suggestion would obviously be NO, because such an action would impinge on the business and profiteering nature of the internet? That being said such a thought would be anathema, especially in light of the fact that everything else in this country takes a back seat to that, therefore personal privacy issues are irrelevant in comparison and whatever losses that may occur to the public as a result of these breeches are simply to be chalked up as another cost of doing business, borne solely by the consumer as usual.
Since the answer to such a suggestion would obviously be NO, because such an action would impinge on the business and profiteering nature of the internet? That being said such a thought would be anathema, especially in light of the fact that everything else in this country takes a back seat to that, therefore personal privacy issues are irrelevant in comparison and whatever losses that may occur to the public as a result of these breeches are simply to be chalked up as another cost of doing business, borne solely by the consumer as usual.
As much as I get my outrage on when I hear about these types of nefarious Chinese hacking I try to calm myself to a sense of fairness and consider the machinations of our own sinister NSA. I'm sure NSA minions are hacking Chinese computers all day long. But, then, I ask myself: "Why are there no cries of outrage from the Chinese government about these perfidious NSA attacks?". Is it because there are really not NSA hacks against China, or is it because the NSA hacking is so good that the Chinese never detect it? Probably the latter, which makes me shudder.
There's a third possibility: that, for whatever reason, the party won't admit to being hacked.
2
We have to be blind not to notice the chinese are everywhere! Here in metro west Chinese from China are buying real estate just so their kids can attend public schools top rated in the state. Grad schools everywhere are mostly Chinese students, not just in math or science but also education, any grad school! Soon PhDs will be mostly Indians and Chinese. Every 5th 6th person in the world today is from China!
9
The GOP better hurry up and further defund public education, so we can fall further and further behind. In an hundred years, of all the destructive upwardly redistributive policies of the GOP, their hostility to education, and its destructive effect on our competitiveness, will be remembered as the straw that broke the camels back and left America an also ran.
Nice work, team GOP! Thanks a million!
Nice work, team GOP! Thanks a million!
If you build a database of people, ascertain their relevance to infrastructure, then begin manipulating/kidnapping/killing them - will the US government know it? Will the US government tell you?
As the hackers build databases, so too they build queries (questions/viewpoints) about the data, and that allows them to build a structured vocabulary of knowledge about Americans that we don't know about our friends, neighbors, even ourselves.
The motive is unscrupulous and criminal, or worse. They could use any terrorist organization as a proxy fighting force, give them personal details about you and I and set them loose inside our borders.
Nothing too scary, right?
As the hackers build databases, so too they build queries (questions/viewpoints) about the data, and that allows them to build a structured vocabulary of knowledge about Americans that we don't know about our friends, neighbors, even ourselves.
The motive is unscrupulous and criminal, or worse. They could use any terrorist organization as a proxy fighting force, give them personal details about you and I and set them loose inside our borders.
Nothing too scary, right?
4
It makes me wonder if other countries experience the same anount of data breaches or is it just in America?
2
This is not a question of "plausible deniability". This is a county that has the "Great Chinese Firewall"! They know everything everyone does online with their government censors and filters. These are not rogue Chinese. It's the Communist Party.
This is the Chinese declaring war on the USA and going after goverment workers
This is the Chinese declaring war on the USA and going after goverment workers
24
I think they are practicing, training, learning the process, discovering which attacks work, understanding how people respond and react, just like the 9/11 hijackers understood how pilots would respond when flight attendants were attacked (open the cockpit door). They don't want the information. They want to get better at what they do.
3
If only NSA devoted their resources to protecting our privacy from China rather than invading it themselves.
8
To those who are concerned about China's growing economic superiority and military ambitions, consider the source of their wealth: YOU.
Next time you go shopping take note of the labels; in several of the most successful retail chain stores (you know who they are) there is nothing made in America - most of the merchandise is made in China. It is one thing to willfully choose to buy Chinese goods, it is another to be unable to find ANY American made goods anywhere in these stores. The choice is made for you: buy Chinese or go home.
By running smaller local businesses out of business the larger retail chain stores limit consumer choices to Chinese and Asian made products. Every time we purchase Chinese made goods from these mega-chain stores we are funding the expansion of Chinese military reach. Is it really worth it?
Next time you go shopping take note of the labels; in several of the most successful retail chain stores (you know who they are) there is nothing made in America - most of the merchandise is made in China. It is one thing to willfully choose to buy Chinese goods, it is another to be unable to find ANY American made goods anywhere in these stores. The choice is made for you: buy Chinese or go home.
By running smaller local businesses out of business the larger retail chain stores limit consumer choices to Chinese and Asian made products. Every time we purchase Chinese made goods from these mega-chain stores we are funding the expansion of Chinese military reach. Is it really worth it?
18
Yes. War Mongering Police States such as the US is, have a dim future. This place is beyond evil, as it lashes out at the whole Would. Today it is China, tomorrow Russia, Muslims the next day, Mexicans....ad nauseam.
2
And, please let's not forget that most big-box stores get their dominance from a little subsidy called 'tax increment financing' that the rest of us underwrite. As with most big sports franchises, the 99% finance the 1%'s billion dollar profits.
1
To be objective, you should note that the problem does not rest with the Chinese, but the American businessmen and corporations who chose to make the products in China to take advantage of the labor cost to boost their own profits. It was and is the result of the greed of the Americans.
But it is so convenient to blame the Chinese for everything, and that is the fallacy and sham or scam. If you want to lay the blame in the correct place, blame it on the American 1% and their cohorts, the banksters, and the people revolving in and out of government, all those patriotic Americans making a profit off of their own country's malaise.
But it is so convenient to blame the Chinese for everything, and that is the fallacy and sham or scam. If you want to lay the blame in the correct place, blame it on the American 1% and their cohorts, the banksters, and the people revolving in and out of government, all those patriotic Americans making a profit off of their own country's malaise.
"In this case, however, researchers say the group that stole the personal information was known for cyberespionage, which indicates that spies are no longer stealing just American corporate and military trade secrets, but also personal information for some later purpose."
Geez, let me see, could it be that once the yuan replaces the dollar that US gov't employees won't be able to get a loan or pay high interest loans once they are located in this data base? Could it be for some reason if we go to war and lose, gov't employees will pay a steep price. We have to start thinking like them to find out what they are up to. I can assure you that it doesn't look good.
Geez, let me see, could it be that once the yuan replaces the dollar that US gov't employees won't be able to get a loan or pay high interest loans once they are located in this data base? Could it be for some reason if we go to war and lose, gov't employees will pay a steep price. We have to start thinking like them to find out what they are up to. I can assure you that it doesn't look good.
4
The 'surprised' tone of articles like this never ceases to amaze me. After all, the vast majority of our digital doodads are made in China. Not only that, our gloriously cheap IT employers can't seem to get enough of H1-B indentured servants, many from guess-which country, who, unlike our citizens, can be dumped into a Federal detention centre and deported for merely complaining about long hours and low pay. And some of those even turn out to be - surprise! - spies.
Granted, when it comes to the minutiae of all that's code, hardware and everything going with it, the sheer genius of our 'guru'-some gurus of IT cannot be denied. But perhaps all that 25-8-366 focused labour with blinders on has done something to other parts of their grey matter - because when it comes to just plain old-fashioned common sense, if they were any dumber they'd need to be watered.
Granted, when it comes to the minutiae of all that's code, hardware and everything going with it, the sheer genius of our 'guru'-some gurus of IT cannot be denied. But perhaps all that 25-8-366 focused labour with blinders on has done something to other parts of their grey matter - because when it comes to just plain old-fashioned common sense, if they were any dumber they'd need to be watered.
10
Perhaps our leaders were too busy covering up the loss of billion$ of state-of-the art weapons in Iraq and the anthrax debacle to pay attention to the hackers who have been breaking into our databases.
4
It's pretty clear to me where all of this is heading. Five years from now -- give or take a few years -- we're all going to wake up one fine day and discover that hackers in the employ of Kim Jong-un have been at work overnight in the computer systems of all the major banks, stock brokerages and insurance companies in the land arranging things so that everybody in the country now has equal wealth. Kim will not have stolen anything. He merely will have moved all our money around. Liberals will rejoice and some of them will propose in this space that he be named a saint and made permanent President of the United States.
3
Ah, we had to work "the liberals" in there, didn't we?
There went your point and your credibility, Stanton.
There went your point and your credibility, Stanton.
8
Conservatives, of course, would be horrified.
1
And liberals with inherited money.
2
And one more thing: we need to STOP associating our personal social security numbers with every application and every activity we engage in unrelated to social security and taxes.
14
Whether it's TSA or cybersecurity or FBI targetting of schmoes or NSA surveillance, we are engaging in security theater, not security. Every incident is an eye-opener. Fund these agencies properly, train and pay people well, and toss them on their butts if they fail, from the lowliest GS employee to Cabinet secretaries. Or just throw in the towel and hope for the best. That seems to be the path we're following now.
2
A follow up to my earlier comments. We have been told over the years Indian are great programmers so they need H-1B and we move jobs to India. Pakistani are sympathetic to Islamists and last month NYTimes exposed a high profile Pakistani tech company with 2,000 employees as scammers that sold fake diplomas. We also know Nigerians gangs target Americans online with all sorts of crazy scams aims to steal money, bank account, credit card and SS#.
My question is, how come none of these people are ever successful in hacking into the U.S.? You'd think those countries with a hundred million reasonably well educated English speakers that can program as well as Americans would target our government and corporates to steal information. Yet no. Every successful hacks has been done by China, Russia and North Korea. There aren't even Chinese and Korean gangs selling SS# but they steal them anyway but known scammers apparently aren't interested in getting 4 million SS# at once.
My question is, how come none of these people are ever successful in hacking into the U.S.? You'd think those countries with a hundred million reasonably well educated English speakers that can program as well as Americans would target our government and corporates to steal information. Yet no. Every successful hacks has been done by China, Russia and North Korea. There aren't even Chinese and Korean gangs selling SS# but they steal them anyway but known scammers apparently aren't interested in getting 4 million SS# at once.
2
“We wish the United States would not be full of suspicions, catching wind and shadows, but rather have a larger measure of trust and cooperation.” -- Hong Lei
Yeah, we'll trust the Chinese. And we'll also have a big stick nearby just in case.
Yeah, we'll trust the Chinese. And we'll also have a big stick nearby just in case.
3
Our personal information resides with the government, merchants, insurance companies, and who knows where else. In effect, these entities – whether they like it or not - are custodians of our information and when there is breach, they must be held accountable.
If you are lucky, you will receive identity theft insurance for a few months, which may help in the short run. However, until we place a value on this information i.e., commoditize it, and require these custodians of information to pay damages to all individuals when there is a breach, this will problem continue to happen. We can make an exception if the breach is state sponsored during a time of war, but quite frankly, nothing will change until the true cost is internalized.
If you are lucky, you will receive identity theft insurance for a few months, which may help in the short run. However, until we place a value on this information i.e., commoditize it, and require these custodians of information to pay damages to all individuals when there is a breach, this will problem continue to happen. We can make an exception if the breach is state sponsored during a time of war, but quite frankly, nothing will change until the true cost is internalized.
1
"The personnel office told current and former federal employees that they could request 18 months of free credit monitoring to make sure that their identities had not been stolen, ..."
The fact is, the employee's personal credentials have already been stolen and what OPM is saying is not just false, it's also misleading. Eighteen months of monitoring does not ensure one's identity hasn't or won't be stolen, it's designed to detect identify theft ONLY IF it happens in the next 18 months. If the hacker waits for the 19th month the OPM plan does nothing. Your SSN and Date of Birth isn't going to change so hackers have a long time to harvest your identity.
It's frustrating enough to be a victim, it's even more frustrating when those responsible for the loss misrepresent the help they say they'll provide.
The fact is, the employee's personal credentials have already been stolen and what OPM is saying is not just false, it's also misleading. Eighteen months of monitoring does not ensure one's identity hasn't or won't be stolen, it's designed to detect identify theft ONLY IF it happens in the next 18 months. If the hacker waits for the 19th month the OPM plan does nothing. Your SSN and Date of Birth isn't going to change so hackers have a long time to harvest your identity.
It's frustrating enough to be a victim, it's even more frustrating when those responsible for the loss misrepresent the help they say they'll provide.
4
"In this case there seemed to be little doubt among federal officials ... But the administration did not publicly identify Chinese hackers as the culprits."
Before we publish what can best be described as blatant guesswork, we need to actually get the facts straight. Our business leaders have exported most of our manufacturing jobs to China. Our politicians have done nothing to stop them, or to stop our own Government and private citizens from hacking China. Our Security agencies lie to everyone about everything, and our journalists point fingers at anything that might get a headline hit whether it has a grain of truth or not. So, who is the enemy today? They are all starting to look a lot alike to me.
Before we publish what can best be described as blatant guesswork, we need to actually get the facts straight. Our business leaders have exported most of our manufacturing jobs to China. Our politicians have done nothing to stop them, or to stop our own Government and private citizens from hacking China. Our Security agencies lie to everyone about everything, and our journalists point fingers at anything that might get a headline hit whether it has a grain of truth or not. So, who is the enemy today? They are all starting to look a lot alike to me.
3
"And as they looked from pig to man, then from man to pig and from pig to man again, they could not tell which was which." - George Orwell, the last sentence in 'Animal Farm'.
2
Seriously, doesn't this makeyou worry just a little more about U.S. kids ranking so low in math and science? Given the incredibly low ranking of U.S. schoolkids in those subjects, this should not come as a surprise. Never mind the numbers of Asian kids, surely some of which are Chinese, attending American schools and actually excelling in those subjects and then going home.
2
Middle and upper class US kids rank well with those from other countries in which only those students on an academic track take the test.
3
Sorry, hit submit before I finished the thought. My tablet is dying. What U.S. middle class? The one gasping it's last breath?
Are these separate issues or 1: Chinese anchor babies, Chinese cheating on tests like SAT, Chinese indicted for impostors sitting in for others on the SAT, Chinese theft of IP, Chinese copycat factories, Chinese immigration fraud by fake marriage, Chinese corporate espionage, Chinese take payment in cash only so they can cheat the IRS, Chinese spying, hacking?
12
Oh please you're saying Americans don't cheat? Years back in NYC, the NYT reported American kids cheating. How about the Board of Ed in Georgia? Or the Intro to Congress/Government class at Harvard? How about those cheating scandals? Or how about Joe Biden's bar exam? Or how about American corporate espionage which Snowden revealed. Funny how that point about Americans committing corporate espionage gets omitted so often in media. Obviously Americans are on the side of righteousness and justice. We're heroes after all, that's what movies, pop culture and DC/Marvel Comics tell us! Hiring illegals, violating human rights at Guantanamo, labor practices, police brutality, invading countries, bombing civilians, massacring them with AC-130s (thanks Chelsea Manning). Everything we Americans do is right! Everything the Chinese do is wrong! That is the impression I'm getting from most biased Americans. Let's look at things objectively yeah?! Criminals are everywhere, in all colors and all races and all genders. Criminal behavior is blind to these factors.
While boycotting Chinese goods seems like a good idea, are you really prepared to go about your daily life naked?
7
Boycott won't work against a stronger economy. I have to keep reminding people Napoleon's continental system failed because he boycotted England, the most advanced economy at the time.
1
Thanks for the chuckle. Perhaps we could pick one product or industry? Or one garment?
The "theft of huge quantities of data" and the lack of "clear motive for the hackers", seem to indicate that they were practicing to match the NSA!
2
When the west (NSA, GCHQ, BND etc.) does it, it's never hacking but they are protecting their homelands instead.
If the west does it, the Chinese and Russians will do it as well - we can count on that.
The net is a dream come true for spies.
If the west does it, the Chinese and Russians will do it as well - we can count on that.
The net is a dream come true for spies.
4
With this, the cheating on the science competition, the currency manipulation, and rampant IP theft (see Xiaomi) it's clear that Chinese corporations and many individuals will gleefully cut corners in pursuit of a buck.
They've been ready students of American megacorp capitalism. Indeed they've learned from us a little too well.
They've been ready students of American megacorp capitalism. Indeed they've learned from us a little too well.
1
Hopefully they will never be able to get into Social Security records because EVERYONE will be up the creek without a paddle. Can't a Ph.D. in computer science/data combat this cyber theft?
1
Most of these breaches emanate from "phishing" attacks. A user clicks on an attachment, and malicous code is then executed.
Some in the social security administration have suggested "partial SSAN" numbers, which seems to me to be a plausible plan. You would have to complete the number sequence.
Some in the social security administration have suggested "partial SSAN" numbers, which seems to me to be a plausible plan. You would have to complete the number sequence.
If we knew precisely where the attack was from, why did we let it happen in the first place? Any entry level intrusion alert system takes less than a second to kick in, but how they managed to download millions of records?
This is what puzzles me. We always brag how invincible we are, with billions of dollars and top talents. But we keep getting hacked, sometimes by NKR folks whose best equipment is an AM radio with fixed stations.
Things don't add up here..What's going on?
This is what puzzles me. We always brag how invincible we are, with billions of dollars and top talents. But we keep getting hacked, sometimes by NKR folks whose best equipment is an AM radio with fixed stations.
Things don't add up here..What's going on?
2
I know most of you are going to laugh at my following suggestions but I am making them anyway.
1. Why does everything have to be electronic??? Because its there? because its sooo 21st century?? As most of us have experienced, technology gets "improved" and even old technology gets new versions/releases that make what you have obsolete. What's not to say that a breakthrough in data storage (and its attendant access) won't come along the makes NSA servers in Utah obsolete???
Historians and researchers pour over ancient Egyption, Greek, Roman, Etruscan, Hebrew, Christian writings - writings on some sort of physical material - paper, vellum, papyrus to learn our history and our past cultures and achievements.
How is anyone going to pour over and learnanything from machines that no longer work 1,2,3,000 years from now?
2. Why do we have to have sooo much everwhere about everyone and everything? NSA, IRS, Banks, Credit Card Companies, every retailer you ever bought a pair of socks from keep
I see todays data hoarding as a manifestation of what I call "my parent's basement" approach to saving stuff. Never throw anything out because you might need or want it or be able to use it for something else or give it to someone else someday.
Data hoarding on the NSA -like scale, be it govrenmental or Privatre enterprise is a mainifestation of true insanity - way crazier than my parents basement.
Full Disclosure:
Retired after 40 years designing and implement IT data structures
1. Why does everything have to be electronic??? Because its there? because its sooo 21st century?? As most of us have experienced, technology gets "improved" and even old technology gets new versions/releases that make what you have obsolete. What's not to say that a breakthrough in data storage (and its attendant access) won't come along the makes NSA servers in Utah obsolete???
Historians and researchers pour over ancient Egyption, Greek, Roman, Etruscan, Hebrew, Christian writings - writings on some sort of physical material - paper, vellum, papyrus to learn our history and our past cultures and achievements.
How is anyone going to pour over and learnanything from machines that no longer work 1,2,3,000 years from now?
2. Why do we have to have sooo much everwhere about everyone and everything? NSA, IRS, Banks, Credit Card Companies, every retailer you ever bought a pair of socks from keep
I see todays data hoarding as a manifestation of what I call "my parent's basement" approach to saving stuff. Never throw anything out because you might need or want it or be able to use it for something else or give it to someone else someday.
Data hoarding on the NSA -like scale, be it govrenmental or Privatre enterprise is a mainifestation of true insanity - way crazier than my parents basement.
Full Disclosure:
Retired after 40 years designing and implement IT data structures
16
In 1000 years our credit card statements and YouTube videos will give future human, robot or alien a glance of our lives today. We don't want them to mistake Kim Kardashian for Empress of the World so we better save those data in every bigger warehouse
1
All the hacking news are ever about Russia, China and North Korea. I don't know if the Iranian are seen as incompetent or because there is the nuke deal but it would be nice if Homeland Security is more creative next time it makes up a story.
I mean, ISIS, German, Japanese... there are a lot more places we can divert the public's attention to so they don't know about "spying at home".
I mean, ISIS, German, Japanese... there are a lot more places we can divert the public's attention to so they don't know about "spying at home".
5
It's really easy to fake location, and aren't hacker tools pretty much on open market? It's also very weird that important data was not encrypted - also easy to do. I'm a little bit skeptical about certainty of source here, and the timing is fishy.
3
Let's hope the US is counter-attacking and disrupting Chinese assets, including commercial operations in the US. At some point, Chinese purchase of US corporate shares or ownership might be banned by an act of Congress.
6
U.S. have long banned Chinese from owning assets (any marrying whites) in the U.S. until the ban was lifted during WW2 in the spirit of cooperation against Fascism. It is one reason why many buildings in Chinatown have non-Chinese landlords. How you are going to reintroduce this policy without infringing on people's constitutional right is going to be interesting.
1
These are insider games like FIFA with football officials from different countries bribing officials at the international organization. Spies from different countries conduct spy on organizations in each others countries. Aside from the waste of tax dollars for the spies who cares?
2
For those who are Tom Clancy fans, read "Threat Vector", which deals exactly with what happened here. The hackers are housed in a shack of a building in Beijing and we destroyed it surreptitiously thanks to Jack Ryan Jr.
1
I'm really getting tired of China's hacking. I really do hope we respond doubly over the networks. While we're at it, a squadron of F-22's over those Chinese held islands in the SCS seems appropriate too.
1
What would overflying Chinese land with F-22 do that overflying them with P-8 didn't do? China is not going to shoot it down and US isn't going to bomb them so it is just futile display.
1
One has to wonder who these experts are , who are pointing fingers at the Chinese and US Insurance Companies, the later being the real shysters who for all intends and purposes are unregulated. NSA with some close to $80 plus billion with the usual Patriot Act and a slew of private contractors, one too many of them rogues have been harassing innocent citizens 27/7 buy bugging their telephones, computers and microphones imbedded in their walls and electric sockets with all kinds of noises ( night, heavy duty machines, aircraft, breaking glass, knocking on doors, windows and other broadcasts bombardment, not only illegally but using homeowners electricity of this illegal purpose.
For that matter it looks that NSA with this monster of budget is not very competent in what ever it is doing , including using monster data basis in listening to innocent citizen telephone calls and all the rest. One has to wonder as to what kind of a so called national security do we when some third party ( country ) and the insurance industry within the nation is hacking the Government's own Office of Personnel Management. Where the Government itself is criminally negligent in violating Government Employee Privacy of SS numbers, home addresses, credit card info etc etc.
For that matter it looks that NSA with this monster of budget is not very competent in what ever it is doing , including using monster data basis in listening to innocent citizen telephone calls and all the rest. One has to wonder as to what kind of a so called national security do we when some third party ( country ) and the insurance industry within the nation is hacking the Government's own Office of Personnel Management. Where the Government itself is criminally negligent in violating Government Employee Privacy of SS numbers, home addresses, credit card info etc etc.
2
WW III has already started. The current fronts are a Shia-Sunni civil war throughout the middle east, with various powers supporting their proxies in the region; and a cyberwar between the West and East. Eventually a third front will emerge in Africa, and will be fought along financial/influence lines with the goal of controlling natural resources and labor.
4
Espionage is important for a secure homeland, no matter where one lives. Most countries (and the corporate wheels at work) practice some form of it. Embarrassing when busted. China’s is flexing their muscles across the globe, building islands for possible military bases in the sea, now this. They must have known and simply didn’t care if caught. What are we going to do? The last thing the America people want is to be caught up in another conflict. The question is now how we will deal with this? Quite the world we live in.
2
Don't worry, the American elite have a plan: they want to greatly expand H-1B high tech visas, bringing in many more engineers from China, and we know they are expert at cyberespionage: problem solved!
Less known professional visas like L-1 and OPT have even fewer safeguards and are being expanded and exploited now to bring in huge numbers of people for software jobs Americans apparently don't want. But shhh, it's a secret like TPP ( and TISA ), which may top them all with'free trade in services', allowing the global corporations to freely move people from low wage countries to high wage, ie here. China is saying it is interested in joining TPP, and a President could do it by fiat in the next 6 years if fast track passes [looks likely.]
http://krebsonsecurity.com/2015/04/a-day-in-the-life-of-a-stolen-healthc...
'Health records are huge targets for fraudsters because they typically contain all of the information thieves would need to conduct mischief in the victim’s name — from fraudulently opening new lines of credit to filing phony tax refund requests with the Internal Revenue Service.'
Less known professional visas like L-1 and OPT have even fewer safeguards and are being expanded and exploited now to bring in huge numbers of people for software jobs Americans apparently don't want. But shhh, it's a secret like TPP ( and TISA ), which may top them all with'free trade in services', allowing the global corporations to freely move people from low wage countries to high wage, ie here. China is saying it is interested in joining TPP, and a President could do it by fiat in the next 6 years if fast track passes [looks likely.]
http://krebsonsecurity.com/2015/04/a-day-in-the-life-of-a-stolen-healthc...
'Health records are huge targets for fraudsters because they typically contain all of the information thieves would need to conduct mischief in the victim’s name — from fraudulently opening new lines of credit to filing phony tax refund requests with the Internal Revenue Service.'
13
Meanwhile, the NSA, FBI, etc. are spending billions reading your emails, Facebook posts and texts to stop "terrorism".
Ever hear of just one single occasion where all the spying on loyal American citizens has stopped an attack? I thought so...
But through the back door -- literally -- comes everyone and anyone to scoop up all of our critical information. Thanks for protecting us, NSA!
Ever hear of just one single occasion where all the spying on loyal American citizens has stopped an attack? I thought so...
But through the back door -- literally -- comes everyone and anyone to scoop up all of our critical information. Thanks for protecting us, NSA!
16
Well we also haven't heard of a real attack to stop yet either....
Anything is vulnerable, especially with cyber. This is just a matter of boosting security.
Anything is vulnerable, especially with cyber. This is just a matter of boosting security.
1
It shouldn't come as a shock to anyone to learn that we are probing their cyber defenses too. I hope we do, and I'm glad we do. The point is to understand that notwithstanding all the handshaking and smiles for the cameras when our leaders meet, China is at best our strategic rival and at worst our enemy.
4
Perhaps it would be nice if some of our big corporations brought back some of those high tech jobs to this country so that we can make our own rocket engines, computers, phones and those kind of things. Might cost just a tad bit more, but I would be glad to pay that, but instead they are determined to push through the TPP. It is all smoke and mirrors to detract us from the fact that our middle class and standard of living are racing to the bottom.
@xtian
There aren't many tech jobs to bring back unless you are talking about telephone service jobs in India. Most of the tech you can buy are designed, manufactured and assembled in Asia. China, Japan, Korea and Taiwan together outspend the U.S. on R&D by 50%.
There aren't many tech jobs to bring back unless you are talking about telephone service jobs in India. Most of the tech you can buy are designed, manufactured and assembled in Asia. China, Japan, Korea and Taiwan together outspend the U.S. on R&D by 50%.
1
Meanwhile we have no deterrence and foreign policy response options. Let's talk and play nice is not working with Putin or with China or with Iran. Sad and scary world, and singing kumbaya ain't working.
6
Obama recently warned coast guard graduates that climate change is one of the largest threats they will have to face as they defend the United States and our nation's interests abroad.
Perhaps he needs to refocus his priorities on our national security and worry about protecting us from Chinese cyber espionage.
Perhaps he needs to refocus his priorities on our national security and worry about protecting us from Chinese cyber espionage.
6
Yes. The coast guard and national guard will put their top men on this. Top men. And the camera pull away to show a cart being pushed in a giant warehouse.
1
'Hacking' is a kind word compared to 'sanctioned mass theft'. Some of the data will be sold to online fraud artists. Stealing each others military and corporate secrets is one thing, stealing from masses of people another.
2
U.S. government are known to hack into other countries so it is fair game.
3
U.S. uses China as scape goat too many times. Why don't they stop spying on China themselves ?
3
Sometimes when hiding needles you can throw up haystacks to confuse those looking at you. They think you're interested in haystacks; only you know it's the needles that you find of interest.
3
What makes me laugh is the response of agency heads after these attacks. They have a press conference in response where they state they are upgrading the security systems. If an upgrade is available, why wasn't it done before? We have security systems upgrades sitting around that aren't being used?
24
'...If an upgrade is available, why wasn't it done before?...'
Because there are not enough employees to do the work, that is why.
It is not as simple as rebooting your laptop. The systems are interconnected and it take foresight and planning and down time and staff to do this work, but since civil service jobs have had a hiring freeze for many years, it will not happen.
I work in IT for a large rich university. We have more than 400 servers and 15 people to oversee them. Half of those people are entry level, so they cannot do any unsupervised work. Management does not have an IT background, so there is no point discussing the issues with them, as they could care less until the systems get hacked, as which point they look to their staff to throw them under the bus.
Last year, one large bank was hacked right after their head of IT left for another company. He left because he could not get staffing, he was considered a troublemaker for bringing up security issues, until he gave up.
Management rarely has worked their way up from the mailroom and their ignorance is astounding, yet they are the ones who make decisions about the critical infrastructure. Anyone who wants to keep their job know they have to agree with anything the boss says, while sending emails outlining the issues, so when the boss looks for someone to blame, their heads will not be on the chopping block.
Because there are not enough employees to do the work, that is why.
It is not as simple as rebooting your laptop. The systems are interconnected and it take foresight and planning and down time and staff to do this work, but since civil service jobs have had a hiring freeze for many years, it will not happen.
I work in IT for a large rich university. We have more than 400 servers and 15 people to oversee them. Half of those people are entry level, so they cannot do any unsupervised work. Management does not have an IT background, so there is no point discussing the issues with them, as they could care less until the systems get hacked, as which point they look to their staff to throw them under the bus.
Last year, one large bank was hacked right after their head of IT left for another company. He left because he could not get staffing, he was considered a troublemaker for bringing up security issues, until he gave up.
Management rarely has worked their way up from the mailroom and their ignorance is astounding, yet they are the ones who make decisions about the critical infrastructure. Anyone who wants to keep their job know they have to agree with anything the boss says, while sending emails outlining the issues, so when the boss looks for someone to blame, their heads will not be on the chopping block.
If this was discovered in April, why are we just finding out about this now? Or does timely reporting apply only to the Targets of the world? You wouldn't think federal workers, assistants, former federal workers and holders of security clearances--government workers or not-would want to know their personal info was out there. So now OPM says workers can get credit monitoring. Too late, wouldn't you say? Even this article says the Chinese are probably after more than data for credit card fraud... it is very scary
4
George Orwell is rolling over in his grave.
No charges or accusations.
No named sources.
No evidence.
No perspective.
I wonder if it's ever advantageous to stir up people at certain moments?
No charges or accusations.
No named sources.
No evidence.
No perspective.
I wonder if it's ever advantageous to stir up people at certain moments?
4
We should definitely keep selling them our residential housing stock as a place for their citizens to store their ill-gotten gains offshore, as we are doing at a record pace right now.
What could go wrong? They seem to really like us.
What could go wrong? They seem to really like us.
13
And by all means let's continue letting 1000's of Chinese nationals into our universities and computer/tech industries. We've got it coming, count on it.
28
As always, follow the money! Those furriners in our school system bring big bucks, they pay full chat on tuition, which is why the universities love 'em.
8
Hey. Those Chinese students are the future of this country's cyber defense. You don't think those college football players and humanity majors will work in IT do you?
2
It does make you re-appraise the anti-chinese immigration legislation of the Chinese Exclusion Act (1882-1943). On the other hand,I do think that American educated Chinese citizens going back home after their studies,along with the rise of a nascent middle class in the PRC is THEIR problem. :)
2
Let me see. The FBI has lied in court for decades. The NSA is spying on citizens and breaking firewalls. We are told lies to get into wars. One and a half of our two major political parties are owned by the oligarchy, who lie to us to increase the wealth of the wealthy?
Why again are we supposed to believe anything the US government says?
Why again are we supposed to believe anything the US government says?
9
We're going to hell in an imported handbasket that's not even made in China anymore.
2
Why should you give an insurance company private, accurate information, if they are not going to keep it secure?
9
Because keeping them on HealthCare.gov is even worst. No secure connection and no encryption.
1
Billions spent with Homeland Security. What exactly are they doing there?? Not much obviously.
13
Stop servicing the debt owned by the Chinese, that will wake them up.
1
Great way to destroy the dollar.
Why don't we do like the rest of the tech industry and outsource this security functionality to India ?
5
Might as well. When I need tech support for my Microsoft PC, the guy in India can access my PC remotely to diagnose and fix the issue. With my permission, of course.
If these breaches are so sophisticated, why do officials think they came from China? Hackers have always spoofed their real whereabouts. China maybe a convenient 'bad guy' for everything at this moment in US history.
The people compromised are being done a disservice. Laws must be passed for free credit freezes at the credit bureaus for all. How China benefits from having a non spy type's person's ssn is unclear. Who benefits? I'm sure the credit bureaus do ok with all the new id protection services that are being bought, no?
The people compromised are being done a disservice. Laws must be passed for free credit freezes at the credit bureaus for all. How China benefits from having a non spy type's person's ssn is unclear. Who benefits? I'm sure the credit bureaus do ok with all the new id protection services that are being bought, no?
3
It would be nice to read in the press one day about US hackers stealing Chinese (or North Korean or Russian) data... I find it hard to believe that the Chinese government is not behind us (or at least encouraging it). Should any of the chinese nationals recently arrested for espionage be found guilty it may be beneficial to execute them and send others a message.
1
When will our government drop the naivete about China (and several other countries)? China is not our friend and never will be. China and Chinese look out for Chinese interests alone. So should we. Enough with the pathological open-mindedness. Time for a dose of realpolitik. And we need to stop the backdoor acquisition of our precious citizenship by Chinese (and other) nationals through birth tourism and abuse of our legal loophole of birthright citizenship, which was never the intent of the Fourteenth Amendment. The US Congress needs to wake up, smell the coffee and sharply curb immigration and other forms of Chinese infiltration of our society. We also need to curb "free trade" with the Chinese and generally.
3
As far as I am concerned, this is equal to an Act of War by the Chinese against the USA and we find ourselves impotent to respond with anything other than tepid whining. To paraphrase Lenin's prediction: "The capitalists will sell us the rope with which to hang them," we have bought from the Chinese the (insert any consumer or industrial good here) with which we are now hanging ourselves.
The capital markets and the federal government are completely dependent upon Chinese investment in our economy to keep us afloat. We have painted ourselves into a fiscal corner with the brush of greed by giving away our factories, impoverishing our workers, and destroying the middle class. And there's not a thing the government dares to do (or admit or discuss), lest the sweet Chinese teat be withdrawn. We must wean ourselves from dependence on cheap consumer goods. Let's start by buying American or not at all.
The capital markets and the federal government are completely dependent upon Chinese investment in our economy to keep us afloat. We have painted ourselves into a fiscal corner with the brush of greed by giving away our factories, impoverishing our workers, and destroying the middle class. And there's not a thing the government dares to do (or admit or discuss), lest the sweet Chinese teat be withdrawn. We must wean ourselves from dependence on cheap consumer goods. Let's start by buying American or not at all.
4
Cybersecurity doesn't exist. The more data on the public the government
collects, the more that can be hacked. Many corporations still don't take this seriously. Let's just admit that everyone's personal information is an open book.
collects, the more that can be hacked. Many corporations still don't take this seriously. Let's just admit that everyone's personal information is an open book.
6
Rather than use these events as a reason to escalate the anti-China sentiment, let's recall that Washington spies on world leader's cell phones and is no doubt doing similar things that this article exposed.
China need not be looked on as an enemy, despite the fact that the military contracting sector would reap even more profits if a new cold war materialized.
China need not be looked on as an enemy, despite the fact that the military contracting sector would reap even more profits if a new cold war materialized.
1
What a headline!!!
I see the decline of journalistic ethics continues. Anyone with basic reading skills can quickly read all the "coverage" of this story and come to the conclusion that: no actual accusations against China have been articulated; there are no named sources; this "leak" contains no evidence; and responsible news outlets have responsibly framed this in its proper light - a peculiarly well-timed innuendo.
Even this slapdash effort here doesn't contain anything beyond innuendo and assertion. Yet the title (catch it before they change it!) projects all the certainty and legality of a court conviction: "Chinese Hacking of U.S. Data May Extend to Insurance Companies."
Note a a tactic of propaganda: magically turning an unsupported statement the impression of truth by making it an implied fact. The only lack of certainty has been offloaded ("...May Extend to Insurance Companies").
I expect more from the Grey Lady than enthusiastic executions of government (and corporate) PR campaigns. And adding a dollop of journalists' personal bigotries to heighten readers' neuroses does not count as journalistic labor. Considering recent patterns, it makes me wonder if Orientalism is officially a beat at the New York Times.
I see the decline of journalistic ethics continues. Anyone with basic reading skills can quickly read all the "coverage" of this story and come to the conclusion that: no actual accusations against China have been articulated; there are no named sources; this "leak" contains no evidence; and responsible news outlets have responsibly framed this in its proper light - a peculiarly well-timed innuendo.
Even this slapdash effort here doesn't contain anything beyond innuendo and assertion. Yet the title (catch it before they change it!) projects all the certainty and legality of a court conviction: "Chinese Hacking of U.S. Data May Extend to Insurance Companies."
Note a a tactic of propaganda: magically turning an unsupported statement the impression of truth by making it an implied fact. The only lack of certainty has been offloaded ("...May Extend to Insurance Companies").
I expect more from the Grey Lady than enthusiastic executions of government (and corporate) PR campaigns. And adding a dollop of journalists' personal bigotries to heighten readers' neuroses does not count as journalistic labor. Considering recent patterns, it makes me wonder if Orientalism is officially a beat at the New York Times.
4
I suggest setting your expectations down a few notches for the "grey lady". The M.I.C. and Wall Street desperately need a new cold war. The profiteering prospects of this wack-a-mole endless war on terrorism just aren't up to snuff, and the Times feels their pain.
1
I simply cannot understand why our government and corporations keep sensitive data on servers that are connected to the internet. I work for a financial firm. Our sensitive data and processes are all kept and run on servers that are in no way connected to the outside world. It is a separate physical network. I mean, how hard is that?
19
@Confounded: "I mean, how hard is that? [using physical network isolation]"
The Iranians were doing that, but the Stuxnet attack relied on their use of USB sticks to transfer data between isolated systems, so your company may not be as secure as you seem to believe.
For details, see: "Countdown to Zero Day : Stuxnet and the launch of the world's first digital weapon" by Kim Zetter.
The Iranians were doing that, but the Stuxnet attack relied on their use of USB sticks to transfer data between isolated systems, so your company may not be as secure as you seem to believe.
For details, see: "Countdown to Zero Day : Stuxnet and the launch of the world's first digital weapon" by Kim Zetter.
There it is. "Open Sesame!" Our treasure vault is yours for the taking. Oh! We have our rights to our privacy from OUR GOVERNMENT, our own Uncle Sam. But the Russians, Chinese or whoever are welcome to intrude and invade our privacy. Databases are being hacked in almost all places, including the White House. But let's shackle our Government so that the real criminals have free reign. So many serious violations and yet you do not even want monitoring of international internet traffic! The hacking has gotten way out of control. Instead of spending millions on our cybersecurity we are spending trillions in a war in a foreign land which unfortunately we are losing though we won't admit it. Scrap the Patriot Act and give more teeth to the NSA I know you think I am a fool but there is a big difference between the two. The fact is the NSA got hijacked by the Patriot Act. But now these countries have declared war, the new war, the more dangerous war. If Edward Snowden has done us a big favor why is he in hiding in the enemy camp? And please don't tell me Russia (and for that matter China )are our friends. If Americans still cannot see this blinding darkness, then we deserve our horrible fate.
2
Can someone name one competent thing* that this Adminstrstion has done over the last 6 plus years?
*A thing achieved through torture or lying doesn't count.
*A thing achieved through torture or lying doesn't count.
3
You must live in an alternate universe. Read Prof Krugman's Yes He Could
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/16/opinion/paul-krugman-health-care-and-c...
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/16/opinion/paul-krugman-health-care-and-c...
Too bad our government doesn't have one of Hillary's secure servers. The Chinese could never have hacked it.
4
I can't stop looking at the timing of this horrific, super scary international hacking crisis.
The day after the Senate curbs Obama's power to spy on every single one of us and Edward Snowden releases documents showing that Obama is doing it anyway even though Congress and the Senate oppose it.
Now suddenly sinister Chinese hackers are at our door and the only way to stop them is to let Obama spy on us 24 hrs a day just in case a hacker is there too.
Not buying it.
The day after the Senate curbs Obama's power to spy on every single one of us and Edward Snowden releases documents showing that Obama is doing it anyway even though Congress and the Senate oppose it.
Now suddenly sinister Chinese hackers are at our door and the only way to stop them is to let Obama spy on us 24 hrs a day just in case a hacker is there too.
Not buying it.
3
You get exactly what you ask for. Why would anyone in their right minds connect their private internal databases to the Internet? Especially the government, power grids, nuclear power plants, military designs, the State Department....
A child wouldn't do that. Am I missing something?
A child wouldn't do that. Am I missing something?
15
DEFENDING ESSENTIAL INFRASTRUCTURE Information being sent from one place to another via the Internet is what keeps modern society running. If that infrastructure collapses, so does the functioning of just about everything wherever the cyberwarfare strikes a target successfully. The possible hacking of 4 million peoples' personal information is small potatoes. Big targets include military communications, government communications, public utilities and world financial institutions. We've seen computer glitches cause losses of more than a trillion dollars in a terrifyingly short time. That's the least of it. Blocking all military communication is extremely powerful, because it means that our most powerful weapons are useless. Let's not get distracted by the furor about the NSA and put things into perspective. To stop monitoring is to stop defending ourselves against ubiquitous cyberwarfare. It is unilateral, total surrender. Is that our intent? I highly doubt it!
1
What Americans do not understand about Chinese "hacking" is that the people doing the work for the government and the People's army, are fascinated about the US . Many would love to come here and work but they now have decent jobs. Their existence is justified and made worthwhile by production-of something for their masters who can't type or use computers. Thus they go on immense fishing expeditions and secretly "compete" to obtain the most data-"catch the biggest fish".
They may not have an immediate reason or use for it, but they are showing their employers that they are working; that their work is causing "concern" by the US government--this is often enough for them now. To be recognized by the powerful Americans as a realistic threat, is a form of praise from the Americans. That they can steal from America's secret computers "proves" that at some level, they are equal to or "better" and "cleverer" than Americans. This gives every chines a very good feeling.
That they don't have a use for the material is beside the point completely. They have gotten our attention in ways that the Red China of Bicycles and Mao suits never did.
To many Chinese, this is the ultimate goal-to be noticed and recognized as an "equal power" so they can forget the past humiliations, the "unequal treaties" and similar and numerous national disasters they are constantly reminded of by their educational and political system system.
They may not have an immediate reason or use for it, but they are showing their employers that they are working; that their work is causing "concern" by the US government--this is often enough for them now. To be recognized by the powerful Americans as a realistic threat, is a form of praise from the Americans. That they can steal from America's secret computers "proves" that at some level, they are equal to or "better" and "cleverer" than Americans. This gives every chines a very good feeling.
That they don't have a use for the material is beside the point completely. They have gotten our attention in ways that the Red China of Bicycles and Mao suits never did.
To many Chinese, this is the ultimate goal-to be noticed and recognized as an "equal power" so they can forget the past humiliations, the "unequal treaties" and similar and numerous national disasters they are constantly reminded of by their educational and political system system.
8
That's the hackers' mentality you are talking about. They like to see how far they can go. A week or so ago Engadget have an article on an security experts dropping hints at a security conference that he managed to hack NASA and remotely adjusted the temperature on international space station. Apparently NASA never find out until he hinted a few friends and since NASA cannot prove it he is fine. He done it for street cred and test his skill.
Do the youthful Snowden crowd, who are supposed to be so concerned with their ' privacy rights ' even know what privacy means ? The Selfie Look At Me mentality : They spend hours tweeting and texting one another over numerous social media outlets which have information stored on them but they still think they are safe from identity theft and from piracy ? The internet and social media are handy tools for both the innocent and the criminal element.
1
Actually the Snowden crowd and the Twitter selfie crowd are different people. The Snowden crowd are college and older tech and privacy enthusiast while the selfie crowd are junior high through college socialites and over-sharers. It actually take some knowledge about tech to understand what Snowden is talking about.
1
For all those exclaiming "act of war" and "stop all trade" with China in response to the latest very conveniently timed "trust us its China" declarations of hacking I have a question. Is that what all the targets of US espionage -- which is just about every country on the planet also should also be saying about the US? Whoever is doing this "hacking" government entity or private individuals it certainly is not an "act of war" or even a reason to stop trading with another country anymore than ever ongoing and to be expected traditional espionage ever was. Cyberspace is just another frontier. Every government on the planet with the capacity will be and is testing the accessibility of other key countries network and information systems -- both friends and foe. The US recently engaged in cyber espionage targeting the Germans and the Brazilians etc.etc. for both private sector and gov info. The US also had back doors embedded in US tech with US company collaboration in some cases. Should the rest of the world stop buying US technology and declare themselves "at war"? Not too long ago the US was caught bugging the plane the Chinese were buying from Boeing to be used by the Chinese leadership. Did the Chinese start squawking about never buying another plane from the US? No they were realists. They like all other mature countries dealing with espionage just put their big boy pants on and set out to protect their information cyber based and otherwise the best they could.
13
Of course. The old trope of "well they do it too" argument. Bugging an airplane is magnitudes of difference different than accessing the PII (Personally Identifiable Information) of over 4 million US government employees. Are the Chinese now going to target those people and possibly murder/kidnap/harass them depending on their value to Chinese intelligence? Are you saying you are fine with that?
I'm also assuming that you may not have family members who could be affected by this. Several members of my family have worked or are working in the Federal Government, including the Dept. of Defense, so their info is now in the hands of some Chinese intelligence group. What will the Chinese do with this? Steal their identity? Target them? Harass them? Its scary. The not knowing what will happen next is eating them up.
This is very personal to me and for you and others who seem to blow this off by deflecting the issue and ultimately blaming everything on the US, I can only hope you aren't put in the same situation as my relatives are. But then again how naive of me to think you would ever consider their plight in the first place.
I'm also assuming that you may not have family members who could be affected by this. Several members of my family have worked or are working in the Federal Government, including the Dept. of Defense, so their info is now in the hands of some Chinese intelligence group. What will the Chinese do with this? Steal their identity? Target them? Harass them? Its scary. The not knowing what will happen next is eating them up.
This is very personal to me and for you and others who seem to blow this off by deflecting the issue and ultimately blaming everything on the US, I can only hope you aren't put in the same situation as my relatives are. But then again how naive of me to think you would ever consider their plight in the first place.
Maybe the plane example distracted you. NSA acquisition of mega amounts of personal information on foreigners was clearly established with the Snowden disclosures. So yes, many millions of foreigners many more than 4 million have been and are being affected (again ask the Germans) in god knows how many ways by US intelligence activities and live with that uncertainty. Although I have to say I don't think they are all or even a small percentage of them are facing anything near "possibly murder/kidnap/harassment" this applies to those targeted by US intell and Chinese intell and all the other intell groups in the world. It is just this sort of over the top "act of war" "stop trade" sort of reaction I was addressing. The Internet has made it much easier to hoover up potentially useful information. It hasn't changed the basic nature of the game. You still need to protect your information and espionage between friends and foes is part of the air we breathe. Trade wars and real wars on the other hand are serious business and should be left in the hands of the adults in the room. Unfortunately, over the last 20 years that has not always been the case.
1
Oh please with the boycott this and boycott that. gathering information and spying has been an inescapable part of life since there were secrets. China may not know or may not allow disclosure if they did, but I have no doubt that in between spying on our citizens and allies, we hack them too. the answer lies in fortifying our security. you can't keep people out of your house by refusing to do business with them, you have to get better locks.
2
On the Thom Hartmann xm/sirius yesterday, I believe that I heard him say that we cannot make defense missiles in our country because vital chips are made in China. So you can imagine a war with China in which we are unable to make our weapons. Doesn't this just scream ridiculous?
We protect (as in any type of defense) multi-national corporations that pay zero income tax in this country because multi-corps are able to route profits to other countries that have no or low tax. I am tired of corporate welfare. Let them figure out their own cyber attacks instead of on my tax dollars.
We protect (as in any type of defense) multi-national corporations that pay zero income tax in this country because multi-corps are able to route profits to other countries that have no or low tax. I am tired of corporate welfare. Let them figure out their own cyber attacks instead of on my tax dollars.
5
"On the Thom Hartmann xm/sirius yesterday, I believe that I heard him say that we cannot make defense missiles in our country because vital chips are made in China."
Wouldn't you want to confirm the "truthiness" of that statement before building on that shaky foundation?
Wouldn't you want to confirm the "truthiness" of that statement before building on that shaky foundation?
1
Way to bait the hate stackers, NYTs. Like Britain doesn't peek at all the Tempora we leak to them. At least they express this in their objectives for spying, economic superiority...one man's treasure chest is another cyptographer's objective.
Encrypt us, and we're done with this stupid argument. Then the spooks can REALLY get back to work.
Encrypt us, and we're done with this stupid argument. Then the spooks can REALLY get back to work.
2
Is the NSA carrying out similar attacks against Chinese sites? I'm sure they are, though it is (1) classified and (2) they would lie about it in any case.
That would help explain some limits on use of NSA expertise to harden USA sites. The NSA likes to stockpile various unpublished vulnerabilities and vulnerabilities they have created, assuming somehow nobody else will discover them. So, to rigorously protect USA systems they would have to disclose those exploits, which they aren't going to do.
That would help explain some limits on use of NSA expertise to harden USA sites. The NSA likes to stockpile various unpublished vulnerabilities and vulnerabilities they have created, assuming somehow nobody else will discover them. So, to rigorously protect USA systems they would have to disclose those exploits, which they aren't going to do.
5
Consider that they are just practicing for the Pentagon and the State Department - possibly recruiting, through blackmail, a few spies along the way.
1
Just so you guys know, the U.S government is hacking other countries too. Maybe not only in China but also in other countries as well. They use the excuse of interrogating potential thread. I am so sad to see every media is the same, always try to publish bad stuff and raise arguments. My parents said you can always learn from people even if they are the ones that you hate the most.
Unfortunately, not everyone is wise like that. We never learn the positive parts from one another, instead we point our figure at their negatives.
Plus, every country does the SAME THING. Don't be too innocent and brain washed by the media and the government. Anyways...... life goes on.
Unfortunately, not everyone is wise like that. We never learn the positive parts from one another, instead we point our figure at their negatives.
Plus, every country does the SAME THING. Don't be too innocent and brain washed by the media and the government. Anyways...... life goes on.
5
I'm so glad you saw it. U.S. government spying other countries are proven. Not only its competitors but also allies. International espionage is a very common practice among nations. That's the reason why CIA existed in the first place. I really dislike the fact that some Americans accusing Chinese for spying meanwhile their government are doing the same thing. Man up and admit it. This is a complicated world. Never buy U.S. is the saint and everyone else is moron speech.
1
If you're not familiar with something called the "Century of Humiliation" as it pertains to China, perhaps you ought to learn what that was. The year is 2015 but I don't think China's leaders go through a single day of their lives without thinking about what happened to their country between the years 1839 and 1949.
This is a country where society was nearly destroyed by British drug-runners peddling Indian-grown opium to the catatonic masses in the Middle Kingdom. People don't get over stuff like this so easily. Stop thinking that Chinese elites reserve all of their hatred for Japan.
This is a country where society was nearly destroyed by British drug-runners peddling Indian-grown opium to the catatonic masses in the Middle Kingdom. People don't get over stuff like this so easily. Stop thinking that Chinese elites reserve all of their hatred for Japan.
3
1949 was over 60 decades ago. Maybe you should ask the people of Tibet how they feel about Chinese imperialism (as opposed to Western). I have a feeling that the don't stop thinking about it either. You need to ask the Tibetans what they think about the Han chinese colonists who come to Tibet to overwhelm them demographically.
It takes shiploads of money to bribe so may people. Everyone more than high school age knows the heirs of the 30's criminal mobs have been running the Nation for many years.
We reap what we sow when we worship Money.
Has everyone forgotten those shiploads of cash sent to Iraq during the Bush administration, or the actual price required for Guantanamo's horrid prison??
We reap what we sow when we worship Money.
Has everyone forgotten those shiploads of cash sent to Iraq during the Bush administration, or the actual price required for Guantanamo's horrid prison??
1
If the Air Force is really still using 5" floppy discs in our nuclear missile silos, what do we expect? And since Congress has been starving federal budgets for years ("...small enough to put in a bathtub & drown"), what do we expect? The lack of ability by our government is a direct consequence of years and years of irresponsible funding by congress, who now blames the agencies they have starved for poor performance! And we join them, conveniently forgetting this planned attack on our government by our own elected & purchased officials over a period of many years. You don't think this doesn't catch up and create cumulative increasingly significant failures? If you were good at something, would you want to work for a business that strangles all your abilities? If you were good at something, would you be willing to be forced to use antiquated equipment? No! You would move on, & who is left? It just gets worse as we slide down hill. We are doing this to ourselves and allowing this ourselves, then blaming the people who are left for what we have done. We are the "something for nothing" society. China is just taking advantage of what we have given them. (With apologies to the many dedicated men & women still in government service still trying to make things work). Good luck, we desperately need you to keep trying.
61
Absolutely right!
We set out to destroy our own government and then we're shocked! shocked! when it doesn't work.
With friends like the GOP and their Tea Party minions, who needs enemies?
Think about this the next time you use the Internet... fly on a plane... send your kid to school... or drive across a bridge.
We set out to destroy our own government and then we're shocked! shocked! when it doesn't work.
With friends like the GOP and their Tea Party minions, who needs enemies?
Think about this the next time you use the Internet... fly on a plane... send your kid to school... or drive across a bridge.
I don't necessarily disagree with your comment, but the defense and security apparatus is hardly being starved by Congress. All the more reason to wonder why they can't get ahead of this.
Twenty or thirty years ago, government and universities could afford to hire the best computer experts and brains. Today they have so little funding that they are lucky if they can get those much closer to the bottom.
We can't afford to fight these cyberattacks in house, so why not change what that data means? Why not end instant credit checks? Is it possible that the costs of direct deposit in terms of security risks is higher than the cost of old-fashioned checks? Why not put government computers with sensitive data on their own network, with zero connection to the internet?
We can't afford to fight these cyberattacks in house, so why not change what that data means? Why not end instant credit checks? Is it possible that the costs of direct deposit in terms of security risks is higher than the cost of old-fashioned checks? Why not put government computers with sensitive data on their own network, with zero connection to the internet?
5
With the article the other day about the use of the H1-B Visa program to replace so many American IT jobs with foreign workers, it makes you wonder how many of those people are involved in state sponsored espionage.
110
That's funny. It doesn't make me wonder this at all. The reason is that I try to avoid reactionary stereotyping.
Your comment only makes me wonder what exactly is behind some opinions. You do know that hacking does not require physical proximity to computers?
Your comment only makes me wonder what exactly is behind some opinions. You do know that hacking does not require physical proximity to computers?
Zero.
Stupid beyond belief.
The CIA, one of our country's most secretive agencies trust Amazon Cloud enough to put it's sensitive information on it, shouldn't' other Government agencies start doing the same??
The cold hard truth, our brightest and smartest engineers DO NOT WORK for the government. Amazon, Paypal, Ebay have cyber security measures LIGHT YEARS ahead of our government agencies. The government has neither the money, desire, nor technical expertise to secure our own DB. How else are those military contractors/consultants/experts going to keep milking our government for more money?
The solutions ALREADY EXIST HERE AND NOW! It's time we face the music and stop playing games with people's information. This is serious. People.
The CIA, one of our country's most secretive agencies trust Amazon Cloud enough to put it's sensitive information on it, shouldn't' other Government agencies start doing the same??
The cold hard truth, our brightest and smartest engineers DO NOT WORK for the government. Amazon, Paypal, Ebay have cyber security measures LIGHT YEARS ahead of our government agencies. The government has neither the money, desire, nor technical expertise to secure our own DB. How else are those military contractors/consultants/experts going to keep milking our government for more money?
The solutions ALREADY EXIST HERE AND NOW! It's time we face the music and stop playing games with people's information. This is serious. People.
3
We are not willing to fund government agencies enough to have them make upgrades. Just look at the IRS. And the IT contractors government hires are populated by H1B visa holders. As are Amazon, eBay and PayPal by the way.
1
Not as serious as not paying your taxes. There's nothing as serious as that.
Except maybe abortion and who some strangers decide to marry.
But taxes and not paying them, definitely more important that the nation's safety!
We are a nation in the Red.
Except maybe abortion and who some strangers decide to marry.
But taxes and not paying them, definitely more important that the nation's safety!
We are a nation in the Red.
I hope the reporters are reading comments. CareFirst is also part of this group of China-related breaches, 1.1 million records breached a year ago (also govt workers) and only announced May 20.
2
At least the federal .gov accounts are on government servers. In my state, state accounts are gmail and storage is in the cloud. Cheaper, they say... unbelievable...
1
I think by nature government needs to speed up to digital times. This includes insurance companies and by nature both areas are very slow moving. With indecision and lack of protocol, we are waiting for cyberattacks to happen instead of preventing them. We should look at what is currently being used by people around the world (the majority) and take measures to make sure they are secure using next level measures and standards. It is a shame when two-factor authentication is not commonplace or encryption is outdated. Democracy needs to be digital too and apply to instant, real web needs through defined actions (not policy but people, WWW consortium exists but how about one for US defined standards).
Several years ago, physicians in the US (and their increasingly corporate overlords) began the process of transferring everyone's paper-based medical records to what is called an "electronic health record." Don't think for a minute that this information is now secure or private, or that it could not be sold to extortionists and other criminals for nefarious purposes. The issue here isn't merely that Chinese and Russian hackers exist, but that our own government has inanely passed legislation that requires us to keep our personal information on servers that are easily hacked. One of the best ways that we can protect against this sort of intrusion is to reverse this legislation, and mandate that any patient who wants a paper chart is allowed to have one. Medicare and other health insurance programs should not be permitted to penalize medical practices or patients for prioritizing confidentiality.
12
If you don't like to study math and computer science, you lose. IT and cybersecurity costs money. Math, Engineering, and IT training costs money. The GOP dream is: No taxes on corporate foreign profits, lower taxes on domestic profits. What government do you expect when you want to shrink it so small that it fits in a bathtub? We are a Swiss cheese nation now. Surely, it will fit into a bathtub more easily. Let's hire more less qualified cheaper non-tenured teachers at all levels. We get what we pay for.
84
Gee, ya think???? Maybe it wasn't such a good idea for US business and the United State government to adopt the strategy of laying off American born system developers, programmers and IT specialists so they could hired H1-V developers from China, former Soviet bloc countries and India in order to save money. What did you think will happened?
124
Never mind espionage. These workers may have no overriding incentive to do their best work if they intend to leave after some years.
Think? What's that all about? It's a foreign concept that doesn't even need a special visa!
We do not think, we already know: NO TAXES no how. Who cares what happens as long as we can hang on to every last cent?
We do not think, we already know: NO TAXES no how. Who cares what happens as long as we can hang on to every last cent?
Will Disney be attacked and hacked? After their US tech workers getting pink slips and forced to train their imported foreign replacements on special visas arranged by congress. Americans are getting a special visa straight to joblessness, or to lower wages if they are lucky. That's from the congress that many of the laid off Disney employees stood in line to elect.
I run a small server out of my home for email, web and file transfer. It's of no real value to anyone but me and my friends and family. And even I get multiple attempts every day of people trying to hack in to it. The vast majority from China. Others from Russia, Vietnam, Ukraine, Saudi Arabia, all over Europe and Africa. Going 6 years online and none have succeeded so far.
21
Perhaps the Chinese have not succeeded in hacking your server, but they know who you are:
Hackers in China Attacked The Times for Last 4 Months
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/31/technology/chinese-hackers-infiltrate-...
Hackers in China Attacked The Times for Last 4 Months
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/31/technology/chinese-hackers-infiltrate-...
"Going 6 years online and none have succeeded so far."
How can you be so sure?
Why not totally cut off your server altogether and just go with an external HD array that is much more accessable? Or even better, just use paper exclusively?
How can you be so sure?
Why not totally cut off your server altogether and just go with an external HD array that is much more accessable? Or even better, just use paper exclusively?
@TB: "... I get multiple attempts every day of people trying to hack in to it."
What types of attempts are you seeing?
What types of attempts are you seeing?
We are in the middle of of a cyber-war. China (and probably others) let us spend billions on research, then they get the results and detailed plans practically for free.
Considering the obvious cyber threat, I am amazed that our government is so lax. The data breeches we hear about are bad enough, I wonder what they aren't announcing. I wonder what breeches are taking place that they aren't aware of.
How could private Manning working in an office outside the USA possibly download all of the State Department messages including private messages from the Secretary of State. If a lowly private can do this, what can China do?
Edward Snowden stole the entire NSA data archive including secret presidential directives. He kindly gave it to the Russians and Chinese. What ever happened to the concept of "need to know" and segmented data?
Considering the obvious cyber threat, I am amazed that our government is so lax. The data breeches we hear about are bad enough, I wonder what they aren't announcing. I wonder what breeches are taking place that they aren't aware of.
How could private Manning working in an office outside the USA possibly download all of the State Department messages including private messages from the Secretary of State. If a lowly private can do this, what can China do?
Edward Snowden stole the entire NSA data archive including secret presidential directives. He kindly gave it to the Russians and Chinese. What ever happened to the concept of "need to know" and segmented data?
18
I think that the Chinese are bad news for everyone. A dictatorship that denies the basic human rights to its people. One of the most intolerant people except when business is involved. They have destroyed the Tibetan culture over the past 50 years. They are now bullying their peaceful neighbors. In a world of relative stability and security, they are stirring things up.
The blame lies on us for supporting them with our money. We continue to buy Chinese goods and services knowing that we are investing in a future for our kids that will be lead by a dictatorship. In another 20 years or so, when the Chinese have more leverage on every aspect of world economics, one can only imagine what consequences it will have on our children. Cheap manufacturing can be found in other places like India with democratic principles. Why do we continue to invest in such a hostile nation? China is a much bigger threat to the US and the rest of the world than the Russians ever were. Next time, thing twice before buying something Made in China.
The blame lies on us for supporting them with our money. We continue to buy Chinese goods and services knowing that we are investing in a future for our kids that will be lead by a dictatorship. In another 20 years or so, when the Chinese have more leverage on every aspect of world economics, one can only imagine what consequences it will have on our children. Cheap manufacturing can be found in other places like India with democratic principles. Why do we continue to invest in such a hostile nation? China is a much bigger threat to the US and the rest of the world than the Russians ever were. Next time, thing twice before buying something Made in China.
116
Tell me - when the heck was the last time you went into any of your retail shops or large department stores and were able to buy any product that was NOT MADE IN CHINA or other nation? I am SO TIRED of having to purchase products that I need from CHINA or other nations - I would love to stop supporting the ever increasing economic power of nations that have already caused havoc to the American workers and industries.
Until American consumers go on a massive nation wide campaign demanding that more American Made products are available for purchase or boycott of the powerful large retailers here in the USA who sell these products there will be no change.
Until American consumers go on a massive nation wide campaign demanding that more American Made products are available for purchase or boycott of the powerful large retailers here in the USA who sell these products there will be no change.
Amen! BSD China!
I guess today is the day for everyone with anti-Chinese resentments to pile on with the ethnic stereotyping. I lost track of all the ethnic stereotypes.
Anyone who reads into world affairs (beyond absurdly alarmist headlines like "Chinese Hacking of US Data May") knows that "the Russians" have always been a bigger threat to the US and continue to be so. Ever hear of Putin? 'Loose nukes'? Rampant organized crime in cooperation with government? Open, state-sanctioned corruption with no possibility of recourse?
Anyone who reads into world affairs (beyond absurdly alarmist headlines like "Chinese Hacking of US Data May") knows that "the Russians" have always been a bigger threat to the US and continue to be so. Ever hear of Putin? 'Loose nukes'? Rampant organized crime in cooperation with government? Open, state-sanctioned corruption with no possibility of recourse?
The NSA is spying on the citizens of its on country. Don't be naïve to think we aren't spying/hacking on them as well.
2
Every day global hacking gangs smash into bank and corporate accounts. My bank debit card has been changed 6 times in the last 7 years due to security breaches. I have had several insurance and department cards hacked as well. It's the unfortunate blowout of technology. Teenagers who hack for fun morph into seasoned pros as adults looking for easy money. No administration is going to fight this onslaught. It's a game. It's governments and organized crime plus bored students.
You worry about technology? Worry about our infrastructure in the US. Wait until the bridges start collapsing for a lack of funding for repair.
Worry about the climate and the rising seas. The melting ice caps. Worry about nukes. Worry about drinking water.
Jack B. said " something REALLY bad is going to happen"....ahhhh Jack--its ALREADY happening in a thousand different areas! It's all on the front page of your computer!!
You worry about technology? Worry about our infrastructure in the US. Wait until the bridges start collapsing for a lack of funding for repair.
Worry about the climate and the rising seas. The melting ice caps. Worry about nukes. Worry about drinking water.
Jack B. said " something REALLY bad is going to happen"....ahhhh Jack--its ALREADY happening in a thousand different areas! It's all on the front page of your computer!!
51
If you want to see the root of this, just look at Washington. A congress in the hands of willfully-ignorant Yahoos, a lax and frightened President, a complacent public that cares most about saving a dollar on a T-shirt. Bread and circuses!
And what about the intrusions we haven't identified? It does no good to blame the Chinese, the Russians. Each of these hackings, whether of the government or corporations are reasons to demand greater cyber security not reasons to blame the ones who are showing us how vulnerable we are.
1
The hacks and data theft are initial moves in a long-term plan -- think out a generation of so. Is there evidence of collusion or cooperation among the leaders of China and Russia or their proxies?
5
In China, data hacking either for commercial gain or espionage is the same. What we don't hear is whether or not this capability, no matter where it originates, can effect the power grid, the banking system, stock market or air traffic control. That's what's really scary.
25
Well there maybe a few different ways of looking at this new possibility .
1-It may not be correct where the US will disclose its evidence of the Chinese governments involvement in this type of dysfunctional behavior.
2- The US government may see fit to creating this story for the Chinese government has been causing tension in the South Pacific with a creation of a new fabricated piece of land in the ocean to claim water rights which is causing geo political tension and this will gain support for future negotiations or face a change in policy.
3- Hackers not tied to the Chinese government decided to accomplish this task within China even though these type of hackers are vigorously watched by the Chinese government.
1-It may not be correct where the US will disclose its evidence of the Chinese governments involvement in this type of dysfunctional behavior.
2- The US government may see fit to creating this story for the Chinese government has been causing tension in the South Pacific with a creation of a new fabricated piece of land in the ocean to claim water rights which is causing geo political tension and this will gain support for future negotiations or face a change in policy.
3- Hackers not tied to the Chinese government decided to accomplish this task within China even though these type of hackers are vigorously watched by the Chinese government.
2
Well this is undoing of America. This country should have never outsourced all their stuff to China. We are getting what we deserve for trusting them at all. China now has the wealth we don't.
29
China is still a poor country for the most part with severe internal problems. They are a long way from matching the level of wealth of the US.
2
The problem is the fecklessness of our government authorities -- Congress, the Executive branch, etc. They are not doing the job they were hired to do to protect the American People. We rely on them, but they let us down continually. Any five-year old can see that allowing unfettered trade with China undermines America long term, yet government and business continue to push for the kind of "free trade" that saps our freedom in the long haul.
1
hmmm it makes you wonder if the Chinese were behind the hacking attributed to the Korean government... just saying'..
2
Enough is enough. We blather on about the NSA, which is working to protect us, while the Russian and Chinese governments mount large-scale attacks on our government, businesses, and citizens, or support hacker privateers. Merely asking these dictatorships to be nice accomplishes nothing. I wonder how the Chinese would respond to a 15% tariff slapped on Chinese goods.
134
"We blather on about the NSA, which is working to protect us"
Not quite right.
We blather on about the NSA, which is working to protect their own jobs.
Fixed.
The real blather is the timing of this official news release since the cyberbreak-in was known by the USA govt many months ago. It wouldn't surprise me if "iSight" was a security company with "consulting" staff from the govt. Just a hunch.
Not quite right.
We blather on about the NSA, which is working to protect their own jobs.
Fixed.
The real blather is the timing of this official news release since the cyberbreak-in was known by the USA govt many months ago. It wouldn't surprise me if "iSight" was a security company with "consulting" staff from the govt. Just a hunch.
8
K,
You know that the employees at the NSA are working primarily to protect their own jobs how?
And you know that iSight has a consulting staff from the government how?
It seems to me that the problem with speculations like these is that they can prove anything. So they become tools of confirmation bias.
You know that the employees at the NSA are working primarily to protect their own jobs how?
And you know that iSight has a consulting staff from the government how?
It seems to me that the problem with speculations like these is that they can prove anything. So they become tools of confirmation bias.
2
The government not being able to secure a honeypot of data confirms your opinion that the government should be able to aggregate and access a vast trove of our personal data, for our protection. I think it is a sign we need better technical architects. We need to demystify "cyberwar". Escaping SQL strings is not for soldiers.
2
The timing of this news release with yesterday's extension of the federal govt's NSA digital data collection on USA citizens is ... remarkable.
"Dont look here folks! Look over there at bad China! Those rotten hackers grabbing at our USA citizen data."
Cough.
49
Perhaps these attacks call into question the quality of the OPM's network and core operating system control and tools they have available to tackle the threat.
As one who is involved in IT security auditing arena, I can tell you that the average person would be astounded at the quality of their criminal's skill sets and the funding and infrastructure to support their nefarious activities.
As one who is involved in IT security auditing arena, I can tell you that the average person would be astounded at the quality of their criminal's skill sets and the funding and infrastructure to support their nefarious activities.
41
I'm also in the same area and I'm beginning to agree with one of my professors. Deal in cash, buy nothing over the internet, and all important communications should not take place electronically.
billdaub, nice to say but what if you are or have been a federal employee, are covered by health insurance (including federal workers who might be hit twice on this) , have or have had a security clearance... ? It's more than just paying in cash and thus escaping danger. Bank records are electronic. As are other vendors such as utility companies. I could pay my electric bill in cash, I suppose, but the utility company is surely not going to.record it on paper. And just think about all the parents who prepare FAFSAs for their kid's financial aid, all the students whose school loans are paid electronically and all the employees who must receive their pay by direct deposit.
Yes, you can take some precautions but there is no way to be immune to this mess.
Yes, you can take some precautions but there is no way to be immune to this mess.
4
OPM's network is in the dark ages. I read not long ago they were still using filing cabinets for most storage.
The NSA's collection of data pales in comparison to this.
13
How are people not expected to take this as a signal from the Chinese government? I shudder to think about what bad US-China relations would look like. It makes me angry, because it's not what I'd want.
10
Someday we will wake up and find out that our multinationals are owned by China, that our consumer products are made by China, that our power grid is controlled by China, and that the internet can be shut down by China. The fact that they are building islands in the Pacific for military purposes should be a signal to us that they are close.
38
Bad relations would mean that China shuts off our power grid and turns back the clock to 1850. Got enough ammo and food stored up to survive such an event?
We don't have any multinationals; they have us.
We need to stop all trade relationship with China until they are a trust able trading partner.
They are taking our money from one end growing their economy by the expense of ours and in the mean time they are poking their fingers into our eyes.
Unless Chinese government gets involved and stop all of their online activities, these problems will not end.
Further all sensitive governmental activities must be taken off the internet and all communications should be done via direct mail or messengers. Yes we need to either go back or lose our livelihood. What do we need to lose next, all of our bank accounts and retirements?
They are taking our money from one end growing their economy by the expense of ours and in the mean time they are poking their fingers into our eyes.
Unless Chinese government gets involved and stop all of their online activities, these problems will not end.
Further all sensitive governmental activities must be taken off the internet and all communications should be done via direct mail or messengers. Yes we need to either go back or lose our livelihood. What do we need to lose next, all of our bank accounts and retirements?
128
I think your solution here, going back to direct mail and messengers is the smartest I've heard, and really the most obvious. It really seems that theres no other way to protect ourselves. No matter what kind of virtual firewall we create, someone, the Chinese, the Russians, middle eastern terrorists all find a way to get around or through it. If you want to steal it, you'd now have to risk physically breaking in and taking it. Infinitely harder to do and much more disastrous if a perpetrator is caught. Also limits the damage done. In both Manning and Snowden were caught only after the damage was done. And yet we keep thinking we can make this work, obviously it doesn't and while I certainly don't like the idea of going back to hard copy based systems with letters and messengers, it might be the only option.
If you stop trade relationship with China, most of the big department store chains will be empty. We have to recognize that we became an economic colony of China.
1
Bank accounts are electronic, health insurance payment and claims are electronic, paychecks are direct deposit. There is no going back to paper.
1
This is what you get when the computer illiterate make million dollar computing decisions.
Profit over security.
When will we get the insurance companies out of our health care system?
Profit over security.
When will we get the insurance companies out of our health care system?
94
What does this data breach have to do with health insurance except that federal employees and annuities might be hit twice if their personnel records and health insurance records are breached twice? And add a third breach: all those who have security clearances. The information requested for clearances is VERY detailed and sensitive and can include personal information about many others than the person being cleared. And, oh yes, it is not just federal workers this affects. How about private sector workers with clearances?
And even if we were to get insurers out of healthcare, do you for a minute believe single payer or Medicare for all would be paper- documented? Or Medicaid or Social Security for that matter?
And even if we were to get insurers out of healthcare, do you for a minute believe single payer or Medicare for all would be paper- documented? Or Medicaid or Social Security for that matter?
1
The incompetence of this Administration is really impressive; we are pillaged daily by Chinese hackers while WDC mumbles about how maybe it is state-sponsored. As we all know, everything is state-sponsored in China. This is all leading up to stuff which will be spectacular in a negative way; think of the disruption from millions of retirement and bank accounts hopelessly digitally scrambled while the banks and Social Security Administration will not even answer your panicked telephone calls about your (alleged) money. This hacking is not just for practice, it is the precursor to something really bad for us.
89
This administration is incompetent? How many Republicans have been willing to confront reality when it comes to the Chinese? We opted for free trade instead of fair trade with a country that does not have an honest, transparent market economy; does not respect intellectual property rights; and has been conducting state-sponsored espionage against American commercial interests for years. This is what you get when big business buys politicians. Corporate interests have trumped national-security interests and the public good in exchange for cheap products and high profits.
103
Yep, can't wait for Carly Fiorina....with her extensive management experience in technology she will teach the Chinese a thing or two about hacking! And i'm certain she drive the drones far better than Barack Obama!
2
Before extolling the virtues of Carley, perhaps you should carefully examine her records of incompetence at both Lucent and HP. She got fired from both positions for poor performance, so I don't think you should assume that she's any miracle-maker.
There is opportunity in this if our government will ramp up science investment and education spending. The same is true of the military's (feigned, because American rockets are available) inability to get along without Russian rockets. This country needs serious investment in technology to fight threats, and just as the defense industry was the catalyst for the electronics industry, internet security, environmental threats, and the need to ensure that America's defense is American sourced, are chances to make sure this country keeps its now eroding lead in these areas, something that we, rather than China, should have. The fall off of government investment in science education and development since the Reagan years is shameful, and dangerous.
188
I agree with your comment. However, it appears that China is reaping the benefits of our technology investments by stealing it.
32
Excellent comment. Exactly! Let's stimulate our economy by investing in this.
5
All that does is ramp up the mutually-armed-cyberwarefare of both sides.
Actually it is time to start keeping the most sensitive databases on computers but completely 100% off the internet. It wont happen anytime soon but eventually it will, and largely out of desperation as cyberwarefare escalates, which it will.
Actually it is time to start keeping the most sensitive databases on computers but completely 100% off the internet. It wont happen anytime soon but eventually it will, and largely out of desperation as cyberwarefare escalates, which it will.
2
After the billions and billions spent on the NSA, Homeland Security, FBI, and who know what other agencies, The Government's Human Resources Department gets hacked! What are the billions of dollars buying beyond more federal jobs. If the government can't protect their own personal information, how can we expect them to protect the average citizen!
White House - hacked, Pentagon - hacked, Congress - hacked, and too many government agencies to be named - HACKED!
It is well past time for the clowns responsible for protecting US from hacking be fired, agencies consolidated and then staffed with people skilled in anti-hacking technologies.
White House - hacked, Pentagon - hacked, Congress - hacked, and too many government agencies to be named - HACKED!
It is well past time for the clowns responsible for protecting US from hacking be fired, agencies consolidated and then staffed with people skilled in anti-hacking technologies.
95
I agree. How could private Manning working in an office outside the USA possibly download all of the State Department messages including private messages from the Secretary of State. If a lowly private can do this, what can China do?
Edward Snowden stole the entire NSA data archive including secret presidential directives. He kindly gave it to the Russians and Chinese. What ever happened to the concept of "need to know" and segmented data?
Edward Snowden stole the entire NSA data archive including secret presidential directives. He kindly gave it to the Russians and Chinese. What ever happened to the concept of "need to know" and segmented data?
27
You're overestimating what can be done to stop hacking. Note that private enterprise has been hit as well. And the Republicans have blocked legislation that would have improved computer security, without which widespread hacking will continue to occur.
21
Phil, some people, like Snowden, necessarily have access to these databases as part of their job.
3
Can the Chinese object to any sanctions imposed as violations of the Pacific Free Trade Agreement if it is passed by Congress? Surely this is a warning first against fast track and possibly against the agreement.
31
China is not part of the proposed trans pacific partnership so it can't be sanctioned under that treaty.
This story has nothing to do with the TPP. It is not a warning against fast track or against the proposed agreement.
This story has nothing to do with the TPP. It is not a warning against fast track or against the proposed agreement.
3
All the more reason to vote with your wallet, boycott anything Made in China.
148
Good point but we have gone so far that if we boycott all the chinese made items, whats left for us to consume. We just need to take a hard stance on them and work with our partners in the area to minimize their influences. Then again most ot the American debt owned by China too. So it must be done using diplomacy and strategic military moves.
8
It's time to take a strong stand against hacking by the Chinese government. Consumers can boycott goods made in China or the US government can raise import tariffs on goods imported from China. Either way something must be done.
55
There are about 2 dozen giantly large global corporations with ties to both the USA and China that smirked in your direction.
I know you mean well but a country -wide boycott is something you think will actually happen? That is hollywood-movie sorta stuff.
I know you mean well but a country -wide boycott is something you think will actually happen? That is hollywood-movie sorta stuff.
6
I think we should outsource all Federal government computer work to Google, Facebook, and the Twitter people. I included the Twitter people so that all those with Twitter accounts could alert the rest of us when data breaches occurred. That way, if a data breach occurred last November, we would all know about it in November and not 6 months later, when it was too late to freeze our credit agency and bank accounts.
Our privacy data would be safe with Google and Facebook, right? They only want to make money reselling it to advertisers, not take over our identities with it. How come not everybody interested in computers has figured out what Google and Facebook have? If they had, there would be no evil hackers in the world, right? I sure hope I have the proper understanding of all this stuff. I'd hate to think I am spreading misinformation here. Let's all break up into small discussion groups and talk about whether Google is doing evil. I'll be really angry if they are. I may have to start using Bing for my searches. Wait, no I won't.